Wow, impressive.
Before returning to the Apple store the 2nd time, the OP already went above and beyond what most people would have done. After his first trip to the apple store, it seems as though the manager didn't really care. At that point, if it was me, I'd be like ok forget it. First of all, although accidents do happen to the best of us, you deserve to be punished for leaving a brand new $400 phone on the metro. On the way home from the store, you really ought to have been guarding it/holding it carefully. Seriously. It's not a bag with a t shirt and some underwear. It's a phone. Be careful with it and watch it. Secondly, it was clear that the OP taking the iPhone was a good move. Leaving it there, someone would have most likely taken it and not even considered returning it. He then made the next good decision by going to lost and found, but since that looked sketchy, he did the right thing by keeping it. It seems as though originally the apple store didn't give a darn. If it was me, as much of a nice person I am, I'm not sure if I would have called the Apple store (Especially the one where I live, they're jerks there but that's neither here nor there). To actually go back to the apple store and spend all this time and effort trying to track down the owner - that's honesty and good faith if I ever saw it. This is a bittersweet story - good for the owner getting it back, but at the same time, too bad for the OP to not get an iPhone. If a person would find an iPhone and just keep it, then you should feel bad about keeping it, but because the OP tried and tried to get it back to the owner, it's a bummer he didn't get to keep it. Oh well. At least you secured your spot in heaven, if it exists!