A tribe of girls

 

Is there anything on this earth more annoying than a loud group of Puerto Rican girls? I think not.

There’s a group of them at the other end of my train that are so loud, and so abnoxious that I I’m seriously thinking about getting in their faces.

By the way, the fact that I mention that they are Puerto Rican is not at all a racist or ignorant comment. It is a fact. A group of the same size only white girls or black girls would be no where near as loud.

They stand around and scream, laugh, and carry on in their broken spanglish. The people they are talking to are right in front of them, yet the entire train needs to hear them. I don’t know why, but I it is just the kind of thing that makes you blood boil.
Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Afternoon light

I think the rediculous atmosphere in the subway system this morning had an interesting impact on tonight’s commute. There’s actually no one on board this afternoon.

We were packed into the subway cars this morning, and now there are open seats this afternoon? I think many people said “screw this” when planning their trip home. Consquently, there are fewer than normal aboard. Hopefully it carries over to the morning.

Not only was it croweded this morning, but people were just nasty. As a result of the abnormal crowds, people were getting pissed. Lots of shoving and bitching about the lack of room. I look forward to the day someone asks why it is so important that I have arm room to type on my Blackberry 🙂

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Diplomatic travel hell

I’m not even sure this headline is a real thought or phrase…let’s just go with it.

As suspected, the subway is an absolute shit show this morning. Waaaaay to many people trying to board at each station. There’s also way to many that clearly do not know “the rules.” The jump in front of people, stand in OUR waiting spots, etc. Clearly they are people the cab it or drive to work every day. Now that the east side is closed, they are SOL so they join us on the subway.

How exactly do you shut down the FDR anyway? Do people down there just tock up on supplies for days ahead of time?

Right now, my Blackberry is basically in the ear of the guy in front of me. His head is about 8 inches from my face. My man ain’t no little guy either. So we are cozy to say the least.

It makes typing out complete sentences a little tricky. For the most part, I’ve only got use of one hand. I’d be “throwin’ bows” in this guy’s face if I brought up both arms.

At least this party only happens once a year!

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

SUBWAYblogger’s write up in the Gotham Gazette!

SUBWAYblogger is the latest talk of the “blog” town!  Here’s the review in Gotham Gazette:

“Subway Blogger is a prolific blog about the daily grind of the subway rider. The site is far from the only transportation blog in the city (We have suggested several other blogs in the past), but this blog claims that it is unique because the posts are actually written and posted while the author is actually riding the subway, via Blackberry. So be careful the next time you’re making fun of a straphanger furiously typing on one of those tiny keyboards — they may be making fun of you.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to public transportation

After my little morning trip to CT, I was quickly reminded that the UN General Assembly is in session this week. How was I reminded? Only by the fact that the entire east side of Manhattan is shut down for the next 3 days.

Foreign leaders from around the world will be in the city this weekend. In short, it is the year’s largest, planned traffic mess.

Pretty much every street and avenue is closed in the eastern 40’s up thru the mid 50’s. You can get around a little by foot in those areas but don’t count on it.

I attempted to come up to surface level after my morning trip to catch a cab back to the office. (It is on the company dime, so why not). However, the entire length of every street block’s sidewalk is blocked by metal police barricades. So you can walk on the sidewalks, you just can’t stop your car or get in a cab. I walked from GCT to 8th Ave just to get a cab.

The Secret Service has the entire perimeter of the Time Warner Center secured. There are multiple Washington DC limos parked outside ready to roll.

This is a long way of saying: Get ready New York. There are going to be a ton of extra riders in the system this week since driving on the east side is more or less impossible.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

To boldly go where no…

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I used to be a fairly regular Metro North rider before living in The City. So I am by no means a Metro North rookie. However, it has been a while since I’ve been aboard. A long while actually.

First, I have to say, the Mertro North trains gross me out more than the subway trains. Yeah, the seats have padding, but you can see how dirty and grimy they are. I am on one of the older trains with the red and blue seats. I don’t think these trains are ever cleaned. There is no possible way that these seats have ever seen even a damp rag let alone a good scrubbing.

I’ve seen the new trains on the Harlem line. They look nice. They are pretty much brand spankin new. The seats are big (and sanitary) looking. There’s also a few double-decker trains it looks like.

On the plus side, I do enjoy facing forward. Only on the B, D, and a couple other subway lines can you catch a train with a few forward facing seats. It helps with the motion sickness.

I am shocked how many people are on this train. It is almost as crowded as an inbound train. I jus assumed that everyone came INTO the city in the morning. Apparently though, there are people that live in the city but work in places like Stamford. That sounds completely backwards to me. Who would pay the extra money to live in the city when you work in CT? Why not just live in CT too. Then catch the train to the city when you feel the need for some “culture.”

I is nice and quiet too. Probably because most of the people are sleeping. The train runs pretty silently, and not a sole is talking. I have to admit that it is kinda nice. I guess if you put padded seats like this on the subway, everyone would fall alseep. Nobody would make it to work on time.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

A transit double-header

Today, SUBWAYblogger will travel by surface rail [insert shock and aww]. That’s right. In addition to today’s regular subway posting, we are hitting the rails of Metro North.

A business trip requires that we head north to visit clients in area know as “Connecticut.” No friends, that is not a neighborhood in Queens. It is in fact a whole other state…not the missing 6th boro.

Consequently, SUBWAYblogger is headed into subway routes not normally charted in this blog. This is because we must travel to Grand Central Station to catch our train. I know, many of you were unaware that there were “other trains” at Grand Central. In fact, it is more than just a transfer point to catch the 6 train. If you go up the mystery escalator, you will find even more trains, however, these are of the “above ground” nature.

I am now on the S train headed cross town for Grand Central Terminal. I will post again when the Metro North train hits daylight.

Wish me luck.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Rain causes even more issues

You wouldn’t think that rain could cause so many problems on the subway, but it does. Apparently, the 2 and 3 trains are taking it in the rear today especially well.

This morning, there were downtown issues on the express tracks. This evening, it seems like they were never resolved, or just got worse.

The part that really sucks is that the rain brings more people into the subway. If there’s a quick storm, then there really isn’t a noticable difference. But if it rains for more than half a day, the subway gets slammed with people.

Thousands of people decide to go for the subway instead of walking. Unfortunately that means a lot more single stop riders. They jump on for only one stop and then get off. It causes insane holdups in the doorways. Above ground, it becomes impossible to get a cab, so those people come down here to. Then there’s the buses…fugetabowdit.

There’s nothing like being pressed up against a soaking wet stranger. Mmmm

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…