Monthly Archives: October 2008

Straphanger Joe Gives Hawker (Double) A For Effort

Posted on October 27, 2008 by TJ

The Duracell Man By Straphanger Joe   I’m half asleep. You know, the kind of sleep where you’re awake but almost asleep. It’s a subway sleep. Eyes are half closed and heavy. Heartbeat and respiration slow, but ears still tuned … Continue reading →

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Blogger Releases Metro-North App For iPhone

Posted on October 24, 2008 by TJ

Our Metro-North blogger compadre StationStops has revealed his master plan–an iPhone application that, according to SS, “keeps the Metro-North Grand Central Terminal timetable stored on your iPhone, and allows you to quickly find your next train to or from Grand Central, … Continue reading →

Posted in iPhone, StationStops | 1 Comment

Shanghai’d!

Posted on October 24, 2008 by TJ

Part I: Shanghai on the Hudson I take a right outside my apartment building instead of my usual left, and in seconds I’m on the other side of the world.   In China, to be precise. At least mentally.   … Continue reading →

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(Pea)Packed Train Leaves JerseyJim Less Than Glad(stone)

Posted on October 24, 2008 by TJ

As autumn brings the slippery-leaf-syndrome to Metro-North commuters, the rails of New Jersey Transit are plagued by a related trouble from the trees–overhead wire damage. Troubles on the Gladstone line made a mess of Thursday morning’s commute, as folks shuttled … Continue reading →

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Boston Rider Discovers Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Posted on October 23, 2008 by TJ

Our Beantown blogging brethren (ah, absolutely awesome alliteration!) witnesses a man eat a loaf of completely plain white bread on the Orange line of the T. OMalleyontheWeb has all the tasty details in his post “Next Stop Wonderbread.” He didn’t … Continue reading →

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Word of the Week: DORTALITY

Posted on October 23, 2008 by TJ

DORTALITY /dorr TAL it ee/ noun: Palpable fear of being pitched to one’s gory death on the tracks while walking through the doors that separate one train car from the other. Usage: A mightly blast of wind struck while I … Continue reading →

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Things That Make Me S.A.D.

Posted on October 22, 2008 by TJ

The leaves are falling faster than the Dow. Every day, the giant tree at the entrance to the Hummerville train station gets a little more sparse, the pile below it a little thicker. The chilly air finds every gap in … Continue reading →

Posted in Hummerville, Pershing Square, Slippery Rail | 2 Comments

TRAINJOTTING CLASSIC: The Drunken Jackass in My Cab

Posted on October 21, 2008 by TJ

It was just a year ago when I stumbled off a late train at Hummerville, wearing the most unlikely of outfits–a tuxedo I’d rented from Yesterday’s Man or somesuch for our company’s annual black-tie affair. Unfit to bike, and probably … Continue reading →

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LIRR Prez Criticizes New Disability Measures

Posted on October 21, 2008 by TJ

LIRR president Helena Williams does not agree with measures the Railroad Retirement Board is taking to better oversee–er, oversee at all–disability payments made to railroad workers. The federal RRB said it would immediately implement five changes, reports the NY Times, … Continue reading →

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Night of the Living Dead, Or, Just Another Night Out in Queens

Posted on October 20, 2008 by TJ

I had the rare pleasure of venturing into the city for friend Christian’s going-away party over the weekend. It’s always weird, sharing Metro-North with the amateurs on weekends. No one on board knows the unspoken rules. You see people using … Continue reading →

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