Things are already in motion for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here’s the parade info. 

Near my subway stop, there’s all kinds of gear being set up. Some of it looks like bleechers. I wonder what CEO you need to sleep with for those seats?

The MTA has also begun hanging yellow signs with holiday service advisories.

If you are planning on going to see the parade, take the subway. Don’t even attempt to drive. The parade route splits the city in half, so it is pretty hard to drive across town. So take the subway.

Sure, it will probably be crowded as hell, but it still beats driving. Don’t go near 34th Street. Just don’t. Save your sanity.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Oh man am I glad that Friday is here. I even had a chance to get to the subway a little earlier than normal. That means less crowding.

I even made it to the platform just as a train arrived. It is a beautiful thing!

This weekend I hope to do some follow up stories on some posts earlier in the month. There were many issues still left wide open that I think deserve more attention.

So until then…
Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Whoa…we need the air conditioning turned back on in some of these trains. I think the MTA is trying to sweat me out of the system.

It is a beautiful temp on the plastforms, but the train I am on right now is 95 degrees. I don’t even have a coat on and I’m sweating standing still.

I’m sure many cars are ok on other lines.

Unfortunately, the climate control on these trains are pretty old. Either the AC is on or the Heat is on. That’s it. Or I guess both could be off.

The next generation of subway trains is supposed to be able to maintain a specific temp. So, if it is set to 70 degrees, the train will automatically kick on the heat or AC to reach that temp.

In the mean time, I will just keep concentrating on trying to not pass out.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Sorry that there have been missing afternoon postings this week. I have had the luxury of a car service through work, so I have been getting dropped off right at work. Anyway, that’s over now so we should be back on track now. Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Who the hell came up with that term? Hump day? “Over the hump of the week.” Yeah that’s stupid.

Anyway, we are at the half way point, and that is a great thing.

Still don’t know why there are so many people on this damn train this morning, but whatever.

Usually, it isn’t this crowded for me on a Wednesday. I leave for work hours earlier than I normally would, so there typically are less people on the train. Not the case today.

There’s the usually punk students on the train, and it seems like a slew of extra adults. I guess it is only going to get worse from here on out.

November 18th is when many of the holiday bazars open. A couple weeks from today, they light the tree in Rockefeller. From there on out, it is as if someone fires a starter’s pistol. Millions head to the city for their holiday fill and use the subway to get themselves around.

Ok this is to depressing before my second cup of coffee.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Don’t Tuesdays suck? It is still the beginning of the week. Still not at the half way point. Still three more days ahead. Just a whole lotta suck.

I think people just give up on Tuedays. As I look around, it doesn’t look like anyone is on time. People have an “ahhh screw it” attitude. So everyone on the platform is pissed because they are already running late. They know their day is going to suck, so the smallest stuff sets them off.

This woman just flipped out on another woman for taking her seat. She says, “oh shut up, you know I was going to sit there.”

The other woman had the best response. “If you were going to sit here, how come I got here first?”

That didn’t sit well with this bitch. She wasn’t going to let it go. On and on she ranted about people being rude.

Finally, a guy goes, “You know what’s rude? People who won’t shut up when no one cares.”

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Did you ever stop and wonder how people sleep so freely on the subway. Sure, everyone closes their eyes for a little doze evey now and then. Then there’s some people that straight up pass out!

Many people just gently close their eyes and enjoy the ride. Then there’s the guy across from me. His head is handing over the end rail, his mouth is wide open, and his glasses are half cocked to the side of his head.

No he’s not dead. I saw him awake a little while ago. And he’s not a homeless guy either. He is in a full business suit!

There’s lots of people like him though. I just don’t get how people fall asleep like that in a public place. I mean any minute now I am waiting for the drool to start down his chin.

Watch him wake up in Brooklyn 2 hours from now!

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Where has the sun gone lately? It seems like it is dark all the time now. This is New York, not Alaska!

If you’re an average NYC worker, you might not see the sun all winter long.

You wake up, dark. Leave for work, still kinda dark. Jump in the underground cave of the subway, dark. Get to work and sit at your desk without a window, not dark but no natural light. Leave work at 5pm, dark. Back into the cave for the ride home…

Lucky for me, my office has a window. Otherwise, I wouldn’t see the sun ever!

On all the new subway station construction/refurbishing, the MTA should include some sort of natural light. Some skylighting would be nice. When you look at a lot of the really old stations, you can find many areas where natural lighting was factored in because electricity was expensive. The subway should revive some of those old practices.

The subway has received a lot of attention from the art community lately, so why not turn the task over to the artists? They could come up with some very attractive solutions that would probably get some possitive press. Functional and an attraction.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…