Archive for May, 2007
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Gawker Weighs In On Beers on the Train
There’s quite a lively discourse going on at Gawker, stemming from their posting of the Times article announcing that riders will continue to be able to consume potent potables on the train. Predictably, it devolves into a pissing match between the city and the ‘burbs and the easy cliches representing both factions: Manhattan media elitists and […]
No Comments » - Posted in Beer by TJ
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Dunked
Sticking with today’s topic of tasty beverages on the train, residents of Hawthorne were very close to having a brand-new Dunkin’ Donuts two blocks down Commerce Street from the train station. That is, until Mount Pleasant town officials kiboshed the deal, according to local shopkeepers. As they put it, the town board felt a Dunkin’ […]
No Comments » - Posted in Mount Pleasant by TJ
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Raise Your Glass, the Witch is Dead!
Ladies and gentlemen, let out a collective exhale: according to a scoop from William Neuman in the Times, the consumption of the occasional (or even frequent!) alcoholic beverage will continue on Metro-North.
Months ago, an MTA board member/ninny named Michael Pally suggested the MTA ban alcohol to safeguard the Authority from lawsuits levied by drunken passengers hurting […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Beer, MTA by TJ
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
Straphanger Joe Spreads the Magic
Have a Magical Day II
Four things I love about the Disney World bus transportation system (I couldn’t come up with a fifth):
1. They have a system for dealing with the disabled that actually works. There are kneeling buses that kneel, drivers that take the disabled in first and don’t allow anyone on until the individuals […]
No Comments » - Posted in Straphanger Joe by TJ
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
When Ballplayers Commute
Since the docile souls on the 8:16 gave me nothing to write about this morning, I’m forced to be creative. So here it is, off the top of my head and with a little help from Google, my four favorite instances of ballplayers taking the train to the game.
4. Former Met first-sacker John Olerud, unassuming […]
No Comments » - Posted in 7 Train, John Rocker, Subway by TJ
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
Word of the Week
WALKING THE PLANK \WAWK-King thuh PLANNK\ verb: The determined march down the aisle from train car to train car in search of the mostly empty car and perfect seat, only to realize the selection is getting worse and worse.
USAGE: I was five minutes early for the 7:12 to Tarrytown and thought I’d score a good […]
No Comments » - Posted in Word of the Week by TJ
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
Straphanger Joe Is Wearing Mickey Mouse Ears
Have a Magical Day!
I can’t say I’m rested.
Six days in Disney World is not restful. But I was amazed at how much time and energy has been put into transporting people with mouse ears on their heads from one place to another.
Disney is 43 square miles – twice as large as Manhattan – […]
No Comments » - Posted in Straphanger Joe by TJ
Friday, May 25th, 2007
Brewster on $6.25 Or Less
The kid was wearing a tight white United Way t-shirt, and he had the charity thing down to a science. He was maybe 17, in long denim shirts, his attention focused on a P2P video game in which shooting people appeared to be the goal. It was the 7:22 to Southeast, and he had an […]
No Comments » - Posted in Conductor, Southeast by TJ
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
A Most Boring Job
The massive, rock-eating Tunnel Boring Machine has arrived in the States after its long sojourn from Italy, and will soon commence digging under Manhattan in an effort to connect the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central.
The 200-ton TBM was shipped in pieces and is being transported to Long Island City, where it will be reassembled […]
No Comments » - Posted in MTA by TJ
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
Straphanger Joe’s Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Spare Change
8:32AM Friday.
The F train is crowded. I just got on at Roosevelt, end of the car next to the conductor’s booth, by the door – my door. I stand across from the platform I’d been standing on, reading Macworld – hey, somebody’s got to keep them in business. The doors close and the […]