Monthly Archives: July 2007

The Horror of Seat #29E

Posted on July 27, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Seat #29E | 2 Comments

An Open Letter To:

Posted on July 27, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

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Straphanger Joe Witnesses Acts of Human Kindness

Posted on July 26, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in iPod, Straphanger Joe | 4 Comments

One Reader With Fond Memories of the El

Posted on July 25, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

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Watch Out Falling Creosote

Posted on July 25, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in The Meaning of Life | Leave a comment

Word of the Week: BIPODS

Posted on July 24, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in iPod, Word of the Week | 1 Comment

Metro-North No Hogwarts Express

Posted on July 24, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Harry Potter, Web Advisory | 1 Comment

What the Kids Are Googling

Posted on July 20, 2007 by TJ

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, … Continue reading →

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‘Mileposts’ Don’t Know Baseball

Posted on July 20, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Billy Joel, Mileposts, Yankee Stadium | Leave a comment

Straphanger Joe is Wet and Cranky

Posted on July 19, 2007 by TJ

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Jackson Heights, Straphanger Joe | 1 Comment