It took forever to get to Toyland: the subway was tied up because of school kids going to the Museum of Natural History and to Lincoln Center. I knew we were in trouble when we were told the next train would arrive in 7 minutes; that meant there was a block somewhere on the line between 86th Street and 242nd.
As a result, because this school activity blocked traffic, at 34th Street the train went express and those of us who get off at 28th had to leave the train and wait for the next one. This old coot is offended for several reasons, the primary one being that these kids ride the trains and buses pretty much for free on our dime and we, who count on the MTA for our travel, are screwed: no seats, overcrowding, long waits. It's even worse on the afternoon buses, which fill up with loud, noisy, often fighting, children heading home.