Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Please

"Did You Have a Good Evening?"

2006-01-23T19:05:00.000-05:00

The other night, I took the subway around 1 or 2 in the morning, and the crowd at that time is always kind of interesting. Most people are hyper and loud, a little drunk probably, and just happy from their evening, although I am sure some are heading back home after a whole evening working too... That guy who I sat next to was listening to his CD Player, and seemed in his own world, kind of purposefully ignoring the excitment and the noise that was filling in the subway car, but for some reason, he took the ear plugs out of his ears, asked me if I had had a good evening, to which I answered "of course I did" with a big smile, and I asked him the same. After his response, he just put them back on and returned to his own world.

I thought it was strange, because that simple question he asked was so much in contrast with his attitude. I wonder, if he was that curious of finding out about other people's evenings, why he would isolate himself (with his music) from the rest of us. It added so much "warmth", although it was only one sentence, to an activity (listening to one's music in the subway) I don't usually like so much because it closes people out of their surroundings...

Unveiled

2006-01-15T10:03:00.000-05:00

Since I have been riding the 7 train on a daily basis, which is really for the past year and a few months (since I started working), the part of the platform of the 7 train that I see every day has been under construction, with big wood walls covering the work that was being done. This week, though, the wood walls have finally been disregarded, and subway riders like me finally got to discover what was being worked on: an escalator.

It stands there, all new and shiny (the workers were even polishing it one morning)... Let's see when it will finally function...

Share the World

2006-01-12T12:28:00.000-05:00

This morning in the subway, I noticed a new ad that I had not seen before: an ad for Club Med, with the title Share the World... It was all over one side of the subway car. Funnily, it did not refer so much to vacation itself, so I thought it was pretty interesting, and it made me wonder what, from reading this ad, would make one go away on vacation with Club Med.

I was surprised when I saw in the AM New York of one of my co-riders the same ad, reproduced on a whole page.

Club Med must have launched a massive subway campaign: either one reads in the subway, and he or she sees the ad, or one looks around and sees the ad anyway... So no matter what, one cannot avoid seeing the ad. This is being efficient...

Drawing

2005-12-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

This morning, as usual, the subway was packed, everyone holding to their little space around them - and to the pole... But of course there were a few seated persons, lucky them. One of them managed to stay sane even with the crowd around him, and was just drawing: a face that seemed to be coming out of his imagination, since he was surrounded by legs only... With just a yellow pad and a red pen, he drew an impressive portrait. I don't know for how long he had been riding that subway, but probably for a while, because it was more than a few lines on a piece of paper...

I guess everyone finds their own way of escaping the subway's "rush-hour experience": listening to one's i-pod, drawing, ... - and me looking at them!!

Coffee Smell

2005-10-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

As I was walking toward the front car of the 7 train this morning, I saw it was empty (while every other car I was going through was pretty full), and I was afraid of what I'd see (another man with a black mask over his head??!). No: it was just someone who had dropped a cup of coffee. The floor of course was quite dirty and the coffee was running through the floor of the entire car, but the smell of coffee was just amazing, even for me who does not like coffee... It was so strong, for just one cup of coffee... A good wake-up call!

A Sea of Suits

2005-10-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

This morning as I was trying to be in the office at 9:29 (!) sharp in anticipation of a conference call at 9:30, I rode the subway about half an hour earlier than usual. I suppose the crowd at that time is just different because I was surprised by the sight of all those (dark) suits as I was coming down the stairs to get to the platform of the train. Or maybe it just means that the fall and winter are finally there?

Metro Guy

2005-10-14T16:27:00.000-04:00

Every morning, I feel so bad at the entrance of the station, when I have to say "no" to the Metro guy, or to the AM guy for that matter. They are obviously paid by the numbers of issues that they distribute, and all I can do is show them my New York Times as a good excuse for not taking their newspaper... I found out that they were paid by the issue when one day (when I was reading Metro and not yet the New York Times!), I wanted to "recycle" the newspaper and handed the newspaper over to the guy at the exit of the station of my last stop, after I had read it: he was so pissed!

I don't like either witnessing the competition between Metro and AM. At the entrance of my stop, the AM guy has much more energy and is much more outgoing, he also stands more ahead of the entrance than the Metro guy, and I think people like taking the newspaper from him. I don't know if it entices prospective readers to choose one newspaper over the other, but it is so unfair if the number of newspaper left on each distributor's pile each morning depends mostly on the location and attitude of the other... And not really on their own performance.

I have noticed the Metro pile was always the first to go (before this new AM guy came in at least). In the end, it may not be so much the distributor but the newspaper itself (I personally would prefer Metro). So many factors contribute to one distributor's own distribution and schedule (I think they are done when they have distributed all of their pile), over which they do not have much control...

Riding the Girl

2005-10-11T22:47:00.000-04:00

As we all thought that no one else could fit in the car a few mornings ago, a young woman jumped in, followed a few seconds later by a really short weird-looking (he actually was not looking anywhere) man ("just a bum" like someone called him afterwards). The man's look and attitude were very strange, although with afterthought, I don't think there was much wrong with him: just weird, like there are so many in New York anyway...

The car, as so many mornings, was pretty full, and everyone could have had a little more space around them... But instead of sticking by the subway wall/door, he sort of "glued" himself to the woman, and as she was trying to get away from him, he would just move with her, making her in a very incomfortable position... The police man riding the subway next to me gave a few oral warnings to the man, but to no avail. At one point, she burst out: "he is riding me!" But another man defended the "bum", and those who witnessed the scene sided for one of the other. It got quite "hot", which I thought was pretty surprising on a weekday morning...

Trying to Fit In...

2005-10-07T11:44:00.000-04:00

There are days when the subway is so packed, like yesterday morning at the time I wanted to get on, that however tiny one is, there is just NO room in the subway car. And experience had taught me too that waiting is well worth it: in the end, it turns out to really be a matter of a couple of minutes, which is not so bad for a much roomier and more comfortable subway ride...

That small woman yesterday definitely tried to get on the subway and she persisted. The doors would not close because of her, so she first pushed her butt in. It still would not fit, and the doors re-opened to re-close one second later. So she tried to move in her feet. It still would not fit and the doors re-opened again: it was not her really, but her purse was just too big. She got discouraged and stepped out. The subway left without her, but one or two minutes later, another subway came... with hardly anyone on.

A Cry Deep From the Heart

2005-09-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

This morning, as practically always (what am I thinking every single day?!), when the train started, I lost my balance, with my bag in one hand and holding the New York Times in the other instead of holding on to the pole, and when I recovered my balance, I stepped not on the floor but on that poor man's foot. And he yelled... For one second, I thought I was going to hear every sort of insanity, as he gave me a very mean look, but as I apologized as much I could, he realized I really meant it and said it was ok. I made sure not to re-lose my balance during that ride, and I hope his foot is ok now...

Squeezed In Between Less (Larger) People

2005-09-22T15:15:00.000-04:00

As I was, the other day, stuck in the subway between two "large" persons, and again today, it occurred to me that the obesity epidemic and the whole growing concern that it raises these days may impact the subway, as much as I think it already impacted airlines, which had to come up with some responses to take into account a larger number of obese persons flying.

True, the New York subway does not have assigned seats, so that is not a problem identical to that of the airline companies, but with more and more large people, the subway cars are getting packed with actually less people in them. Should this be compensated with trains running more often? Longer trains? I wonder if this is something that is currently being brainstormed by the MTA...

"This Is His First Time in The Subway!"

2005-09-21T11:04:00.000-04:00

This is a proud father, on Sunday in the 2 train, telling everyone around in the car that it was his son's first time riding the subway. This really explained why he kept taking pictures of his son in the subway car (really, there is not much of an exciting background, other than the name of the station on the walls at each stop...).

The kid, about 3 or 4, did not seem too excited, as opposed to the father, who just could not help himself from announcing it to everyone and smiling as if that was the best thing in the world.

Other than a family memory, 50 years from now the photographs may be testimonies of what the subway looked like back in 2005. Who knows what it will be like then?

Get on the Local or Wait for the Express: That is The Question (Not Really)

2005-09-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

Between taking the Express or the Local at an Express stop, it should not be so hard a choice: the Express goes faster than the Local train, so even if you don't see it coming (no light in the far distance of the tunnel...), and you are tempted to take the Local because at least it is standing right there, really you should wait for the Express. Eventually it will be there and it will then outspeed the Local train...

Most of the time, I stick by this rationale and resist the urge to take the Local when it is there and no Express seems to be close. But sometimes I do forget... and I am always screwed.

New Recruits

2005-09-12T12:11:00.000-04:00

Today as I was riding the subway for the first time since Labor Day, I noticed a few new faces in the subway, of young people who seemed they had just started working, probably since last week. That guy across from me on the 7 was playing with his brand new blackberry, and reading the Wall Street Journal, probably something he was advised to do, as I was when I started last year... He still looked really fresh and excited, who knows what it will be in a few months...

Exercise Underground!

2005-08-31T11:26:00.000-04:00

No, I am not talking about my gym that is underground... But about the 7 train exit to 42nd street and Lexington Avenue. From the bottom, those stairs to go to that exit of the Grand Central station look enormous and steep, and very few people (but I am one of them!) dare climb those stairs rather than take the escalator... In a city where everyone goes to the gym, I wonder why not more people climb the stairs rather than stand passively on the escalator: this is free exercise! I have heard excuses, like one does not want to get all sweaty right before getting to the office... But this is a bad one!

A Change of Sound!

2005-08-30T10:38:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, I noticed the Chinese man who usually plays the "chinese guitar" on the platform of the uptown 1,2,3 at Times Square was playing on the platform at 14th street instead. I wondered what was the reason: money? I did not see how people might give more at the 14th street stop than at the 42nd street stop, when exactly the same trains run on that track... I wanted to ask him, but did not get the chance, as the train came, and he did not stop playing.

But when I got to the Times Square stop, I heard a trumpet: that was probably the reason why the Chinese man had changed station!

Holy Reading

2005-08-28T21:52:00.000-04:00

Many times I ride the subway, there is someone reading the Torah or the Bible on the train, as part of their daily religious exercise. I always find it pretty fascinating: it requires concentration, as well as to be in a spiritual setting (or maybe it is just me), and to me, a quiet and more "isolating" place would be more adequate to a holy reading... I suppose those people are so much into their reading that they forget the rest (although how can one forget that he or she is not alone on top of a mountain but underground surrounded by dozens of persons...), and subway riders are many times so much in their own world anyway, "thanks" to their i-pod or video game, that it probably helps set those more religious people in their own world and closer to their God... I suppose this is just another way of saving any time available for busy (religious) New Yorkers...

"And Have a Good Day!"

2005-08-24T10:24:00.000-04:00

That was the operator of the 5 train (running on the 2,3 track) this morning. He was so personal (what a change from the automatic voice!), trying to be as helpful as he could: "take the 7 rather than the Shuttle to go Grand Central," "that will get you off at Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street," and "by the way, the 7 is just downstairs when you get off at Times Square." "And have a good day!"

What a Polite Reader!

2005-08-21T23:06:00.000-04:00

Whenever the subway is really packed at rush hour, I just put down my New York Times and hang in there, wishing to make room for one other person, or just to leave some breathing space in front of me... But others keep reading, their newspaper wild open, that takes the room of one other person, or invades others' (so small) space - I feel this is so inconsiderate of others!

But the other day that man had folded his newspaper, such that it was not taking more room than necessary: he had folded it 4-fold, very neathly, so it was very easy to unfold and refold at the next page (I usually fold mine somehow too, but never that neatly, so it is always some trouble whenever I am done with one page and want to turn to the next). It did not go beyond his own space, and it was so considerate of neighbors! I wish more people were reading their newspaper the same way (and as for me, I am adopting that man's folding method tomorrow)...

Pick-Up Scene

2005-08-17T18:57:00.000-04:00

The subway is a great pick-up scene, not that I know from personal experience (although I could find examples...), but just because it is a great mix of people and that often people ride alone, which is an incentive to talk (however rare this happens though) and look around... (Given the number of subway posts on Missed Connections, it happens more often that people merely look around...)

What I witnessed though a couple weeks ago was beyond what one would expect to happen: when I was not paying much attention, that guy asked that woman for her number and THEN went on with the regular questions, her name, what she does, where she lives... It was a really strange way of proceeding and I was not the only one surprised. When he asked for the number I thought he knew her, but when I started listening more carefully, I realized he did not - although she had given the guy her phone number, with no reluctance whatsover... Maybe the woman was too scared the man would get off at the next stop, and giving him her number first was the safest way to have a chance to see him again!

Run, Run... The Train is Not Moving!

2005-08-16T12:04:00.000-04:00

It is always funny I think when I am standing in a train whose doors have been open for a while (because "the train is momentarily held at the station"), and when people go down some stairs in a hurry or run to go in the train, thinking the doors are going to close in a second. While the people inside are getting upset at the train not moving, those people trying to get in show hope on their face that they will be able to make it, and that, oh yes, they are so lucky to catch the train by so close. Just to realize about 2 seconds later that they could have slowed down: the train is not moving...

A Very Talkative Ride

2005-08-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

There are so many times when I ride the subway where no one talks to each other or even looks at each other, people trying to avoid the obvious: the subway is far from being a private means of transportation...

But yesterday, I talked to three different women on the subway. One had been surprised by the rain, with no umbrella, and her large paper bag was torn... She looked miserable, all wet and so lost. Outside of the unfortunately closed N,R subway station, I told her that, even though the uptown train was not running, there was always the option to first go downtown and then uptown. So we ended up doing that together and talked a little. I met the second woman as I was inside the 2,3 train at Times Square, which ended up never going uptown because of the flood at the 96th stop. We waited together and then walked to the A,C,E train which we then rode together, with a switch at 50th street because we had got into the wrong train... We had ample time to talk and get to know a little about each other. She was a waitress by (summer) day, A Meat Packing District party goer by night, an aspiring fashion columnist and a student during the school year in D.C., which as a New Yorker, she did not like so much. The third woman I met at the 72nd stop, since I had finally reached my destination after I don't know how many switches... I started talking to her when I realized I had seen her earlier at the MOMA: we had started the Friedlander exhibit together. What a coincidence to see her again at a totally different location many hours later! It was well worth stopping her!

Anyway, I just loved talking to those three women, and well compensated the inconveniences that the construction and the rain caused yesterday... It just makes the subway, and New York, such a more lively place when people interact with each other. And of course makes rides shorter.

The subway is getting fixed but it needs more or faster!

2005-08-14T21:36:00.000-04:00

The signs in the subway serve as a reminder: all the construction in the subway, which on weekends disrupts the normal service, is for our ultimate benefit. This is true, and so I was thinking when I first had to go downtown to then go uptown on the N,R line today because the train was not stopping at the Prince Street stop. I was ready to forgive the MTA, even though, because it had taken me a little while to figure that out, I was soaking wet, caught by the sudden summer rain. We passed the workers who were working in several stations, replacing the rail, from what I could see. I guess yes, this is for our ultimate benefit...

But when, finally at Times Square, they announce that the 2,3 and 1 trains are not running because of a FLOOD at the 96th train stop, that was just too much. How could a mere summer shower disrupt the service like that? When it is pouring outside, is it when people have to take a different subway line that will let them off several blocks from the stop they originally wanted?

And Times Square has been getting fixed since I first moved to New York, 5 years ago. It does look nicer now, but how come it literally pours on the platforms of the N,R trains, 2 levels below ground?

I am sure the MTA has set a level of priority in the construction to be performed, but either the work should be done a little faster, or they should review that order... This was just a summer shower...

And the Winner Is....

2005-08-11T09:17:00.000-04:00

The 6 Train. According to the recent Straphanger's survey, the 6 train is the best line in the City. The C and N trains ranked near the bottom, while my homet0wn train, the 7, came in a very respectable 3rd place. My heart goes out to all of you Brooklyn-ites; your heralded F train came in a distant 13th. Got to do better.

Missing the Forest for the Trees

2005-07-31T22:34:00.000-04:00

I doubt it is an attempt to apply "Broken Windows" sociological thought to subway repairs - but in any event, last week I noticed that a small portion of the walkway to the 6 train at 51st street had a set of new tiles. Of course, surrounding the tiles were walls with holes, a decaying set of stairs, and a terribly smelling platform entrance. Why spend the time to put down 6 - 8 3X5 tiles when you have larger problems surrounding you? Yes, it's important to fix windows when they are broken, but if you have a weak foundation, the windows are irrelevant.

She is A Big Girl Now

2005-07-31T19:25:00.000-04:00

One of those "habitues" co-riders are a woman and her (I would say two-year-old) daughter in a trolley. About twice of week, I would see them on my way to work, first on the 2,3 train and then on the 7 train, we would always happen to be in the same car in both trains. The mother would always be reading books to the daughter, with some patience I am pretty amazed with: dealing with a trolley in the subway must just be a real pain, and even more when one has to deal with a transfer. They would always have a little plastic bag filled with Captain Crunch cereals that the little girl would snack from from time to time...

Anyway, this past week, the little girl grew up: for the first time, she gave up the trolley, and was sitting on a real seat in the subway. I can't imagine how this is changing the mother's life!

To her Left, To her Right

2005-07-29T10:58:00.000-04:00

One of my co-riders yesterday on my way to work was obviously bored and she needed more than her i-pod to keep her awake or occupied. So alternatively, she would read from her two neighbors' reading: one (on her right) a woman magazine and the other (on her left) the Metro newspaper. She would get a little from each, and as her neighbors turned pages, she did too get to read on various subjects... She was lucky her neighbors were not reading books or merely listening to i-pods, as otherwise she would have been in pain: her look when either neighbor was on a page that did not interest her was just despair!

The Modern Mitchum Man

2005-07-21T09:19:00.000-04:00

Recently I've noticed several Mitchum deodorant ads in the subway recently. I never found them particularly appealing or interesting (who is really a Mitchum man anyway?) - but it turns out that they may be encouraging illegal behavior. Of course, the remarkable thing is not the ads themselves - but (as usual) the MTA. Apparently, the MTA does not review the content of ads before they are placed on subway cars - but "outsources" the job to a private contractor. WHAT?

Great Views from the Subway

2005-07-20T10:58:00.000-04:00

As I was showing my parents around this weekend and got them to discover my new favorite borough (Brooklyn), I realized that several of the trains that go to the outter boroughs have great views of the City. Inside Manhattan, I only know of the 1,2,3 that becomes outdoor around 120th street, but without it being an amazing view from what I remember, although interesting. But the view from the D train when leaving Manhattan or from the M,Z,J train as well are beautiful. They allow to see the Downtown Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and a unique view of Lower East Manhattan that one would not have an idea of otherwise. But those trains also give a view of the various Brooklyn neighborhoods: the waterfronts of Dumbo, Williamsburg or Brooklyn Heights, but also the deeper Brooklyn when going further on the D line. Those trains would be worth riding just for the view for anyone not curious of discovering Brooklyn!

In Paris, two subway lines also ride outdoors. In New York, the N line and the 7 line also ride outdoors when outside Manhattan, as far as I know. Those upper-(sub)ways are such a great opportunity to see a city from above and offer a different view than what people are used to when walking around...

Aaah, the New York Times

2005-07-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

As much as I could totally rave about the New York Times (to which I finally subscribed a few weeks ago) on this post, I have to admit it has one downside: I now spend my subway rides reading, rather than looking around and observing people. I do miss this pastime, and I have to find a compromise between reading, which I want to do because now I know what I am missing it I am not, and observing people, which I truly enjoy.

This morning was a good compromise: I forgot my issue of the New York Times, so I got to enjoy watching people again... This woman who I had noticed a few times when coming late to work was on the train across from me, although it was much earlier. She did not seem to remember me, although we had ridden the subway a couple of times together before. She just looks so interesting and it was great to be able to imagine again what she does and who she is (she is this old -although not that old- lady, dressed with chic vintage clothes - she must be in fashion or something like that). Honestly, I thought she was about to give me her card, because she was holding something like a card in her hand, but to my disappointment, she did not. I would love to meet her. Maybe next time, I should go and talk to her and go past the anonymity of the subway which I despise...

Avenues or Streets

2005-07-19T08:52:00.000-04:00

I spent part of this weekend on the F line, on the way to Park Slope, and for the first time I noticed the incongruity in the naming of subway stations. There are some stations named for avenues (East Broadway), streets (West 4th Street) and some for both avenues and streets (Broadway- Lafayette). Not that I expect there to be a lot of logical consistency on the subways. I would think that city planners would chose some method that helps riders navigate the subways - naming a subway stop for an avenue gives you no idea where the stop is. Take for example, the "Lexington Avenue" stop on the N/R line. Where is that? Lexington Avenue runs the length of Manhattan. Of course, this is simply part of the insider's view that most New Yorkers have - if you are really a New Yorker, you know where the Lexington Avenue stop is. If you don't, then you're an out-of-towner. And in that case, just go figure it out.

Tragedy on London Underground

2005-07-07T09:07:00.000-04:00

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the tragic and horrific bombings that occurred in London this morning.

Post 4th of July Encounter

2005-07-04T23:26:00.000-04:00

On the way back from the fireworks in LIC tonight, I had just a good encounter on the 7 line, one that is too rare on weekdays when everyone is stressed and in a hurry. The three of us where talking, after P. asked me whether I was a teacher because of the apple on my t-shirt... So P. said he was a train operator. He actually informed me that all trains run on a schedule which at night is every 20 minutes, even though on some lines it seems it may happen either more or less often, and at day (other than rush hour), every 8 minutes... And I had to say I was a lawyer, which brought the third person, whose name I don't remember, to ask me whether I could give her the answer to a question she had had for years... I unfortunately could not answer, as I never can whenever anyone thinks that being a lawyer gives you knowledge to every little issue anyone may come through... It was just so nice tonight to see everyone happy and merry. Just a very good atmosphere...

The Wisdom of Crowds

2005-06-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

I recently finished reading James Surowiecki's very insightful book: The Wisdom of Crowds. The book contains several colorful examples of effective and ineffective crowd and group behavior, including several psychological experiments dealing with NYC transit. One of my favorites (since it deals with one of my favorite places) was his recounting of a 1958 experiment conducted by Yale professor Thomas Schelling. Schelling asked his students to imagine they had to meet someone in NYC, but they weren't supposed to know where they were to meet, and they had no way of contacting the person before the meeting. He then asked them to say where they would go. A majority chose - you guessed it - Grand Central Station. I bet they all thought of the wonderful clock in the center.

Hell Hath No Fury...

2005-06-30T09:33:00.000-04:00

Like a rush hour commuter deprived of his coffee. Apparently, due to confusion and opposition to the "no open container (or coffee cup)" rule, the MTA is waiting to implement the new policy. But for those who are interested, here is a guide from today's New York Times on figuring out what to do. As usual, there is little clarity or coherence in the MTA's rule:

Curbing Anti-Social Behavior

2005-06-28T09:49:00.000-04:00

The MTA announced a series of new rules yesterday, aimed at curbing some fairly common subway behavior: walking between moving subway cars, putting feet on a seat (oh the horror), and drinking coffee during rush hour (I'm sure Starbucks will file a protest shortly). Apparently, violations will be punishable by fines up to $100. I am not against trying to curb this kind of behavior - as I have noted before, the DC Metro doesn't have these kinds of problems and is a very pleasant system -- but I seriously doubt that the MTA's rule and penalty scheme will accomplish much. I suspect that fines will rarely be given out and scores of rules violations will go unpunished. I think trying to reduce low-level social disorder is not best accomplished by a system of punishment, but finding ways for individuals to create and internalize norms regarding such conduct. For example, in DC everyone takes such pride in the Metro that fellow travelers will tell you to kindly put your drink and food away. Similarly, even in NY, most riders will wait for travelers to exit before they try to enter the subway - not because there is some rule requiring them to do so, but because it is the socially acceptable thing to do. Easier said then done, of course. I'll leave it to others to figure out how to create appropriate social norms about putting their feet up on the seats.

Claiming Your Creative Self

2005-06-25T00:09:00.000-04:00

Tonight on the R train going uptown, an old lady was reading a book entitled "Claiming your Creative Self." (I did not but) I wanted to tell her: ride the F or the L train instead of reading your book!

Subway on Strike

2005-06-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

I realized a couple of days ago that this year is actually the first year of my 24 years of existence that I have relied on public (or private) transportation to go to where I had to go on a daily basis (meaning until last year, school...). I was always lucky to live either (for most parts) a couple of minutes away by walk from my school or to the most 10-15 minutes... Funny, no?

In France (where I grew up), dealing with public transportation involves dealing with strikes... And it is a real challenge for those who live quite far from their work place or school to then go to wherever they need to go, and this is something to be dealt with several times a year. If I recall correctly, I had exams in France postponed at the last minute because of a public transportation strike... I had a friend to the opposite for whom the strike meant she could rollerblade to go to work, which she was excited about (that particular day, no one would care if she was actually coming to work in t-shirt and all sweaty, as at least she would be there, which given the distances when one lives in the suburbs, would not be the case of all her co-workers). In New York so far that I have relied on public transportation to go to work, no strike has taken place in the subway. Athough a comparison with what goes on on a day of a French public transportation strike would be the state of the streets on the day of the Blackout in August 2003... With maybe a little more upset people...

Capoeira Girl

2005-06-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

The other day I was waiting for the L train at Bedford Avenue to go back to Manhattan. In the station there was that girl dressed up with sweat pants and a T-Shirt reading Capoeira something. As I was observing her, I figured she must have attended a class somewhere in the neighborhood and was just like me on her way back to Manahattan...

Once I came out of the subway at Union Square, I went to see the new Whole Food Market store and then headed to Union Square to see what was going on as there were dozens of persons watching something in a circle... And here she was the Capoeira girl, dancing/fighting/making music, whatever combo capoeira really is... What I missed when I was observing her in the subway was the tatoo on her arm: maybe that was a clue that she was a Williamsburg girl going to Manhattan?

Rush Hour in Europe

2005-06-22T12:18:00.000-04:00

I recently returned from my trip in Europe, and I had occassion to stop in Venice, where I travelled on the famed canal-Subway - the Vaporetto. It tends to get get pretty crowded on the weekends, much like the New York Subway, but that's pretty much where the comparision end. Venice's subway is outdoors, it is quite expensive and tends to remind you more of a leisure and vacation experience than a simply means to get to work. Ah, if every day I could go to work while looking at the Grand Canal!

Vital for the Neighborhoods

2005-06-17T23:54:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine was telling me that however great Greenpoint was, it would never get as hip and trendy as Williamsburg or THE place to be because of its lack of good transportation to Manhattan. Located at an extremity of Brooklyn, one needs to either walk a lot or cross the bridge "all the way" to Queens to take the subway from Greenpoint. It is true that the subway lines are vital for the various neighborhoods of the City, and without a good subway line that allows outsiders to come in to hang out or that allows insiders to commute to the City to work, a neighborhood may be doomed to be not much more than a great neighborhood only for those that do not care or for those who can afford not living close to public transportation...

Isn't it strange how the subway then plays a major role in the upbringing of neighborhoods? The subway is then more than just a means of transportation... It is necessary to assure a neighborhood's "success" both in terms of residence and outings. Those whose responsibility it is to configure the subway lines then play a major role in the City's dynamics. And so for quite a number of years...

Other than Greenpoint, which I just discovered, I can think of Alphabet City that just recently has become a hang-out place... When it takes 10-15 minutes to get to from the closest subway station, for sure not everyone is ready to spend that time walking in the cold days of the winter... But there, maybe the necessary expansion of the hang-out places to the East has won over the lack of transportation. Who knows, maybe it will be the fate of Greenpoint as well...

Just Different

2005-06-15T11:22:00.000-04:00

This morning, having nothing to do at work, I came in late, and took the subway an hour later than usual (which is already a little late) on a weekday. In addition to all the empty seats (instead of standing 2 inches close from total (sweaty) strangers), the crowd was just so different. Who are those people who take the subway at totally non-business hours? Some must be just like me, taking advantage of a slow day at work to sleep in... Others must have just different work hours, like people who work at night or on weekends... Some may have been tourists. I noticed some that must have been students - ahhh, the old days... And others may be those lucky ones that don't need to work at all...

Alphabet Soup

2005-06-14T12:04:00.000-04:00

The New York subway really is an alphabet soup. I learnt last night from my friend L. who lives in San Francisco that the subway ("muni metro" apparently it is called) in San Francisco is called J, K, L, M, N. In Paris it goes by number. In DC, by color. Why the hell does the NY subway go by letters AND numbers? And what is the rationale behind the numbers and letters? I just can't see any!

Do I/ you Smell Bad or Something??!

2005-06-13T11:37:00.000-04:00

When all seats in the subway are occupied but suddenly the car empties out, leaving empty seats, if the person sitting next to me/ you is still in the car, many times the person will move down a seat or two, since now there is plenty of space... Me or you to wonder what can be bothering the person at the next seat...

Seeing that situation in front of me yesterday, where the poor guy whose neighbor moved down two seats felt really self-conscious for a few seconds (this was really visible from his face), I realized that I also do feel that way when it happens to me, wondering WHY the person is moving down, only that it is a matter of convenience... I also realized that sometimes I do not move down because I am afraid to make my neighbor feel self-conscious. It is sort of ironic how such an innocent move, for the sake of confort, can puzzle people...

Ipod Community in the Subway

2005-06-12T10:35:00.000-04:00

Even though a new member of the ipod community, with my brand new ishuffle, I still do not enjoy seeing people listening to their ipod in the subway, making for the lack of communication and for the silence in the subway. People with their ipods just seem to close themselves to the activity around them, and prefer the small (although maybe 5,000-songs large) world of their preferred music... I understand how people who have to commute to work may not want to have anything to do with their neighbors at an early time of the day, when going to a job they do not like, but my thinking is that the whole experience would maybe be a little more enjoyable and more rich if they opened up to their surroundings.

Although listening to one's own music does not prevent some people from communicating with the rest of the subway station. Yesterday at the 14th street station, that woman with her (old fashioned) walkman was sharing with everyone around what she was listening to (along with some dancing): "Single guys clap your hands - [clap-clap-clap]". However funny she was, I am sure those with their ipods on did not hear her...

Mind the Gap!

2005-06-09T08:53:00.000-04:00

I'm actually blogging from London, where I've spent the day visiting many of the famous architectural landmarks of the City (St.Paul's Cathedral; the Gherkin office tower; the newly redesigned Tate Modern museum; and of course, the Houses of Parliament). This visit also allowed me to take advantage of the very famous London Underground.

The Underground (you can't actually call it the Subway or a subway here, because that refers to an underground walkway for pedestrians to cross busy streets) is quite nice. Or intimate I should say. The cars are a lot smaller than they are in New York; and the seats definitely have more plush to them. The stations are also a bit more traveler friendly - lots of stores; clear signs and directions; and a noticeable absence of dirt. It's just all around friendlier. I must say, I don't get the "mind the gap" business. I mean, the gap isn't that big, and it's always there. Why do you need a constant warning; NYC's "stand clear of the closing doors" actually makes sense, because it tells you when you should think about your safety.

New York probably has a lot to learn from the Underground. Although it seems unlikely now, should New York gain the 2012 Olympics, they would have a unique opportunity to revitalize the Subways. It looks like London or Paris will win -- the "Support the Bid" "Back Britain" signs are everywhere here.

Next stop, Venice.

The running-into-someone-in-the-subway experience

2005-06-07T14:34:00.000-04:00

So many times I run into someone I haven't seen for a long time in the subway. Last time being this morning, with a former classmate, but this must happen about once every week or every two weeks. And the great thing about it is that I just have to talk to those people for the length of the subway ride... What would I have to tell more anyway to someone I haven't kept in touch with over the years? Running into someone in the subway is just a great occasion to say "Hi - How are you? - How have you been?", and then to just continue one's life as before. In the subway, no need to say "I am sorry but I need to go..." It stops and we all go our own paths...

(Caveat: Of course this is not the case every time, and there are people that I would want to and do see again after seeing them in the subway!)

Traveling For Two

2005-06-07T09:37:00.000-04:00

As we all know, space on a rush-hour Subway train is limited. I don't mind the people as much as I mind the backpacks. No not kids with backpacks, but adults. They only sense their backs, but not the width and depth of their packs. When you are wearing a large backpack, it is like another person is strapped to your back - and you can't ever tell what or whom your back is touching. So every day, unbeknownst to them, backpackers are bumping, squashing, nudging, pushing and shoving. It's like people who try and talk while listening to their I-pods (because most external noise is blocked out, they cannot modulate their volume and end up shouting at you). There ought to be signs on the Subway - "Please respect your fellow riders and watch your back(pack)."

Best of ... the Subway lines

2005-06-06T21:33:00.000-04:00

As a means of transportation, what matters in the subway is mainly timeliness, maybe comfort. But I think that some subway lines are more interesting and a much more exciting experience than others, and I would ride those just for that.

For example, I think the 2,3 line is really boring, with rarely anything exciting to look at. Just very plain subway riders. For me who like imagining stories behind people, I feel there is often not that much to imagine... But my favorite is the F line: it seems that on that line everyone has a different personal story. It is hard to describe, but I think I could make up a different story for each and every rider, while on the 2,3 line, people all seem to be the same. I know they are not, of course, but they all seem to fit in large categories of people while the riders on the F line are much more original, at least from the outside. Unless it is that I got used to riding the 2,3 line and that this is the reason why I don't find any excitement in it anymore...

I wonder if we could do a ranking of the subways. Or maybe there is one? And what sort of categories we could have. Comfort and Timeliness would go without saying, as on a daily basis this is what matters. I would add a category for Source of Creativity, and my personal vote would go for the F line.

It's Too Early in the Morning for Proselytizing

2005-06-06T09:32:00.000-04:00

Most of the people you find preaching in the Subways want to convert you to religion. Or at least scare the crap out of you ("Jesus is Coming" "Repent Now" "Face Your Maker"). I never pay attention to these folks, mostly because they just yell and scream and don't even have any literature to hand out. As if I'm going to take their word on matters of faith.

I was on the way to Central Park for an early morning run on Saturday. At 7:00 am on the 4 train there was a man preaching about debt. Yes, debt. His hand-outs were "Get out of Debt NOW" He was very excited about his endeavor. 7:00 is too early to preach about anything - but is there ever a time to passionate about debt reduction???

Lost and Found (on the track)

2005-06-02T21:47:00.000-04:00

I had never seen what I witnessed at my 72nd street stop this morning: I guess before I got there a girl dropped her cell phone on the track, and because it meant losing as well a lot of data, she asked the station's staff to get it back to her... So two MTA men were fishing for the cell phone, one using a pole with a jack at the end to catch the cell phone, while the other one was providing light. It took them very little time to catch it. I wonder if this happens a lot, although I bet the tracks are full of small treasures that no one thinks of asking to be fished back... Other than bottles or metrocards, there may be rings or necklaces that people inadvertently drop... And for sure that would be hard to fish back anyway, and then just good for the rats' enjoyment...

Fleet Week

2005-06-02T10:17:00.000-04:00

There are times when I work so much that I feel I could live somewhere else than New York and nothing would be different. Especially when I spend most of the free weekend that I finally have outside of Manhattan, either in Brooklyn or in Philadelphia... I think this past week I almost missed Fleet Week. Almost. In one of my connections in Times Square this weekend, here they were, those hot sailmen, in their white uniforms... Yes, I live in New York, and it is that time of the year when the City gets populated with sailmen - and the subway as well.

Walk, Run or Crawl?

2005-06-02T09:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I saw on Broadway and 79th Street, L. G. Khambache Sherpa - the man who is trying to crawl the length of Manhattan. It is a very strange sight to see a grown man crawling on the street with a mask on his face, and being followed by an entourage.

Mr. Sherpa's trek is around 13 miles and will take him 8 days.

The NYC Subways are over 722 miles long. I wonder if anyone has actually chosen to travel every mile. I also wonder what is the most efficient route would be. If Mr. Sherpa chose to crawl every mile of the subway it would take him approximately 445 days to complete his quest. That's a lot of crawling!

Brother, Can You Spare Some Change?

2005-05-30T08:41:00.000-04:00

When I was approached for spare change on the F train yesterday, I started doing some math. Say you beg for change, and you get one quarter (or some combination of .25) every minute. Also assume that out of every five minutes there would be one minute where you got absolutely nothing. These are not irrational or unrealistic expectations - just watch someone asking for money on the trains. So in my scenario, you make $1.00 every five minutes, or $12 an hour (all of it tax free, by the way). This is a sad statement about America - not because someone can make $12 an hour begging for change - rather, because it stands in stark contrast to the the federally mandated minimum wage -- a paltry $ 5.15 an hour (a rate that has stood still for the last 8 years). The low mimimum wage is an insult to hard working Americans, to those who chose to work hard to support their families and earn an honest living.

Sleep Wave

2005-05-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

I don't know if it is the heat that finally arrived on time for Memorial Day that caused this but it seems that tonight everyone was falling asleep on the F: train back to Manhattan (or actually yelling and shouting, but I guess that did not bother the sleepers). The best picture was that of that 3-kids family, everyone asleep, two boys (shaven) head down, husband's head onto his wife's shoulder, daughter's head onto her mum's laps... Just really cute.

Build your Wrist Muscles...

2005-05-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

There is that "instrument" that I have seen on my boss' desk several times but was too shy to ask what it was. Yesterday in the subway, my neighbor has it in his hands, and kept pressing it, and so out of curiosity, and since who cared then if I made a total fool of myself (that is the great thing about the subway: all strangers), I asked what it was... Turns out it is to build wrist and finger muscles... My neighbor told me he uses it to build muscles for baseball, now I am thinking that my boss may use it as he plays the guitar. Interesting... It is for sure a good thing to do on the subway, to make every second of one's day productive, even the subway rides...

A Wink and A Nod

2005-05-28T17:01:00.000-04:00

New Yorkers are loud. We're gruff. We're obnoxious. And frankly, we're hardly ever shy about what we want, what we need, and how we need what we want NOW. Except on the Subway. I would expect a crowded subway train to be reminiscent of a Yankees-Red Sox baseball game ("Get out of my way!" "EXCUSE ME!!!" "You piece of S@%!$!" "Do you MIND?"). But it's not like that. No one has to yell to get off the Subway. Make a subtle movement to signal your intention to your get off at a stop, and people will part like the Red Sea. Start to get out of your seat, make a little eye contact, let go of the handrail, or pick up your bag as the train enters the station. You've just silently spoken about your intention to exit. It's that silent, unwritten code of conduct on the Subway - the one you rarely invoke by shouting. See, New Yorkers can be civil.

Ghosts and Goblins

2005-05-26T15:43:00.000-04:00

Everyone suspects that there are portions of the Subway that are haunted. Ghosts, apparitions, and creatures of the night must inhabit the more than 600 miles of subway tunnels -everything is underground, after all. It appears that we have actually have a ghost train - one that runs so infrequently that perhaps it doesn't exist all. Decide for yourself - see this week's Time Out.

Screech, Pow, Bang, Splat

2005-05-25T09:44:00.000-04:00

Obviously there are a lot of sounds on the subway. The screech of the brakes, the ding-dong of the closing doors, and ho-hum rattling of the train passing over the tracks (can you tell that I love onomatopoeia?). Yesterday, I heard one sound for the first time - a Subway honk. I was on the 4 train home, and the train started honking. A Subway honk doesn't sound like a car horn, but more like the plaintive wail of an elephant that is in pain. Okay, I've never heard an elephant wailing in pain, but just use your imagination! I wonder what was happening on the tracks - someone trying to dart across? A motorman having fun?

Freedom of Expression

2005-05-23T09:28:00.000-04:00

Yes, there is a lot of music on the Subways. Some of it is quite good. But, to be honest, some of it is just plain awful. Especially the keyboard players - sometimes I wonder if these dudes just went to Best Buy, made their first instrument purchase ever, and went straight to the Subway. The thing is, though, none of these guys (I've actually never seen a female keyboard player underground, although I suspect there are many) feels inhibited at all. They play their hearts out, for better or for worse, and no one seems to care. In fact, I think Subway riders appreciate the willingness of these "musicians" to be openly expressive and actually give these folks money. Of course, New Yorkers are some uninhibited generally -- just look at what we wear or listen to what we say. The cacophony of bad keyboard "music" fits right into Subway culture.

I do wonder if these same folks went above ground, whether instead of money, they would receive a steady stream of indignant obscenities.

Last Stop

2005-05-22T21:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to Coney Island, to hear the ocean and just feel somewhere different. There are many places in NY that transport people to other continents (which is another thing I really like about New York) but I had never been that "far" to have that experience. I don't know if it really felt like being in Russia since I have never been, but for sure the food and the people there were Russians...

We went with the D train, and Coney Island is at the end of that line. I realized it must be very rare for someone who lives and works/goes to school in Manhattan to actually go to the end of a subway line. The only one other end I have been to, I think, is with the 9, to South Ferry, those couple of times I went to the Statue of Liberty. I don't consider the Times Square stop of the 7 as one of those, because to the opposite of all the other trains, the 7's last stop is in the heart of the city, and I also get to get off at that stop almost every day...

There is something strange thinking about the last stop. I don't know if it brings exotism (like the beginning of the real adventure, outside of the city limits) or if it is to the opposite depressing (like this is the furthest the city will let you easily go to, with a lot of consequences regarding the living of those people who work in the city). It is curious that as cities expand rapidly, the subway ends do not change that often. Maybe the geography and demography of cities would be totally different if the subway ended just a few stops further...

Running to Stand Still

2005-05-22T19:36:00.000-04:00

You see it every day, virtually every time a train is in the station. People running from the top of the stairs, down the platform, rushing to get into the trains. As soon as the train signals it is leaving the station (the doors are closing, the chimes are ringin'), the mad rush begins. What's remarkable isn't that people are running to the trains, but that these are people who have absolutely zero chance of making it on to the train. People walking outside will hear the train through the air vents, who think they can go underground, find their MetroCard, swipe, and still make their train. Yeah right. You'd have to run at light speed to get from the top (or the bottom) of the stairs and onto a train whose doors are closing. Subway riders appear to remain undeterred by fact. Maybe they hope they can stick their foot in the door and stop the train from leaving. Maybe they think they are Carl Lewis. Maybe this a way for New Yorkers to get exercise. Who knows, but why rush? Enjoy life, it moves too fast already. After all, in NY there's always another train.

Pardon Me, Are You....?

2005-05-20T08:42:00.000-04:00

I love the clock in the middle of Grand Central Station. Not because it sits in one of the most historical and architecturally breathtaking spaces in the world, but because of the people who gather there every evening. It is one of those special meeting places in the City - spouses eagerly await loved ones at the end of an long day's work; friends gather in their fancy digs before going out; and singles look with anticipation for their blind dates. I actually have had a couple people come up to me asking me if I was their blind date; in one instance, I was saddened to have to say in a tortured fashion "no, sorry." Anyway, the best part of watching people gather at the clock is to see the look of joy on people's faces when they finally see the person they're waiting for.

There is one other place where people's faces light up in the same way - the international arrivals terminal at JFK Airport. So many immigrants have experienced their first glimpses of the US through those doors from customs. The joy and exhilaration is a breathtaking sight to see.

Subway friend-ster

2005-05-19T11:38:00.000-04:00

As I am looking at someone's profile on Friendster, I noticed he is friend with the 5 line. And it turns out you can actually be friend with (at least) the R, G, 5 and L lines!! It must be another way to meet people, through being "friend-ster" with the same subway line - but again, why don't people just talk in the subway??!

Subway readings

2005-05-18T22:40:00.000-04:00

Can one really read in the subway? Most of my train rides on the 2,3 at rush hour time in the morning, not really. Or I hate those who do, whose newspaper take another person's space in the car (although I guess it is also some breathing space if I manage to get in). But yesterday I missed a 2 train, that was followed right after by another train. Everyone there was seated and reading... It almost looked comfortable to read... Personally I rarely have a book with me. It seems to me I would want my ride to be quite long to read a book, otherwise I'd get lost in the story if I read a couple of pages at a time.

But I like getting Metro when the Metro guy is still there to hand the newspapers over at my station, but actually, lately, I have been too late and I never see him. I especially like Metro's Friday issue, with a special dating section and some funny date stories. I also like the Thursday issue which has a special section on apartment hunting - it is always interesting to see where people live...

Love and Lust

2005-05-18T10:54:00.000-04:00

I shouldn't be surprised. As I was waiting for the 4 train at 86th street last night, there was a couple making out on the platform. I looked to my right, and there was another couple full on getting it on. The platform was fairly crowded, but neither couple seemed to notice. Then again, I seemed to be the only one who noticed either couple. So I stopped looking.

I guess if you are in love (or in lust) you have no reason to notice anyone else. Or to have any shame. Get a room people!

Random encounters

2005-05-16T21:35:00.000-04:00

It happens to everyone to run into someone they know in the subway, however big New York is and however small the number of people we do actually know is, compared to the immensity of the population...

When I think about it, the probability is so small:
- it is a matter of timing: be in the same subway at the exact same second, or within a time frame of 3-4 minutes, since it seems that is the average the trains run.
- it is a matter of location: it applies to the train line (use the same line as that other person), to the train itself (so many run on the same line), but also to the subway car (10 for each train?)...

Without doing any calculations, the probably it happens is really really small. But when the probability is so small, isn't weird that it seems it happens all the time? That's true I have run into many people who had "reasons" to be in the same train because we live in the same general neighborhood, have the same kind of hours, etc... Like on the train to go to work in the morning, I see someone from my office every so often (depending if I am late or not). But I have also run into people who literally were random encounters, like a former camper from my summer camp all the way in Maine from 3 or 4 years before... It makes New York so small...

Churros With Chocolate

2005-05-15T09:48:00.000-04:00

It was in Spain where I was first introduced to churro s. The churros bar (if one could call it that) would open around 5:00 am to greet the nighttime revilers; the combination of a plain churro mixed with a luscious chocolate drink was irresistible after a night of partying and drinking.

Yesterday, I was at Sea World San Diego with my family. The food at an amusement park is very unremarkable, although there happened to be countless carts selling churros. I tried one, and trust me, they weren't as good as they were in Spain (too much cinnamon, and no chocolate!).

So I was thinking a lot about churros yesterday. And I remembered that you can actually buy them in the NYC subway. During the evening rush hour, on the platform connecting the 4,5,6 to the 7 train, there is often a churros stand. The churros there have never looked too appetizing, and they don't come with any chocolate; I think I might try one anyway to see if they compare to a California churro. This is one place where New York might end up on the losing end.

2005-05-13T23:28:00.000-04:00

I wonder how efficient ads in the subway in New York are. After American Express literally bombarded the subways with ads for their new IN NYC credit cards (which personally I find really cool - both the card and the ads), I had my friend N. still ask me what it was... and my friend is not blind. But he takes a different subway line than I do to go to work. I wonder if that is the explanation. If that is the case, I actually wonder if ads are posted depending on the type of "typical" subway rider on each specific line. And if that was true, I wonder what the statistics are - the subway lines run so long that they really cross different neighborhoods, so I find it hard to believe there would be different kinds of people riding different kinds of lines. But that is another story...

When I compare the ads here and those in the Paris subway, there is quite a major difference. In Paris, one cannot but notice the ads that cover the walls of each subway station. It is a real entertainment (of course other than looking at other people and coming up with their personal stories...). They are huge and they change every week. My favorite (read the worst ever) is that they had a couple of years ago for some toilet paper brand: it showed a naked guy swinging on some toilet paper - and that was all over the stations in Paris... Another one that had my friends E. and A.L. and I laugh for a whole evening was for some moistering cream - so bad I would never buy that brand. But there are hardly any ads INSIDE the subway in Paris. In New York, no ads really strike people. Those in the subway are really small, and not very appealing - most of them are out of date anyway, and they really do not catch the eye. The only ones I notice, but maybe because I am interested, are the IN NYC ones, the Lavalife ones and that is about it... And the ads in the stations are so small compared to Paris, and too low for anyone in the trains to read them, so I don't think they serve any purpose...

It is sort of funny how the subway ad "culture" is different between two major cities. I wonder what the explanation is - if it is sociological (maybe ads in the US have more strength when on TV rather than on the subway), or maybe architectural (the subway stations in Paris are much wider so they are a better support for ads than stations in New York). I wonder...

I Wear My Sunglasses At Night

2005-05-12T22:34:00.000-04:00

Today on my way home from work I noticed how many people were wearing sunglasses. Shades of various hues. The subway obviously is not a very bright place, so I wonder what possesses people to wear their sunglasses underground. Maybe it is an easier way to people watch. You can look, but no one knows you are looking. Silly, if you ask me, because everyone people watches on the subway - you don't need sunglasses for that.

I recently purchased a new pair of Oakley sunglasses, which I plan on wearing when I go for runs; but don't expect to see me wearing them underground.

I also noticed how many people wear glasses. The diversity of eyeglasses - clear, coke-bottle, geek-sheek, oval, round, square - rivals the ethnic and racial diversity of my fellow-riders. It just speaks to the eclectic style of New Yorkers. I bet if you looked at people's socks, you'd notice the same thing....

Didn't Your Mother Ever Teach You...

2005-05-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

To throw out the trash? I'm shocked at the amount of garbage on subway trains (on the floor and on the seats coffee cups abound) and on the tracks themselves. I suspect most people would not tolerate throwing trash on the floor of their homes, so I don't really understand why people would treat public spaces as their trash receptacles. Of course, I think part of the blame (as usual) lies with the MTA, which has not put enough trash cans in stations or in cars (are there even trash cans in the cars?). It would be in the interest of the MTA to provide better places to dispose of trash, given that most subway trash ends up on the tracks and results in countless fires every years (and delays and costs and....you get the point). I frankly think that should the MTA decide to enforce stringently a law against eating or leaving trash in subways, it would result in cleaner public spaces. The D.C. metro rigidly enforces its anti-eating rules to the point that fellow travellers will gently remind you that you should not eat your breakfast on your morning commute. This is why DC may have the cleanest subway system in the world. New York can aim higher. Or aim towards the garbage bin.

Guy falling asleep

2005-05-10T22:04:00.000-04:00

During one of my subway rides on the 2 train, last week, I witnessed a quite funny show. It was actually the second time I witnessed such thing - same guy at probably the same time...

This guy was LITERALLY falling asleep, standing in the subway, one hand on a pole. He would sometimes let his hand fall down, and once almost fell, as he was totally in a falling asleep mode. Can you believe he was snoring too - STANDING in the subway? Too funny to watch! Not as funny was the fact that his saliva was coming out of his mouth and he would wip it from time to time with his hand that he later put on the pole... Yuckk!!

It made me imagine what was this guy's story. Does he work all night and just cannot wait to be home to fall asleep? Or does he work more than just the night but maybe 16-20 hours a day every day? Maybe he was going to his next job after he had worked all night... I guess that is not as funny as watching him fall asleep...

Hands OFF!

2005-05-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

This week "Women Only" trains began running in Tokyo, after repeated reports of women being groped on crowded rush hour trains. Many of my female friends in New York have complained of similar behavior in New York. I wonder what the MTA executives think of the Tokyo idea.

Pomp and Circumstance

2005-05-10T10:08:00.000-04:00

This is the very cute cover of this week's New Yorker magazine. Very appropriate, given that this is graduation month in the City. While I have seen several people don their caps and gowns on the subways en route to their commencement ceremonies, I have never seen anyone wearing their wedding dress on the subway. I'm sure it must happen - I did have a friend from work take the subway in Los Angeles to her wedding. Of course, she was having a little bit of mass transit type wedding, since the ceremonies were at the very beautiful and historic Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

Time, Time After Time...

2005-05-09T19:33:00.000-04:00

I noticed for the first time that there are no clocks in subway stations (there might be in the token booths, but there wasn't one at the Union Square Station). Casinos, of course, have for years never kept clocks on their walls, in order to induce (along with extra oxygen pumped into the gambling pits) a sense of timelessness and keep patrons gambling at all hours. I doubt that the lack of clocks in subway stations is intentional; although if it is (to create a similar sense of timelessness and have riders forget how long they have been waiting), it is probably counterproductive. Psychological studies suggest that individuals are more willing to wait for greater periods of time, the more precise information they are provided about how long they have to wait. The less information they have, the faster they become impatient. This is precisely why San Francisco posts time and wait times on their subways (as New York magazine points out in this interesting article about the MTA).

I am actually shocked that in New York, where so many of us are notorious for being in a hurry and obsessed with time, there are hundreds of miles of real estate where there are no references to the time of day.

Of course, I am loathe to suggest that the MTA put digital clocks in all stations. Given how poorly the speaker and intercom systems work, could you image what time these clocks would show? Could you image what a cost estimate for such a project would be?

Making friends

2005-05-09T13:41:00.000-04:00

Taking advantage of every moment I get to spend underground, I have tried to make friends in the subway. Given the diversity of people riding the subway, it is, to my opinion, a great place to meet people that I would probably not meet otherwise. Of course I don't think everyone is approachable, as my recent encounter with a passerby in the street taught me (I also like meeting random people in the street and that one person turned out to be a total weirdo). But there are some fun people out there, and if we share the same pole or stand a couple of feet away from each other, why not share a few words?

A recent encounter was with my new friend J. He was dressed a little weird (pants way too short, and paint all over his pants, so I had noticed him already on the platform of the F train from York Street in Brooklyn to Manhattan). He approached me in the subway by telling me I looked cute... We exchanged name etc. As it turned out we were both coming out at the same station, and as I thought he was pretty nice and interesting, we proceeded to have a picnic in the park on the Bowery. He told me all about the really cool house he is building, as it turns out he is an architect and an artist (hence the paint on his pants)... He also made me visit his apartment that he was finishing up fixing. J and I ran into each other in the street the following week, and we have talked on the phone a couple of times.

A lot of people do not speak to each other but then end up posting on Missed Connections on Craigslist... Why not speak right away in the subway?

Metropolitan Diary

2005-05-09T12:50:00.000-04:00

Not to lavish praise on our recently created blog, but I think the stories that Metro Traveller and I blog about are far more compelling that the subway stories from the New York Times Metropolitan Diary section. Take for instance, today's diary entry - available by clicking and scrolling down at this link -- which relates in my opinion an entirely unremarkable and unfunny episode about a conductor's confusion (although it does relate to my previous post about the MTA's plan to enable transfers from the B and D trains to the No.6 trains).

Music in the subway

2005-05-08T20:17:00.000-04:00

Today on the F stop (going downtown) at 14th street, there was an amazing guitarist/singer: a pretty old guy (who knows what he was doing 30-40 years ago), who in his mind was surrounded by grouppies (that definitely gave him the energy he needed to jump around and act the way he did) and who did not hesitate to call upon his "audience" as if he was Mister Super Hot and Sexy (which he was not really). He was a pretty good musician and singer, and his show made it totally worth the long wait for the train... We all clapped when he finished his song - he was so much fun to watch and listen to! Don't know if he is around on a regular basis, but he was there today Sunday around 1:30 pm...

It made me think of what other musicians I have liked hearing on the subway. I guess the one I hear the most is the Chinese guy on the 1,2,3,9 stop at Times Square (going uptown). As much as I hate it when he plays his Chinese guitar or whatever it is called, his "saxo" transforms the subway - the sounds is really feeric and peaceful (whatever that means in Times Square). I think the greatest band I have heard was one on the L stop at Bedford Avenue in Williamsbourg. I have to admit I don't remember so much their music now that time has passed since I heard them, but they were amazing. And once again totally worth the long wait for the train.

My Return from LA

2005-05-08T18:53:00.000-04:00

Today is one of those rare days in New York when I did not take the subway. I spent a large part of the day in Westchester, driving around in my Jetta and shopping at Stew Leonards. Last year, when I lived in Los Angeles, and spent countless time in my car every day. In fact, I actually only took the LA Subway once.

The contrast between New York and LA just in terms of the subway is remarkable (let alone in terms of pizza and bagels). LA is dominated by cars: the car you drive defines your status in innumerable ways. The dominant automobile culture results in little support for the expansion of public transportation routes -- I suspect that there are hundreds of thousands of Angelenos who have never taken the subway -- and the subway rideship tends to skew disproportionately towards low income earners who cannot afford to maintain cars.

New Yorkers are so different than Angelenos, probably because of public transportation. New Yorkers are comfortable with crowds. We're forced to give deal with whomever chooses to ride the subway with us on a given day. We will stand kissing distance away from complete strangers without skipping a beat. Maybe that's why we can deal with smaller cramped apartments built high into the sky and seemingly intolerable intrusions into our personal space.

I couldn't deal with the lack of interaction and the absence of meeting people in LA. That city's car culture created a air superficiality that I found alienating; the subways in New York mimic this city's gritty, real and raw spirit that I find strangely exhilarating.

So moved back.

But I do enjoy an occasional jaunt around in my car. That's pretty exhilarating too.

1:00 AM Nihilism

2005-05-08T01:18:00.000-04:00

I just got home (It is a little after 1:00 AM), after taking the 7 Train from Times Square. Oddly enough, sitting across from me was a very erudite-looking man reading a book entitled "Scientific Nihilism." I've never had more than a passing interest in nihilism, beyond a brief detour while reading Sartre's Nausea and discussing existentialism in college; but I certainly have zero interest in scientific nihilism, whatever that is, particularly at 1:00 am.

Standing nearby was someone wearing lime green pants, decorated with large numbers and letters. On several occasions the erudite-man looked over at the lime green pants man in a show of disgust and dismay and confusion as to why such a person was riding the subway. The funny thing was that I thought the lime green pants man fit right in; it was the intellectual who seemed out of place.

All of this thought has made me hungry. I am going to have some Cheerios and go to bed.

A Costly Lack of Planning

2005-05-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

An article from this morning's New York Times about upcoming plans to allow Northbound No.6 train customers at Bleeker Street to transfer to the B, D lines. Currently, only Southbound customers can transfer to the B, D lines. Apparently there are some 468 such one-way transfers in the City. Given that solving this problem will cost some $ 50 million, one wonders what why the original plan created only a one-way transfer, and why (and where and for how long) the other 467 such problems will continue to exist.

The reporter, who covers the Subways and mass transit for the Times, is actually a friend of mine from college. I think his beat is incredibly fascinating, he probably learns something new about City life every day.

Subway = NY

2005-05-07T09:44:00.000-04:00

When people ask me what I like so much about New York, I say ride the subway and see how multicultural and diverse the City is... There aren't that many places in New York that are not somewhat targeted to certain kinds of persons, be it by race, age, sex, profession, "coolness"... But about everyone takes the subway! And watching those people is just the coolest thing. Trying to figure out where there are from, what they do, what their story is... It gets my imagination and curiosity running every single time. I always try to take a glance at what they are reading, what they are wearing, what they are talking about if they are with someone else and I come up with all those stories about those people - it is just so much fun!

And I guess this is one big reason why I love New York.

Scary Subway

2005-05-06T12:26:00.000-04:00

Whatever some people from outside NYC may think, riding the subway in the City is not dangerous. I've taken it at wee hours of the night (good thing in NYC it rides all 24 hours - not like in Paris where it closes at 1), and except for the fact it is mostly men who ride it then, I've never felt in danger at all...

Though yesterday's ride was a little freaky and my heart beat for a while after that encounter. As I was walking to the head of the train on the 7 line by opening doors between the cars (just in case the doors would close while I was still on the platform), I opened that door that would lead me to an empty car - how strange, the subway is rarely empty at 9-10... I soon knew why. I almost tripped on someone's legs : the someone being a guy wearing a black face mask... I could not see him until I tripped through his legs and looked up to see who was sitting with legs laying on the floor, especially at that one seat close to the door... His black face mask made it so scary. He was not one of those random homeless people finding refuge in the subway. I ran to the next car and still stayed on that train - nothing happened and I was at work just a few minutes after that... Just a scary moment...

But I am glad there aren't many of them on the subway in NYC.

Head of the MTA

2005-05-06T11:36:00.000-04:00

An quasi-interesting profile of Peter Kalikow, current Chairman of the MTA, can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/06/nyregion/06lives.html?

Kalikow predicts NYC will have the Second Avenue Subway up and running by 2012. I think that is highly unlikely; even more unlikely than NY getting the 2012 Olympics, although I think both would be incredibly worthwhile for the City.

Sounds of Silence

2005-05-06T11:28:00.000-04:00

Today, as I was taking the 4 train to work, I was stunned by the lack of noise. No one was talking. I guess no one really talks in the morning, maybe because everyone is tired. It is amazing that in New York where noise is an accepted part of the ambiance, quiet tranquility can be found on the Subway. Of course, no one expects to talk to strangers, and probably too many of us are too busy being plugged into our I-Pods.