Archive for May, 2008
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
The Return of the Double-Decker Bus
NYC Transit is considering bringing back the double-decker bus, that staple of Gotham transportation in the ’50s and, for a forgettable spell, in the ’70s. The NY Times reports that the double-deckers cost less to maintain than the long-ass ones connected in the middle, and that people simply seem to like the view from upstairs.
One […]
No Comments » - Posted in Double-Decker by TJ
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
A Peek Inside the New M8 Cars
Our Metro-North blogger brethren StationStops has some very well-produced video taken at the New Haven Metro-North station that offers a glimpse inside the futuristic M8 cars that are slated to pop up on the New Haven Line next year.
StationStops likes the vacuum toilets, the headrests and larger windows–things us Hudson and Harlem liners take for […]
No Comments » - Posted in M8, StationStops by TJ
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
An Open Letter To:
The tall, bald man who wiped his hands on the Grand Central handrail after scavenging around his groin area.
The morning train had pulled into Grand Central, and we commuters did our daily shuffle up the ramp to the concourse.
It was crowded and the pace was slow.
You were in front of me. You’re a large fellow, […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Open Letter by TJ
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
A Wee Problem in the Subways
Manhattan’s “largest circulation daily”…also known as…wait for it…AM NY, tackles the issue of the MTA locking subway station bathrooms overnight in its “P’d Off” cover story today.
Matthew Sweeney reports that NYC Transit has locked up 78 public subway restrooms between midnight and 5 a.m. to make way for cleaners, much to the consternation of club […]
No Comments » - Posted in AMNY by TJ
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
The Tyranny of the Tunnel
He got on in White Plains.
He had all the earmarks of a daytripper–one-way ticket to Grand Central, freshly bought Daily News, lumpy countenance and tacky salt-and-pepper blazer of a professor at a monolithic, mid-ranking state school.
He flipped through the News half-heartedly, elbows sticking a little further out in the two-seater than a seasoned commuter would […]
No Comments » - Posted in 125th Street, Daytripper by TJ
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Dogs Ride Moscow Subway For Free
There’s a Russian website dedicated to dogs riding the Moscow subways and living in the train stations. Canines are living like Gazprom executives in post-perestroika Russia, reports the Wall Street Journal, enjoying handouts and love from well-fed Muscovites.
These dogs wait for the light to turn to cross the street, are pickier by the day when […]
No Comments » - Posted in Moscow Subway by TJ
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Back in the Saddle
I was back on the Iron Horse this morning after a blessed week-plus at home following the (sound the trumpets!) arrival of Little Miss C.
It’s amazing how quickly the commuting skills go–everything seemed to take a split second longer, as I struggled to remember what time my train was, which kinds of seats I prefer, […]
No Comments » - Posted in Little Miss C by TJ
Sunday, May 18th, 2008
Rail-Riding Hoboes Unite!
Fun story in today’s NY Times (Metro section) about “train hoppers” that illegally ride freight trains across the country. Of course, the practice has been going on for decades, with Jack London, Jack Dempsey, and Jack Kerouac, not to mention other luminaries not named Jack, among the participants.
Bed-Stuy was home to the Hobo Film Festival […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Shawn Lukitsch by TJ
Friday, May 16th, 2008
BREAKING: Dead Rabbits Are Never Funny
I just drove by Hawthorne train station and saw a News 12 van in the parking lot, its microwave dish out. I pulled in and waited for a crew member to surface, then asked him what the deal was.
The News 12 guy said a cab driver with Mount Pleasant Taxi, which is based out of […]
No Comments » - Posted in Hawthorne, News 12 by TJ
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
Green Trains in Garden State
The conductor’s announcement prior to Wednesday’s 5:50 departure, when the lights went out and the engines went silent
“Ladies and Gentlemen, We’re just recycling the motor, we should be up in a few minutes.”
Another dirty deed done dirt cheap, and we were soon off…
–Jerseyjim