NY Metropolitan Diary: Guest Post by George Joseph

Just the other day on the subway home...

As usual, everyone had that stern "I just want to get home" face.

Then this guy enters, thumping the floor with a metal container. Bemused looks shoot across most faces - "not another panhandler, and what's his shtick?"

With some fuss, the guy sets himself up in the middle. He turns out to be a magician. Yeah - another magician.

He prods a guy by the door to take his wand to make sure that his little box is empty. He closes the box, and then reopens it and pulls out a brown fuzzy thing which he then throws at a young woman, who screams but quickly realizes that its an inanimate object and starts laughing.

By now, all us passengers have started to relax and smiles have slowly crept onto our faces.

Then he blows a bubble, grabs it and opens his hand to reveal a glass ball. Necks are already craning at this point. The magician is working through his routine with minimum verbal communication, and still at the same time manages to convey humor. He next puts a cloth in his box, puts it by someone's legs and pulls out women's underwear. The whole car breaks into laughter.

Alas the train pulls into my stop and I have to get off. I reluctantly leave with a smile plastered on my face just as it is on everyone else's.

Has anyone else seen this guy? It was on the no. 2/3.

Note: George Joseph, film buff, foodie, and er...actuary, is generally a rather discerning and, as he puts it, somewhat jaded individual. For this subway magician to prompt a blog post, and a smile on his face suggests that the routine was pretty damn good.