New York City vs. Washington, D.C. (1-0, for now)

"New York is a city of conversations overheard, of people at the next restaurant table (micrometers away) checking your watch, of people reading the stories in your newspaper on the subway train."

On the fridge in my summer dorm room, there is a comparison between the Washington, D.C. Metro and the (by far superior) New York City Subway. At the top of that list is the fact that it is illegal to eat or drink on the Metro (punishable by fine or imprisonment or getting yelled at by a concerned citizen - and I speak from personal experience). It is, or was, legal to eat on the Subway, and it's a huge plus for the wonderful city I call home.

However, the NY Times reports that those blissful days of eating on the Subway are about to change. The rules have changed, and while eating and drinking are still allowed on station platforms (merely to appease vendors), passengers will not be allowed to eat on the trains anymore.

Now, I'm all for having clean public transportation, and I understand that D.C. has good reason behind its rules. But the New York City Subway doesn't stand a chance of ever being clean or even cleaner. And I want to drink my coffee on the train.