Archive for February, 2008
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Fiesta on the 6 Train
Downtown 6 train, a little before noon.
33rd Street, three Mexican men in full-on cowboy attire–cowboy hats, boots, Wranglers–jump on with instruments. One plays the world’s cheapest little guitar. One plays a standup bass. One makes a funky noise by rubbing a ribbed column of wood with a freakin’ Afro pick.
The trio creates a wonderful blast […]
No Comments » - Posted in 6 train by TJ
Friday, February 29th, 2008
An Open Letter to:
The crazy bastard who rode his bike to the train station today.
I pride myself as being fairly young and hardy. (OK, not all that young, maybe.) I ride my bike to the train most any dry day. If it’s below 30, I’ll walk, or grovel with The Missus for a ride (OK, not all that […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Open Letter, Uncategorized by TJ
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Telecommuting a Bull-Market Fad?
A substantial number of telecommuters are being pulled back into the bricks-and-mortar office, the Wall Street Journal reports, as bosses grow weary of just how much work is being done from one’s “home office.”
Sue Shellenbarger’s column deals primarily with full-time telecommuters, not the people like me who get to work a day from home every […]
No Comments » - Posted in Telecommuting, Wall Street Journal by TJ
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Straphanger Joe is Watching You
Three-Way Comparison
After a closer examination of the 7 train and the 6, today’s study in subway demographics looks at the F-train, 8:43am, Roosevelt Station.
It was a cold walk from my son’s school after dropping him off. I was chilled but glad to be below ground where the wind couldn’t get to me.
After the 6 […]
No Comments » - Posted in 6 train, Straphanger Joe by TJ
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Word of the Week: Battle of the Midway
BATTLE OF THE MIDWAY /BAHT ull uv the MIDD way/ noun: The non-verbal jockeying for ownership of the empty middle seat between occupants of the window and aisle seats on a three-seater.
Usage: The guy in the window seat had his briefcase in the middle seat on the 8:22 to Valhalla, but I kept moving parts of […]
No Comments » - Posted in Valhalla, Word of the Week by TJ
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Reverse Commuting Through the Roof
The Westchester section of the NY Times took on the topic of reverse commuting over the weekend in “The Big Commute, In Reverse.” The the topic has been written about a lot of late, but Ford Fessenden (is that a byline, or a long-discontinued car model?) unearths some intriguing numbers. Among them:
* Some 300,000 people […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Ford Fessenden, Google by TJ
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Straphanger Joe’s Three-Borough Tour
Flushing Line
I took the 7 train. Not my usual run, but this morning I found myself during rush hour, 8:42, mixing with the straphangers on the above-ground line.
I was on my way to the South Bronx for work. Here’s what I noticed compared to the Lexington line from the week before.
§ It was packed […]
4 Comments » - Posted in 7 Train, South Bronx, Straphanger Joe, iPod by TJ
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
PATH Turns 100!
Happy birthday to the Port Authority Trans-Hudson train, better known ’round these parts as the PATH. The NY Times has a nice story on the PATH’s barely noticed centennial, which meant for free rides for skeptical commuters yesterday.
David W. Dunlap charts the H&M train’s genesis as a link from Jersey to the “Ladies’ Mile” shopping district […]
No Comments » - Posted in PATH by TJ
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Die-Pod Update: The Songs Remain the Same
Thanks to a three-word suggestion from “Meq”–”try re-setting it”–my iPod disaster was averted. I poked my head into a co-worker’s office, asked if he knew anything about resetting iPods, and he did. Moments later, my iPod was no longer shuffling through songs like J-Lo trying on shoes.
Thus re-enabled, I was able to blissfully, mercifully tune out […]
No Comments » - Posted in iPod by TJ
Monday, February 25th, 2008
New New Haven Line Prototype Car Revealed
Connecticut governor Jodi Rell showed off the new exterior as well as some interior aspects for the M-8 cars that will be introduced on the New Haven Line late in 2009. Between reader surveys and focus groups, more interior features will be ironed out before the cars go into production.
Rell says the car’s attributes include:
Brighter […]