I don't know why people drive in New York City.

Another day with an insufficient number of hours, or at least an insufficient number of hours with Internet access. The Brooklyn Heights library stays open until 8:00 on Tuesdays, at least.

I was up and on the subway around 8:15 this morning to get to the Tribeca Bed Bath & Beyond right when it opened at 9:00, so I could buy a rolling garment rack to serve as a rehearsal prop. The racks come flat in a big box, which I carried uptown on the 2 train to Times Square, and then carried four blocks across town to our rehearsal space at 41st and 10th Avenue. It's by no means the strangest thing I've seen carried on the subway, or on the street; the other day I saw a man walking down 9th Avenue carrying one of those giant hands in the shape of a chair.

My point is that it's easy to take most things on the subway, and people do. I've noticed lately that almost the only cars on the streets in Manhattan are taxis, cars with government plates, and cars obviously driven by non-New Yorkers. Why tourists think it's a good idea to have a car in New York City, I can't imagine.

That said, I have driven in New York a couple of times; in fact, one of my first attempts at a standard shift was on a car I drove from my friend Carmen's wedding in Brooklyn to her reception in Hoboken. I don't remember why or how I wound up being the one to drive that car, but I managed to get there without crashing, although I think I shrieked a few times.

I've since mastered the standard shift, but I'd still shriek if I had to drive here.