There's not much that surprises New Yorkers, and even less that will stop them in their tracks.
But even the most jaded of city dwellers will pause at the sight of a giant rat dancing on a pole in the subway.
Only in New York could this happen.
New Yorkers can tell you that running across the occasional rat is just part of life in the Big Apple. Spotting one scurrying across the subway tracks can even liven up an otherwise uneventful commute.
Some like Pizza Rat have even achieved celebrity status throughout the city.
But New Yorkers weren't ready for what one traveler caught on video during a ride in an otherwise empty subway car.
From a safe distance across the car the onlooker recorded as a giant rodent slide up and down the rails like it was working a pole on the main stage, and the disturbing legend of "Pole Dancing Rat was born.
The video which has now gone viral was originally posted to the @SubwayCreatures Instagram account as part of their "What the L" video contest with Blue Point Brewing.
The winning submission netted IG user @seebaass_ a free MetroCard for a year, though who knows if that can make up for the emotional scarring caused by witnessing a rat do a pole dance.
Predictably the video has divided viewers. While some were ready to burn the city to the ground and start over others saw it as a testament to the dirty magic of the city.
Sure the rent is too high, the whether is awful and it smells just about everywhere, but it seems pole dancing rats is where some people draw the line.
For many locals though pole dancing rodents is all just a part of the filthy charm of New York.
After all, rodent strippers have to eat too and New Yorkers will always respect the grind.
But maybe think twice about what you hold on to the next time you're on the subway.
@WhiteHouse/X
