Author: subwayblogger

Sweat like a hog

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Have you ever seen a man sweat so much that it was painful to look at? He’s dripping wet to the point that you actually begin to gag? Yeah. Me too, but I’m looking at it right now.

This guy is sweating buckets. Thank goodness the train isn’t over crowded today or I might have gone crazy. With my luck, I’d be pressed right up against him.

This morning, it’s warm on the platforms. It certainly isn’t so hot that you’d be near heart attack like this guy.

He’s a larger fellow…but I’m sure you figured that out. He’s in a suit, but he isn’t wearing the jacket anymore. He’s carrying it over his arm. However, it’s clear that he sweat right through the jacket already. His entire blue button down shirt is soaked like he got hit with a firehose.

Ok, it’s making me ill, so I have to stop.

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

Well that only took a week

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Today was the first day this week that I was able to catch my morning train to work!

This line has been f-ed up all week long. Twice, I got to the platform just as a train was leaving, only to wait 15+ minutes before an announcement of service changes.

Even after walking 20 blocks to the closest express stop, I was still screwed. There was a “sick passenger” that kept me from being able to transfer back to a local service line. So I had to say on the express train and catch a local back uptown.

When getting to the station where the alleged “sick passenger” was, I saw the “victim” surrounded by police. It wasn’t a sick passenger at all. It was an old, drunk woman who was screaming and yelling. She couldn’t walk 5 steps without tipping over. Then she would scream and try to squeeze out a slurred demand or racist rant.

Today, so far so good. I’d like to just forget this morning ever happened.

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

State GOP Says “Not So Fast” to Spitzer’s MTA Chairman Nomination

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State GOP Chairman, Joseph N. Mondello, is promising a tough investigation into the nomination of H. Dale Hemmerdinger for MTA Chairman.  Hemmerdinger and his wife are regular financial contributors to the Democratic party and Democratic candidates.  So this raises red flags for Republicans.

From SAS:
“Last week, Dale Hemmerdinger opened his home to host a big money fundraiser for Governor Spitzer. This week, the Governor is nominating him to head the MTA when his mass transit experience appears to be limited to suggesting fee increases on hard working New Yorkers,” State GOP Chairman Joseph N. Mondello said in a statement. “Governor Spitzer appears to have instituted a brazen ‘pay to play’ culture in Albany that is disappointing and shocking to the people of New York State.”

You have to admit that it is a little suspect that you throw a big party for the Governor and then get a huge nomination.  I’m not saying there’s foul play involved, but it just doesn’t look good.

Hemmerdinger to be new MTA Chairman? Oh c’mon…that’s not a real name!

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mta_chief.jpgDale Hemmerdinger, real estate mogul, has been nominated by Gov. Spitzer to be the new MTA Chairman to replace Peter Kalikow.  That’s right, another huuuuge real estate giant in charge of the MTA.  Not the end of the world since the MTA owns an ass load of property.  However, a property guy might not be the best at managing infrastructure…no? 

Wouldn’t more of a civil engineer type be better at this kind of gig?  Personally, I think what the MTA needs is someone that has a focus on improving the service technology of the system.

It’s not a done deal yet.  The State Assembly still needs to approve the nomination.  So, you never know, but he’ll probably get in.

Of course, I’ve got nothing against the guy.  As a matter of fact, he shows many Bloomberg like qualities in the way he runs his business.  He appears to be a very straight forward guy that looks out for his people. 

Little Campers Everywhere

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The mystery of where all the kiddies have gone has been solved. They are all of in summer camp-like programs that must all start at the exact same time in the morning.

I get down to the train at virtually the exact same time every day. So usually, I see the same usual suspects. A couple weeks ago, all the high school age and younger kids seemed to have disappeared. Obviously, school’s out for summer…or at least it’s exam time.

Today, however, I was just a few minutes earlier to the subway. I’ve found all the missing children. There they were with their mothers in tow. They are all off to their summer finger paint and basket weaving classes. So now I know exactly what time to avoid the subway like the plague. Luckily, the kids window is plus or minus five minutes.

From all directions, they flooded toward the subway entrance. It was as if a bell rang in the neighborhood, sending the signal that it was time for them to board. It was a little scary because it was one of those, “wait a minute, what am I missing” moments.

So it shall only take me this one time to learn my lesson. It only takes one time to hear an entire ride’s worth of poopy jokes to know that there’s no way in hell I will get on the train at this time again. That, combined with shrill screams and morning temper-tantrums (not by me) have also solidified my desire to never have kids in this city.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

How better to start the week

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Nothing like major service delays to start your week off right. This morning is a morning is a morning of firsts.

To start, I saw a train pulling into the station from my viewpoint up near the token booth. I took my time because the platform didn’t seem crowded. I was also in no rush this morning, so I figured I would be all set. So, that train closed its doors just as I reached the platform. No biggie.

That was my first mistake.

So there I stood, waiting for the next train. Waiting. Waiting. More and more people show up. Still waiting. Getting a little crowded now. Yup, still waiting.

Then an announcement I’ve never heard before. “After an earlier incident, downtown local trains are running. The next train is AT LEAST 20 minutes away.”

I’ve never heard them give an honest time estimate before. It’s always a generic “service is delayed” thing they try to pass off. Yes, I am pissed about the delay, but at least I have a reference to make an alternative plan against.

So now it’s time to hoof it or look for a cab.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Subway Congestion Fare: 50 Cents

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Ok, so this proposal was announced last week, and…well…I needed a few days to ponder my reaction. No matter how hard I thought about it, all I was left with was: “WTF?”

Let’s discuss.

The New York State Assembly basically wants to 1) pick a fight and 2) ride on the “green” coat tails of Mayor Bloomberg. The Mayor announced his congestion pricing plan designed to charge an $8 fee to drive in midtown during peak times. It was met with great approval by New Yorkers, over 80% approval. So of course, the Assembly doesn’t want some great idea to be passed without them being involved, so of course the must tamper.

So, they throw out the idea of lowering the subway fare to 50 cents (from $2) during rush hours. [sigh]

Let’s talk about all the reasons why this might be the worst idea on the planet. First, it is going to do nothing to lower carbon emissions, which is the freaking point. Trying to lure people out of the cars by saving them a buck-fifty isn’t going to work. Drivers are just going to keep driving because it won’t cost them any more to drive. Sure, the might contemplate the savings by taking the subway, but let’s face it, there’s a reason that they like to drive in the first place. Saving them a little change isn’t going to inspire them to hit the rails.

On the flip side, a lot more people will ride the trains and buses for shorter trips. Right now, people walk if their destination isn’t worth the $2 to take the subway. Reducing the fare to 50 cents will encourage more people to take very short trips. The number of one stop riders will skyrocket. “For $2…ehh…I’ll just walk,” will be replaced by, “Hell, it’s only 50 cents…lets ride.”

Also, you’re banking on people flooding into the public transportation system that can’t handle the load as it is. As a whole, yeah, the system might be able to handle a sharp increase in traffic. However, certain lines are going to come to a grinding halt. Just to name a few, the 1, 2, and 3 line and the F line will flood well over capacity. They are already over crowded!

You may argue that the Mayor’s congestion pricing model is going to do the same thing, but you would be wrong. Yes, there will be some increase in usage of the public transportation system, but not an insane increase. Why? Because congestion pricing does not target New Yorkers.

Bloomberg was initially concerned that congestion pricing would have a huge financial impact on outer borough residents coming into Manhattan. However, it turns out that most outer borough peeps are smart, and already rely mostly on the subway to get into midtown. So, congestion pricing really hurt them much. Instead, congestion pricing impacts commercial traffic and people coming into the city from out of town. So, all the people that live out of town, but come in to work will be saddled with most of the fees. Sounds like a plan to me.Read More »

POLL: What kind of rider are you?

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Over the years, I’ve noticed that there are generally a few kinds of riders when it comes to getting on a crowded subway train.

This is expecially ture lately it seems because for whatever reason, the trains seem to run just a little slower in the summer. Why is it that the there just seems to be fewer trains?  It’s not like they’re broken down, they just come spread out by an extra 5 or 6 minutes apart.  So by the time it gets there, it is so crowded that a few women get pregnant by proxy.

Anyway, what’s your story?

[poll=2]

Air Conditioning

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Even though yesterday and today are fairly cool days, it takes a while for the subway to finally cool down. So, the air conditioning is still a must.

However, sometimes the AC breaks down on certain cars. Sometimes, it just gets shut off for no reason at all.

On those occasions, getting on to an air conditionless train car is like walking face first into New York’s smelly, hairy arm pit. Yummy.

There you are, expecting cool relief when you step aboard. Nope. Instead, warm, musty grossness that smells like 1978 plus every year since. That’s what I enjoyed this morning.

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