Archive for July, 2007
Friday, July 27th, 2007
The Horror of Seat #29E
Those of you who fly for a living–or have ever enjoyed the subtle pleasure of the Metro-North stenchbench–will relate to this disgruntled Continental Airlines passenger who got stuck sitting next to the head.
It was written on a napkin and stashed in the marsupial pouch in front of the passenger’s seat, where it was found by […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Seat #29E by TJ
Friday, July 27th, 2007
An Open Letter To:
The conductor on the 8:16 this morning.
It was a normal Friday ride–full, but not packed, people a bit sick of the work week, counting the days until retirement, looking forward to the weekend.
There was a dude standing in the vestibule, his iPod at a volume that rivaled the man with debatable fathering skills on the […]
No Comments » - Posted in Open Letter by TJ
Thursday, July 26th, 2007
Straphanger Joe Witnesses Acts of Human Kindness
A to H Have you ever given up your seat to: a) an elderly woman, b) an elderly man, c) a woman with an infant, d) a pregnant woman, e) a small child, f) an injured man or woman, g) a pretty woman, or h) a handsome man (this is New York City – it could […]
4 Comments » - Posted in Straphanger Joe, iPod by TJ
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
One Reader With Fond Memories of the El
the el did cast an omnious shadow over Jamaica Ave, giving that sense of … um … shadiness that wasn’t helped much by the fact that there were two bars on every block along Jamaica Avenue. but the old timey iron structures and art deco stations of the BMT did make you feel rooted in the city, a certain era […]
No Comments » - Posted in El Train by TJ
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
Watch Out Falling Creosote
Funny piece in the Times today about living under the El train in Richmond Hill. Residents there have long complained about what falls from the tracks, be it creosote (black tar), sparks, bolts and bodies. Creosote is the focus of the article: it stains clothing, cars and whatever else happens to be lying in its […]
No Comments » - Posted in The Meaning of Life by TJ
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
Word of the Week: BIPODS
BIPODS \BYY poddz\ noun: Train riders who share the earbuds on a mobile music device, so that each gets a single bud. Most common on weekend and off-peak trains.
USAGE: I shared a five-seater with a couple of BiPods who were grooving to Beyonce on the 6:12 to Larchmont.
1 Comment » - Posted in Word of the Week, iPod by TJ
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
Metro-North No Hogwarts Express
Got an MTA Web Advisory in my in-box late Friday urging Metro-North riders to consider not bringing their brand-new copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the train in the coming weeks. You see, owing to the hardcover book’s 750-odd page heft, large numbers of them slow down the trains, which as we […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Harry Potter, Web Advisory by TJ
Friday, July 20th, 2007
What the Kids Are Googling
Here are but a few of the more interesting search-engine searches people used to find Trainjotting this week. If we’re making proper sense of them, Love Boat rules, John Rocker lives, and when someone smiles at you on the train, look away.
pacific princess
“jackson heights” “yoga” [Editor’s Note: Uh, that’d be Straphanger Joe]
gangsta train
when i […]
No Comments » - Posted in John Rocker, Straphanger Joe by TJ
Friday, July 20th, 2007
‘Mileposts’ Don’t Know Baseball
Amidst all the commuter excitement this week (Floods! Boiled asbestos-spewing geysers in midtown!), we almost forgot to give the latest Mileposts a read. Metro-North’s monthly publication has a baseball theme to it, as it “announces” the pending train station at Yankee Stadium (uh, the Times broke that back in May, folks).
“There’s been an exciting development […]
No Comments » - Posted in Billy Joel, Mileposts, Yankee Stadium by TJ
Thursday, July 19th, 2007
Straphanger Joe is Wet and Cranky
OKs
I’ll give you this–it was crowded yesterday on the F.
Between the flooding and the V not running, there were extra people trying to get to work on fewer vehicles. Truthfully, I’ve never thought the V was much of a workhorse. It’s a local in Queens so most folk from my neighborhood in Jackson Heights don’t […]