Monthly Archives: November 2008

THE TRAINJOTTING READER: Netherland

Today’s installment of The Trainjotting Reader looks at Netherland, a novel by the New York-based Irishman Joseph O’Neill. It’s about a Dutch guy named Hans who finds that revisiting his former pastime of cricket helps him deal with anxieties stemming from … Continue reading

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‘Bad Girls’ to Hand Out MetroCards

No one’s too happy about either the shitty economy or the MTA preparing to raise fares and slash service. But a gaggle of do-gooding young ladies are here to help. Yes, the stars of Bad Girls Club on Oxygen–a reality … Continue reading

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Straphanger Joe Gets Nostalgic For ‘Julio and ‘Marisol’

An Inconvenient Ad   It’s Friday afternoon and I’m heading home late from work. The train is quiet at 5:35, only half filled. I’m standing even though there are two center seats available. Sometimes I just don’t feel like being … Continue reading

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Thanks to Service Cuts, Lionel’s Subway Replica Slashed From Four Cars to Three

In its first shot at creating minature NYC subway trains, Lionel has pulled off a dead-on reproduction, reports the New York Times. [Lionel events manager Thomas C.] Nuzzo said the four cars look like the R-27 cars that went into … Continue reading

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An Open Letter To:

The “Man” Sprinting From the 6 to the 4 At Grand Central This Morning. The 4 express had been at the platform for a moment, its doors open. The 6 pulled up at 9:33 this morning. You–very white male, 40, … Continue reading

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Happy Thanks-For-Nothing!

I’m walking home from work, and I’m freezing cold.   Near the produce stand at the intersection of Broadway and Houston stands a gaunt urchin in a Bad Religion T-shirt and an army jacket. “Spare some money so I can … Continue reading

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Proposed Transit Cuts ‘Harsh’, ‘Severe’ and Totally Sucky

Sorry to end the work week on a bummer note, but we want to offer some different perspectives on the proposed MTA service cuts affecting subways, buses and commuter trains, which by all accounts look fairly hardcore. Mind you, we … Continue reading

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An Open Letter To:

The Black Mustang Parked Across From My Bike at the Train Station This Morning. It’s impossible not to notice the giant decal on your rear window, a blue cursive admonishing all within your range to “Fear This.” You’re an ’86 … Continue reading

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I Thought You Said It Was a Virgin Train?

Apparently so inspired by the fateful El-train love scene in Risky Business, a couple was arrested on the aptly-named Virgin train from Liverpool to London last week for copulating. The train was crowded as the woman allegedly did some sort … Continue reading

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Get Your Whore Off My Thawn

One thing the Missus noticed after we’d left the city for the leafy expanse of the ‘burbs two years ago was that everyone around us had actual New York accents–something she’d rarely encountered after a decade in Manhattan, where the … Continue reading

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