Author: subwayblogger

This Just In: The Subway Smells Really Bad

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A Bottle O’ Pee

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

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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

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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’s 1st Birthday!!

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birthday_cake_candles_t.jpgHappy Birthday to US. One year ago today, SUBWAYblogger made it’s first post ever.

August 12th (yesterday)will henceforth be known as SUBWAYblogger day. It was this date (yesterday) way back when in 2006 that SB made this post CLICK HERE. It was a looooong one. We quickly knocked that crap off and decided to keep them short and sweet as often as possible.

Some fan favorites this past year have included:

Annoying Subway People (Part 2)
Getting it Off My Chest
Last Minute Arrival Guy

…and many others.

In just this short year, we’ve even done a site redesign.

In any event, this little blog that was never really intended to have many readers has really taken off (much to our surprise). It’s all thanks to you, the SUBWAYblogger reader. We especially love when you have sent us story ideas! And we always love the colorful comments.

So thanks for stopping by. We’re looking forward to the next year of subway shenanigans.

We’re Back! And all we missed was a murder

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SUBWAYblogger’s back from vacation, and apparently the only big news that we missed was a murder yesterday on the 5 train. So not all that much while we were away.

Rayquon Smith19-year-old Rayquon Story was shot and killed on the 5 train between 180th Street and Dyre Avenue. 3 of his homies were also shot, but they are in stable condition.

Apparently, the teens got into some sort of fight at a neighborhood BBQ party. This group of 4 guys headed to the subway, but were followed by the other teen gunman. There another fight ensued, but obviously the gunman won that round.

Shockingly, there are no arrests or suspects at this time.

I say shockingly because of the whole “stop snitchin‘” code of ethics in those communities. Even if there were eye witnesses, it is against the rules to cooperate with police to find the shooter. Basically, under no circumstances what-so-ever should anyone ever tell the police anything about what they see happen in their communities. So that’s why it’s highly unlikely that a suspect will be caught in these situations.Read More »

What A Cluster F*CK! All Subways Fail

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Folks, are there really any words to describe this morning?  I don’t even know where to begin.

All I know is that I walked over 50 blocks to get to work this morning.  What a nightmare.  Luckily, I was not caught in the rain, but I might as well have been because I was soaked in sweat. 

So I left my building this morning and turned the corner.  That’s when I saw it.  About 150 people waiting for the bus.  I knew right then that it was going to be a nightmare commute.  So I walked to subway entrance knowing that they couldn’t possibly be running.  There, a transit cop told me there was no service at all on the 1, 2, 0r 3.  Damn it. 

Then I decided to walk over to Central Park to catch the B or C.  Got half way over there, and a fellow straphanger told me not to bother because those trains were out too.  Damn it again.

So I started walking south.  Every block had 30 or 40 people trying to get cabs.  Every bus stop easily had 100+ people waiting.  So I decided to walk down Riverside Drive, hoping that maybe a random cab would be over there.  Nope.  Damn it again.

Then I tried the M5 bus.  At each stop, 2 or 3 buses just blew by the stops.  Even the limited buses weren’t stopping at the limited stops.  How fucked up is that?  People were going bat shit insane. 

So I crossed the UWS back and forth before just sucking it up and walking to midtown.  Each step more sweaty than the next.

I heard an MTA or NYC Transit official on TV literally say, “At this point, we can’t get people from point A to point B on the subway.”  That about sums it up.

How much longer are we going to have to deal with this crappy infrastructure before they do something about it.  A heavy rain is all it takes to throw the city into chaos.  And there’s clearly emergency plan in place to handle this when it happens.  People are just SOL.

Share your war story in the comments.

VIDEO: Stalking Bloomberg on the Subway

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Awesome.

This guy has some balls.  He’s basically stalks Mayor Bloomberg on his way to work via the subway.  Bloomberg is known to take the subway to work most days.  Interestingly, he gets driven from his home on East 79th to the 59th Street station, then he rides.

Anyway, this guy clearly has a problem with Bloomberg’s decisions on emergency worker’s health-care.  Politics aside, it is hilarious to watch this guy just bombard Bloomy with questions.  He basically drives Bloomy’s security detail insane.

Has anyone ever ridden the train with the Mayor?  I think it would be one of the strangest things ever to be pressed right up against him like any other passenger.

This brings up another concern:  What happens if there’s a subway disaster while Bloomberg is on the train?  What if something happens that causes him to be stuck down there…meanwhile chaos is occurring on street level?  Personally, I like the fact that he rides the train as often as possible, but I guess it comes with some risk of the city’s leader getting stuck underground while a major emergency rages topside.

This is just one clip of the whole 3 part series.

Subway ads are art and entertainment

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I know I’ve said it before, but I really enjoy the School of Visual Arts subway ads. The just recently put up a new campaign. They are even more clever that the last batch!

You can’t beat the slogan either, “How bad do you want to be good?” Makes me want to be an artist.

Anway, you can just stand here and look at them. Some of them are kinda like visual puzzles.

I enjoy the one with the fotune cookies, and the one with the spider web.

Anyway, this is quickly becoming a super lame post. Actually, we’re way past that point. So all I have to say is these ads are better than a Dr Zizmore…or whatever the hell his name is…ad any day.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio… .

Report Reveals NYC Transit Worker’s “Casual” Relationship with Safety

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In a pointed report released last week, it turns out that the deaths of Daniel Boggs, 41, and Marvin Franklin, 55 were due to clear violations of standard safety procedures.

CityRoom Says:

The reports reveal a safety system so flawed that it is easy to come away with the impression that serious accidents are almost inevitable. That impression is deepened by the description in the reports of a broken safety culture among workers and supervisors, who routinely ignore basic precautions.

You can read the official Boggs report here and the Franklin report here.

In the Boggs report, for example, the conclusion of the investigation places blame on the work gang’s supervisor who failed to stop Boggs and a fellow worker from working unsafely. The supervisor apparently observed the safety violation, but didn’t do anything about it.

NYC Transit Chief Howard Roberts, Jr. pointed out in a news conference, “The problem is not the rules as much as it is to get a situation in which people live those rules.”

So basically, NYC Transit is taking the position that the appropriate safety rules are already in place. The problem is a general attitude among the workers to ignore the rulebook whenever they see fit. At least that’s the conclusion of these reports.

In both cases, the reports point out specific safety regulations that were violated during the work in question.