Daredevils in New York

New York's Skyscraper

Imagine jumping between two 50-story tall buildings without a safety net (in real terms 400 feet drop), or holding on to the outside of a subway train just a few feet away from a tunnel wall at 40mph. “What! You think I’m nuts" you may say. Well, join the club. Believe it or not. There are people in New York who do just that.

Many children, and adults take great joy on hitching a ride on the back of subway cars (carriage for my British friends). Just yesterday evening, three children were on the back of an uptown express train leaving the 96th Street Station around 6pm. Futterman, a real-estate broker in Manhattan yelled at the kids to get off the train, and they responded with laughs and curses, as the train speed off. An MTA official later chimed in 'Stupidity knows no bounds.' How true that is. Some of these stunts too often end in death.

Subway Skylarking

When I first did a research on subway skylarking, I learned that thrill-seekers in New York have been at this for years! The city’s landscape of tall buildings and byways has been a very bizarre adventure, as  well as a test of courage and stamina for many. Buildings become high peaks to climb, their rooftops, nothing but high-risk jumps. A skateboarder can grab the bumper of a passing vehicle and add a thrill to his/hers ride … The lack of maturity is astonishing.

Subway Skylarking

Thrill seeker: A NYC skateboarder on the heels of danger

For years, the subway system has been a place for some explosive adventures. Clinging on the side of the train cars is best known as subway skylarking, or riding on top of them. Since 2013, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has received a total of 329 reports of subway skylarking or surfing episodes, with two ending in fatalities. Some call it an old NYC tradition. I call it ‘a dumb tradition.’

Rooftop Party

I'll never forget the summer when my wife and I were invited to a rooftop party in Brooklyn. When we arrived, we were shown to the roof via a loft ladder that went straight to an open flat rooftop of a 10-story building (100 feet) with no barriers. It could have been easy to walk straight off, giving that it was nighttime, and our hostess did not provide any kind of lighting for the roof. Can you believe that? All we had was the city and moonlight, a variety of cheeses and drinks, and of course a gorgeous Manhattan skyline.

View of Manhattan at night

We were scared out of our wits to walk on that roof, and when the boozing started, we got out of there in a shot. People do crazy things when they start drinking on a rooftop with no apparent fence. From that day on, we've been known to strictly stick to hotel rooftop parties. I'm no daredevil, so no jumping between buildings or subway skylarking, or rooftop diving for me!

Stay Safe New York!