Monthly Archives: July 2008

GREAT COMMUTING MOMENTS IN LITERATURE Vol. IV: Why Fly When You Can Toboggan?

Posted on July 22, 2008 by TJ

From The Devil in the White City, during which the World’s Fair Committee in 1893 hears proposals for a centerpiece to the fair–much as the Eiffel Tower was in the previous fair. Keep in mind the book is a work … Continue reading →

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4 Train Having a Dreadful Year

Posted on July 22, 2008 by TJ

The 4 train came in last in on-time percentage in a NYC Transit study, coming in on-time just 70% of the time in May. Even more galling, that’s a nearly 12% drop from May of last year. Overall, the subway system … Continue reading →

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A Most Creepy Subway Tail

Posted on July 21, 2008 by TJ

From today’s edition of “Nonagenarians Saying “Isn’t New York Just the Most Wonderful Place?”…I mean, the NY Times Metropolitan Diary: Dear Diary: Returning home from the East Village on a Saturday night last month, my friend and I boarded the L train … Continue reading →

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Word of the Week: PASSIVE-EGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Posted on July 21, 2008 by TJ

PASSIVE-EGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR /PASS ihv ee GRESS ihv bee HAYV yer/ noun: The shuffling of newspapers, rummaging through of bags and fidgeting in seats by riders in the window seat as their stop approaches, to subtly indicate to the passenger in the aisle … Continue reading →

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An Open Letter To:

Posted on July 21, 2008 by TJ

The guy in the white dress shirt and khakis, throwing his weight around at the 28th Street stop this morning. The 6 train heading down from Grand Central was jammed. We spilled out at 28th, happy for the fresher air … Continue reading →

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FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS: And You Thought Train-Surfing Was Dangerous

Posted on July 18, 2008 by TJ

This week’s video clip shows people somehow navigating automobiles on subway tracks somewhere in what seems to be Germany. The best part is the WTF? reactions from the people waiting for trains. The German hiphop is pretty, er, superfresh as … Continue reading →

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JerseyJim Rides the Comfy But Noisy Double Decker

Posted on July 18, 2008 by TJ

Rode last night’s 6:16 pm New Jersey Transit train westbound in the svelte new double-decker. It took a bit longer than usual for commuters to board–extra caution needed for some folks, negotiating the three steps on each car, as people filtered … Continue reading →

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Agony of Da Feet on Metro-North

Posted on July 17, 2008 by TJ

The latest issue of Metro-North mouthpiece Mileposts addresses, in light-hearted language, the matter of people taking their shoes off on the train. Mileposts‘ “Courtesy Corner” always admonishes, in a jokey way, its riders to be more considerate of fellow passengers. The July … Continue reading →

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Rubbing Elbows With CEOs

Posted on July 17, 2008 by TJ

I had the express pleasure of being seated next to an actual CEO on the 8:16 this morning. He boarded in White Plains and took the window seat next to my aisle seat. In true CEO fashion, he booted up … Continue reading →

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Apparently TJ Not Only One Mining Mass Transit For Yuks

Posted on July 16, 2008 by TJ

A Brooklyn-based writer by the name of Philip Recchia has launched the subway blog “YoTransitMan.com,” which dubs itself as “the leading source of erroneous transit news.” TransitMan offers a weekly dose of NYC subway-related Q and A’s. To wit: Q: … Continue reading →

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