The last time I flew to New York from Los Angeles, I got off the plane and headed to the cab line and thought: “Wait a minute. The line is huge. And the cab is going to run me about sixty bucks.” I checked Uber, but that was nearly double the cost. So, overcome with a sudden attack of parsimony, I took the train. Bought a Metro card, the whole thing. Transferred onto the A train, headed to midtown, got out on 51st Street, and walked to my hotel, wheeling my suitcase in front of me like a tourist.

When I checked in, they asked, “Do you need any help with your bags, sir?”