Archive for June, 2009
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Classifying The Subway Crazies
The writer Una LaMarche, whose name roughly translates to “Million Man March Minus 999,999 Men”, says it’s OK to laugh at the crazy people on the subway. She also says it’s OK to lump them into six categories (or “silos,” in modern corporate speak).
Una offers her six categories on the New York version of […]
No Comments » - Posted in Hot Seatmates, Subway by TJ
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Spot Shortages, Blaring iPods and Sad Metal Chicks
We’d lamented the demise of the Westchester section of the NY Times, as it was always a good source of local news, much of it transit-related, because all we truly care about in the ‘burbs is a smooth ride to the city each day.
Well, the replacement for the Sunday Westchester section (not to mention the […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Hawthorne, Parking, Valhalla, Westchester, iPod by TJ
Monday, June 29th, 2009
The Larchmont-to-Giants Stadium Train
Come fall, Metro-North will experiment with a train that goes from Westchester to Giants Stadium in time for Jets and Giants games.
Metro-North and New Jersey Transit are calling it “direct service,” according to Journal News, but boy, is it a circuitous route. The football trains stop in Rye and Larchmont, then venture through the Bronx, […]
No Comments » - Posted in Larchmont, Metro North, Rye by TJ
Monday, June 29th, 2009
An Open Letter To:
The woman who muttered a sarcastic “thank you” to my back after I cut her off at the 28th Street stop this morning.
First off, Ma’am, I don’t think I was really, truly in the wrong.
It’s the slow approach to the two revolving doors under the 6 train’s special 28th Street entrance/exit that lets out at 25th and […]
1 Comment » - Posted in 6 train, Open Letter by TJ
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Straphanger Joe Infiltrates the Secret Underground Bald E-Book Reader Society
Kindle Hunting on the F
Two sightings in one week.
Two days ago I was standing on the F train, late afternoon, crowded enough to stand, but not so crowded I couldn’t breathe, when I spied what appeared to be a black leather cover about the shape and size of a Kindle. I couldn’t believe it. […]
No Comments » - Posted in F Train, Kindle, Straphanger Joe by TJ
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
‘My Habit Paid for My Dealer’s Condo’–Tales From the Ghetto Rails
Conductor Bobby has a fascinating account of his new assignment as a Metro-North conductor–working on the Waterbury Branch, which appears to be full of homeless, fare-evaders, and “quick-turners”–the guys riding Bridgeport to score dope, then hopping back on the train to Waterbury.
That region of Connecticut used to be a bustling manufacturing base. Now it sounds […]
No Comments » - Posted in Derailed, New Haven Line by TJ
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
How-Young-Is-Too-Young-To-Ride-Subway Debate Rekindled
Lenore Skenazy, who parlayed a column on letting her son Izzy ride the subway alone at age 9 into a career, offers an essay on the new New York version of Huffington Post on, yup, how we baby our children and at what age a child should be allowed to ride the subway alone.
That […]
No Comments » - Posted in Bronx, Subway by TJ
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Enc-roach-ment On Track 38
We shuffled off the 8:43 and made our way up the gang plank on Track 38.
As usual, traffic slowed to get around one of the giant metal-mesh bins that people are to deposit their spent newspapers in. The bin occupies about a third of the platform width.
Only today, people were taking an extra wide route […]
No Comments » - Posted in Grand Central, Metro North by TJ
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
The Case of the Brightly Colored Balls
I walked my bike up Heartbreak Hill along Broad yesterday, fresh off the 5:46, when I saw the first ball.
It was a bright purple plastic sphere, the sort you see in a ballpit, kids romping about and throwing the flyweight orbs at each other with impunity.
As I headed up Broad, I saw two more — orange and […]
No Comments » - Posted in Bike to Work by TJ
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
The Night The Lights Went Out in Newark
Reader Scott would like to know when New Jersey Transit plans to fix the signal system in Newark after the fire there two months ago.
New Jersey Transit initially said repairs would take “several weeks.” Anyone got any intell?
Is there any news about repairing the signal outage at Newark that was caused by a fire on April […]