Hey…it could be worse. This could be us here in NYC: (VIDEO)
Month: August 2007
Subway Buttons for Sale. Railfans Rejoice.
Looking for the perfect gift for the railfan that has everything? How about the complete set of subway line buttons!
Cool I guess, but wow. The fact that people actually take the time to order these things is shocking to me. If someone were standing in the subway, selling these things for a buck, sure…I’d buy one. Maybe even a few.
The retailer, Nevermindspace (what ever the hell that is) is selling them to raise money for their free events. What free events? Pillow fight, the bubble battle and capture the flag…duh.
What the hell is pillow fight? Oh, I’m so glad you asked…Read More »
Subway Pervert Caught on Camera
As the Post reports in their story headlined, “Victim Nails Perv,” (perhaps a poor choice of words) a woman managed to snap a camera phone image of a creepy guy who kept exposing himself.
Some creepy dude followed a woman around from train to train. On each train, he took out his “basket of goodies” to expose to her. At one point, he even lit a cigarette first!
She tried changing from train to train, but he kept following her.
What’s even more disturbing is that no one helped her.
She tried to get a fellow rider to help her by yelling, “Mister! Mister!”
But the straphanger just looked up, saw the fracas and promptly stuck his nose back in his book.
Finally, she decided to pull out her cellphone and catch him in the act. (photo here) She then got off the train and called 911. The police came and arrested Jay Arungah, 24, for a variety of sexual offenses. He’s held with a $2000 bond.
Facebook Subway Status App
Well now they’ve thought of everything. Someone (not the MTA) has created a little subway status application for your Facebook profile. Now, you and other users in the Facebook community can run your own subway transit alert system.
I haven’t played with it that much, but here’s the basics I’ve learned so far. After installing on your profile, you select the train that you ride. That then becomes your default view. You then automatically see all the other users that also ride that line. If you notice trouble on your ride, you are supposed to go into the app and update it with what you experienced. That information is then available to the rest of the community.
I guess the goal is to have as many people using it as possible. If there aren’t, it won’t be updated that often I guess. Anyway, it’s pretty cool and worth taking a look at.
The application is available here, and you can see it in action through SUBWAYblogger’s Facebook profile.
We’re Not Alone. The MTA is Watching.
So as we’ve recently learned, we are being watched by the MTA. We the bloggers, that is.
Knowing that MTA officials are reading our blogs, I think it’s time to say something. Since we know they are listening, let’s give them something.
On that note, let’s start an open thread that the MTA will hopefully read. To start things off, let’s do a quick poll.
[poll=4]
If you could tell the MTA / NYC Transit anything, what would you want them to know? What would you want them to change? Write your ideas in the comments of this post.
Send a link to this post to everyone you know. The more voices, the more likely they are to listen. Don’t forget to check back and see what others have written. Of course you can comment on other readers thoughts as well.
Let’s find out for ourselves if they are really listening.
Subway Video: Someone’s Got a Little Too Much Free Time
Ok, first watch this video…
Ok, yes that was 17 seconds of an S train leaving Grand Central. It is the most popular video of 80 that some guy named TheSubwayNut has posted on his YouTube page. That’s right…80 clips!
Each one no more or less interesting than the one you just sat through. Sorry, you’ll never get that 17 seconds of your life back.
So this guy just goes around shooting short videos of trains entering or leaving stations. I can’t believe he has 80 shots. If you’ve never shot video before, it’s not quite as simple as you might think. Yeah, it’s easy to just point and shoot, but there is a certain amount of time that it takes to download the video, cut it up, render it, and then post it on YouTube. A “project” like this one isn’t just something you throw together some afternoon when you’re bored. This had to been a labor of love.
Oh, and if you as me, the name “TheSubwayNut” is bordering on trademark infringement if you ask me… 🙂
Fire Trucks at the Subway
Ugh…you know it’s not good when you get to the subway and see 7 fire trucks parked around your subway entrance, you could be in for a long morning. In this case, it was a little suspicious.
As I entered the subway, I saw firemen and police officers, but they did not look like they were “in action.” So I asked what was going on.
“There’s signal problems and trains might stop running, so you better try getting on the next one quick,” said the police woman.
Ok, signal problems. Annoying as all hell, but certainly nothing unusual. If it is signal problems, what’s with all the fire trucks?
I’d understand a slew of MTA trucks, but not really fire crews. If it truely was a signal issue, then I guess I give them credit for having rescue on site while they send MTA Workers onto the active rails. Still, the number of firemen there was a little alarming.
So far, the ride has been fine. No hangups. We’ve been held an extra minute at a couple stops, but that’s about it.
Live from the subway, back to you in studio…
This Just In: The Subway Smells Really Bad
So there’s been a buzz around the blogs lately about the subway smelling really bad. Old news? Yeah, like who didn’t already know that?
Never fear…as per usual, AMNY is on the case of obvious news. They did a story about straphangers having to hold their noses at some subway stops. (BTW, AMNY.com has a new look. Glad to see Newsday finally made the move out of the early 90’s.)
So as we all know, this kind of story is the bread and butter of papers like Metro and AMNY. Since their entire existence depends on the city’s transit system for circulation, stories like this are good for a slow day I guess. However, it seems that the blogs have picked up on it for some reason.
Blogs like SUBWAYblogger, Subway Tracker (an AMNY product ironically enough), SAS, and Gothamist have long been tracking the subway stink. So what’s all the buzz about?
It seems that Herald Square (34th Street) seems to get the award for smelliest station. That’s no surprise to anyone that has gone through there. There’s one stairwell to the 1 train that always smells like a dead body that got pissed on.
Cleanliness is a serious subject for New York City Transit, and as part of a new customer service initiative, about 350 more cleaners will be on the roster by fall to keep stations fresher, trains cleaner and platforms and tracks clearer and safer. They’ll also be able to respond to specific stenches faster. (AMNY)
Uhh…no. That’s not the problem. The trash, dirt, etc is not what’s causing most of the smell. It’s the homeless bums using the subway as a toilet. Just the other day I was standing on the platform on my way to work. Just 8 feet away, a bum steps up to the edge and whips his schlong out, and lets loose. He then proceeded to yell at everyone standing around him.Read More »
Mr Met Says
Mr. Met Says, “Please don’t let good manners slide. Keep your stuff off the seats for a better ride.”
That’s what one of the most annoying signs on the subway says. Are we all a bunch of 5 year olds or something? It’s like some goofy lesson in an episode of Mr. Rogers or something.
But there he is, giant baseball head and all. You’d think after all these years Mr. Met would have a better contract. I have to assume he’s made millions and could afford his own driver. Times must be tough in the mascot world because there he is doing endorsements for the MTA.
“Courtesy is a winning play…” Says Mr. Met. Yeah well teaching manners to a bunch of self-centered adults is like trying to pitch a perfect game.
Live from the subway, back to you in studio… .
Ski Caps
Really? Ski caps in the summer in New York City?
I now those knit hats look cool and every thing, but you’re going to kill yourself by wearing them in the summer.
Maybe they’ve been around, and I’ve just never noticed. Lately, I’ve seen guys everywhere with them on. Just the thought of wearing one out on a sticky, humid day sounds like torture to me.
Hey, in the fall/winter, they actually look pretty good. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear them. However, when you’re standing on the subway platform with sweat pouring out of every area on your body, don’t you think it’s time to take off the winter hat?
Live from the subway, back to you in studio… .
SUBWAYblogger 
