Standing in Line

Not only does the Upper West Side boast of the best bagels, it also proclaims the best pizza! Mama's Too, just a block away from my building, has become the neighborhood's biggest attraction for its delectable pies. The lines are continuous throughout the day.

My earliest recollection of standing in line was for the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall when I was 10. My most recent was just last week to pick up a prescription at Duane Reade. I’ve lost count of the other many times in the 74 years in between, when I’ve stood on line at movie theaters, banks, supermarkets, bakeries, bus stops, train stations and airports. And let’s not forget Zabar’s.

Life in a city of more than eight million people means that at some point you will wait in line. Some lines are worth it; others are questionable. It depends on what you’re on line for, and for how long you have to stand in line. If the line moves quickly, it’s soon forgotten. If it moves slowly, it can seem to take forever. The British are best known for standing in line, or as they put it, “queueing up.”

In fact, Britain has such a stereotypical affinity for queueing up that, as the saying goes, “when a Brit stands still, he’s forming a queue of one.” In Paris, “tu fais la queue” is common, too, especially in front of a patisserie to buy a fresh croissant or baguette. And, in Tokyo, people “queue up” with their significant others for hours, to have their names embossed on leather bracelets and then exchange them with one another; setting aside so much of their time to wait on line together signals their love for one another.

I don’t know about London, Paris or Tokyo, but in New York City, we look forward to overhearing the conversations of, and engaging in small talk with, people we’ve never met before. As David Gibson, professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, explains, “Joining the line can give people a sense of participating in something both communal and at the cutting edge. When people are able to bond with other people in line, they find it to be a highly enjoyable experience.”

And there are so many opportunities to do so: standing in line to buy tickets to see the Yankees or Mets, or to the Opera or a hit Broadway show, dine at the latest trendy restaurant, or—in my neighborhood—standing on line for fresh bread and scones at Silver Moon Bakery or for a baker’s dozen at Absolute Bagels—proclaimed the best in NYC. Among the longest lines in recent history were waiting to cast an early vote in the Biden/Trump presidential election and to get one of the first Covid shots, but longest of all was waiting for several hours to see Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” on its last day at the Frick Museum. I know because I was on all of them.

            Last year, Shake Shack–known for its delicious burgers and long wait times—broke a record for the longest line in its history. Several hundreds of people stood for over three hours to get the very special burgers Shake Shack was serving for its 10th anniversary. I was on that line, too, and even though I’m a Type A, and hate to wait, and complained all the way with the others on line, it was worth it! I’ve yet to learn what was in that burger to make it taste so good.

The fact is that even when the reward we gain lasts for less time than we spend waiting for it, we’re still willing to stand in line to get it. Because New Yorkers love meeting people in any situation that enables them to converse. It doesn’t matter where or how. It could be on the street, the bus or the subway. At a ballgame, a tennis match, or a concert.

Born-and-bred New Yorkers may have a reputation of being aloof, but don’t you believe it. We are among the most inquisitive and chattiest people I know, and nothing beats a good schmooze with an obliging stranger.