Archive for July, 2008
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
GREAT COMMUTING MOMENTS IN LITERATURE Vol. IV: Why Fly When You Can Toboggan?
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 of non-fiction, as in, it’s all true.
Another inventor, J. B. McComber, representing the Chicago-Tower Spiral-Spring Ascension […]
No Comments » - Posted in Erik Larson by TJ
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
4 Train Having a Dreadful Year
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 had an on-time average of 92% for the year.
Top of the heap for May were the […]
No Comments » - Posted in 4 Train by TJ
Monday, July 21st, 2008
A Most Creepy Subway Tail
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 at First Avenue. Just after we sat down, the entire packed car started screaming, and a wave […]
No Comments » - Posted in Metropolitan Diary by TJ
Monday, July 21st, 2008
Word of the Week: PASSIVE-EGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR
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 seat that they wish to exit.
No Comments » - Posted in Word of the Week by TJ
Monday, July 21st, 2008
An Open Letter To:
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 of the subway platform.
A large mass shuffled toward the two revolving doors heading out of the […]
No Comments » - Posted in 28th Street, 6 train, Open Letter by TJ
Friday, July 18th, 2008
FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS: And You Thought Train-Surfing Was Dangerous
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 well.
No Comments » - Posted in Friday Night Videos by TJ
Friday, July 18th, 2008
JerseyJim Rides the Comfy But Noisy Double Decker
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 through the cars looking for empty seats.
Once aloft in the balcony section, I was […]
No Comments » - Posted in New Jersey Transit, jerseyjim by TJ
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Agony of Da Feet on Metro-North
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 installment mentions how “foot troubles” did not exist in Biblical times, when people opted to […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Mileposts by TJ
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Rubbing Elbows With CEOs
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 a laptop and tweaked a spread sheet showing half-year results, elbowing me in the ribs […]
No Comments » - Posted in White Plains by TJ
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
Apparently TJ Not Only One Mining Mass Transit For Yuks
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: So far this year I’ve been flashed three times on the subway. What’s a girl to do?
A: […]