My DMV Experience: Entitled "The Eye Opener" (& Tori Amos)

So, this morning (October 25, 2006) was my first experience with a NYC Department of Motor Vehicles.

This may not seem monumental to you all but I have to say I found it very interesting and somewhat odd. It was odd in the sense that I was in the middle of Harlem doing something that people do on a daily basis. It was one of those everyday normal things. I was pulled out of the NYC idea of shows, yummy experimental restaurants, art shows and awesome stores and put back into the real world mind of having to get your shit done haha.

I tried to remember what the DMV was like back in Virginia and how much remained the same even in such a different atmosphere. I have to say that I can’t tell if it was a SIMILAR experience compared to Virginia or not.



I took the Green Line’s 5 Train which I found out was the "Lexington Line." (Good to know for the future.) I caught the train at 86th street and Lexington, a block from my building. What was awesome was that the train left 86th street and went directly to the 125th street stop. There was nothing in between. I arrived at 125th street to the Harlem at 9:40 am.

Manhattan NorthTraffic

Violations Bureau

159 East 125 Street, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10035

I began wondering why the stops were so far and few in between after 86th street. However, on the way back it went right from 86th street to 59th street, which is the stop for my work. Well, it connects to the N,R,W line underground from there. I guess because the train is Express, it just really skips over alit of stops. I have a feeling, however, that once you start reaching the Harlem area, the train stops start becoming less frequent anyway. I haven’t figured that out yet.

I have to admit also that the atmosphere and just general ambiance of that area vs. my own was drastically different. At 86th street, you have Alliances and Conservancy groups and just many non-profit agencies that are there to clean, plant trees, and keep things just looking great around the community. One of another cool things that I want to remind myself about is that I actually had a case where a car ran into the "mall" at 85th street and Lexington, one block away from my apartment building. I sued the insurance company of the driver for the funds to have that site restored. I thought that was really awesome. Now when I walk by that block, I can look at those flowers and the repaired wooden beams and know that I helped fix that site and beautify a neighborhood that eventually became my own!! It is a small but great feeling to have actually contributed to something like that.

One of the funny things I want to remind myself was that while I was at the final counter paying for my ID card, was that they girl behind the counter to my left was talking about how she wanted to go down South to get a bike at Walmart. She spoke of how cheap everything is in the south and how bike at Walmart are so cheap. I just giggled because I think that shit EVERYDAY. She summed it up by stating that everything here is two times as much as everything in the south. WALMART RULES! I have to admit I really hated Walmart because I found it cheap. Don’t get me wrong, I did my fair share of CD, food and even the occasional crazy shoe shopping but I still yearned for the big city shops. Now I miss Walmart to DEATH hahaha.I can afford the thing sin the pretty shops but I can’t bring myself to spend even HALF of what they ask. I think its actually a great thing that I was raised having things withheld from me because now its proving to curb my enthusiasm to blow my cash on really expensive pretty clothes and purses and jewelry. I did just buy myself a beautiful suit and Kenneth Cole jacket for court. And I can justify that because its not some stupid purse but something I needed haha. Considering all my jackets came from WALMART as a little girl hahahahahaha. Fucking Walmart.

Ok back to DMV remembrance! Maybe it was because there were a lot of windows but all in all it only took me about an hour to finally complete the entire process in and out the door. I walked in, was directed to the main window where you tell them what you want to do, they give you the corresponding form and point you to the next window/line you will need to wait for/in. Then I sat on their uncomfortable wooden benches, filled out my paperwork and went to the camera line. Waited in line to give my 6 points of ID and get my picture taken. Then was given a number and told to wait for them to call my number. You would think the end was near…you would be mistaken.

Ok, this is where I get annoyed with the freaking government. I waited in all those lines to finally wait for what I thought would be my card. NO!!! Instead, they called my number, my 6 points of identification was reviewed again and I believe this women entered in my address and everything into the system. Why the first lady shouldn’t do that was beyond me. But, after that, I paid my $9.50 and was handed a PAPER ID and receipt. Mother f’ers apparently will be SENDING ME my ID in the mail? Who ever heard of something like that? Since when did they start doing that? Do they do that for NY Driver’s licenses as well? Or for regular ID cards in other states for that matter? I just got so annoyed like WHAT?

Lastly, it is very strange to realize when you are the minority. It is not something I am normally aware of even though I’m a small little white girl in a large diverse city. However, being in the middle of Harlem for the first time, I was very aware of the fact that I was, I think, one of the only Caucasian people in the waiting area. And, I was being stared down for whatever reason. It probably was the fact that I was wearing a suit and a nice black coat vs. the fact that everyone else there was wearing just about the exact opposite – whatever that might be haha. I never like to think that I am getting glared at or started at with confusion over the color of my skin. I have never had fear of any race but coming from a predominately white upbringing to include an high school where there were only two African Americans at any given time out of a couple hundred and then college where people gravitated toward the groups that shared the same color of skin (I hated this and totally noticed this at JMU) and just my hometown in general was the well-off town of Williamsburg, VA, it proved to make me take a step back and look around at how things are so different here. I am a minority in this city and I never thought of myself as one.

All in all – good morning, got me some McD’s breakfast since I never do that and will wait until I get my damn ID card in the mail. Who ever heard of that – just print the damn thing right then and there hahaha.

For this Blog I want to say – Go listen to your OLD Tori Amos cds and purchase ALLLLL of her new ones. I can not reiterate enough that her unique sound is intoxicating and meditative at times. Her beats, her style, her interpretation of other songs and genre’s of music – they are all wonderful works of art. And even those of you who are on the "I Cant Stand Tori Amos" train, you should give her a chance just as you would want us to give your favorite band or musician a chance. I argue that all music hits the senses once you give it an honest chance and listen to it enough.