Have you ever spent 14 hours in an enclosed space, without brushing your teeth or stretching out on a bed? If you have, it was probably on a flight to somewhere tropical and so worth it. 

Because while your cramped, upright seating position was lame, at least you got to wake up under the sun in another country, right?

Can you imagine spending 14 hours sitting in an upright position without having the chance to stretch out, except this time you're on the subway the whole time and when you emerge after your perilous trip, you're still in New York City?

This is the story of Jody Avirgan's crazy commute. 

He started his subway trip at 8 a.m. at Far Rockaway and braved the subway until he arrived at Wakefield - 241st Street, a little after 10 p.m. He traveled 155 miles and transferred 54 times.

Yes, Avirgan did exit the subway stops to use the bathroom throughout his journey. 

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"There is a purer version for someone to do. I kind of encourage you to do it, but I kind of don't," Avirgan said in an interview on the Brian Lehrer Show on WYNYC.

During his trip, Avirgan confronted "three delays because of train traffic ahead of us, two inexplicable delays, 43 attractive women, 41 good-lucking guys, seven adorable old couples, countless lost tourists... 19 people reading books, and just one person reading an e-reader.

"We're very pleased that actual books are winning out over e-readers on the subway system, but we're perplexed about why Avirgan didn't encounter more attractive people during his fourteen hours.

Unsurprisingly, CityLab reported Avirgan's ride is the longest ever ride on the NYC subway without riding the same segment of the route more than once. 

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"I had this notion that I would get on this train and have a lot of downtime and look around and be in the moment," Avirgan said.

Unfortunately for Avirgan, his naive and slightly adorable prediction was not the case. His attention was largely devoted to making sure he transferred at the right stations and going "around and around," making sure he wasn't backtracking in the opposite direction on the same line.

"I'd leave Fulton, go south for two stops, transfer, go back up to Fulton, go on another [train] for two stops, go back-- I mean I went to Fulton like four times in 15 minutes," Avirgan said.

Avirgan also witnessed nine people offer their seats to others, proving NYC isn't quite as cutthroat as popular opinion would posit.

One aspect of popular opinion did hold steadfast, however. Avirgan tweeted, "There are few things in this world more reliable than You will get screwed by the G train." When Avirgan finally arrived home, he tweeted, "I'm told I smell awful."

There are plenty of aspects of Avirgan's insane ride that surprise us, but the fact that Avirgan desperately needed a shower afterwards isn't one.

Avirgan, we tip our hats to you. We'll definitely consider your nearly 14 hour brawl with the subway next time we complain about our 45 minute commute. 

Ride the NYC subway everyday? Check out 10 Subway Riders Every New Yorker Knows. 

[via WNYC]

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