Archive for July, 2009
Friday, July 31st, 2009
Train Tickets and Race Cards
Conductor Bobby thinks he deserves a cold one with the president after a racial flare-up with a black Metro-North rider some time ago.
He writes:
I was collecting tickets on an early morning train when I came upon a bench/row where all three seats were occupied by passengers. Being observant, I noticed that I had previously placed […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Derailed, Metro North by TJ
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Commercialism Still Kicking Convenience’s Ass
As I’d reported late last week, Grand Central continues to offer a directory of shops on the front of a kiosk as soon as you walk in through the main Park Avenue doors–not the Departures screen that had been there for years and years.
The Departures screen can be found on one of the kiosk’s side […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Big Board, Grand Central by TJ
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Bike-to-Workers Get Big Victory
Cycling to work in Manhattan will get a lot easier, as New York’s City Council has passed a law that allows cyclists to cart their bikes on freight elevators at work, reports the NY Times bike blog Spokes.
The law kicks in in November.
States Spokes:
The law passed on Wednesday with a vote of 46 to 1, […]
No Comments » - Posted in Bike to Work by TJ
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Hawthorne Bike Rack Turns 2
How did I miss this milestone?
On July 13, 2007 the Hawthorne bike rack was installed after weeks of hectoring phone calls from me to the Mt. Pleasant Town Hall.
This past July 13, Town Supervisor Robert Meehan presided over an anniversary celebration that was attended by cycling luminaries such as Lance Armstrong, Pee Wee Herman, the […]
No Comments » - Posted in Bike Rack, Bike to Work by TJ
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
MTA to Test Subway Spycams
The Metropolitan Transit Authority will install surveillance cameras throughout an as-yet unidentified subway train later this year, reports the NY Times. The Authority hopes the cameras will deter crime, and may also help it avoid some lawsuits from those who claim they were injured on the subway.
It’s just a test, and the MTA does not […]
No Comments » - Posted in MTA, Subway by TJ
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Butt Seriously, Folks
Best book title on the downtown 6 at 9:10 this morning:
Bright Lights, Big Asses, by Jen Lancaster.
The reader was a woman of about 30, seated, teal polo shirt, brown ponytail, pleasant face, large engagement ring.
And yes, a prodigious posterior.
No Comments » - Posted in 6 train by TJ
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Ridership Dip Means MNR Budget Shortfall
With Metro-North ridership down 2.8% from the same point last year, the Journal News says the railroad is facing an unforeseen revenue shortage–on top of the $1.8 billion deficit it’s already staring at.
Its core customers thinned due to commuters being laid off, Metro-North has never seen such a protracted dip in ridership.
The paper reports:
Railroad spokeswoman […]
No Comments » - Posted in Journal News, New Haven Line by TJ
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
On the Road Again
I actually like my infrequent trips to Julio Bicycles in Chappaqua. The guys are super-friendly, their stellar rapport with their customers is immediately apparent, they know a ton about bikes, and they have a gorgeous flat panel TV; when I was in there yesterday, it showed an Amy Winehouse concert, and a guy behind the […]
No Comments » - Posted in Bike to Work, Chappaqua, Little G by TJ
Monday, July 27th, 2009
Rethinking “Downtown” Hawthorne
We were quite pleased to have a place to buy wine pop up within a mile of our house.
We were also happy to see a new shop actually open up in tiny downtown Hawthorne, where stuff had been closing pretty steadily since we moved in a few years ago–most notably the Italian restaurant Bel Paese across […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Hawthorne by TJ
Monday, July 27th, 2009
Commercialism Trumps Commuter Convenience
Was it just a Friday test designed to sell cheesecake and Swatch watches to all the weekenders venturing from Grand Central to points north?
I was hustling to GCT Friday, hoping to catch the 5:27, and cutting it close, as usual. I barrelled through the front doors of the terminal and my eyes peered ahead for […]