Hands Only

About a year ago, I wrote about the great new 23-stall ladies' room that was renovated downstairs in Grand Central. I don't visit this bathroom daily anymore, since my early train leaves from the upstairs tracks. But sometimes I use it at night. Recently I noticed a new sign affixed to all of the hand dryers in this bathroom - All eight of them:

Now, this begs the obvious question - what on earth did someone do to warrant these signs? Because it goes without say that when there's a stupid warning, it's because someone did something stupid. They would not have gone through the trouble of typing, printing and taping up these signs to all eight dryers for no reason.

Since I spotted these signs, I have been trying to imagine the scenario that prompted them. I mean, realistically, what else could you possibly attempt to dry? If you needed to dry your hair or face for some reason, you'd need to crouch down to the floor in front of these dryers to do so, since there is no nozzle to turn upward (like the older hand dryers have). Could someone have come in from the rain and have been attempting to dry their outfit - contorting their body to dry a leg, an arm, a foot, a shoe, their clothing?

The thing I find surprising is that of the 3 ladies' rooms in Grand Central, this is the only one that has those signs. I guess it's the only one where women abuse the hand dryers. But what can they be doing? My instinct tells me it's something far more disgusting than I can conjure up in my head. I just can't imagine what it was that prompted them. But I'll be on the look out for deviant hand dryer behavior when I visit these restrooms in the future.

An Open Letter to the wild haired man on the 7 Train

Hey,

What happened to you? I used to see you at least once, sometimes twice a week, during my morning commute on the 7 Train from Vernon Jackson to Grand Central. But you seem to have disappeared. I haven't seen you in months!

I remember the first time I saw you because, call me crazy, but I was pretty sure you were checking me out. There were several moments on that 5 minute train ride where I glanced your way, only to catch your eyes, (you were standing in front of the door, facing me. I was facing the door, and you, so the occasional eye contact was inevitable - or was it?), and then catch you quickly looking away. Once you even raised your eyebrows as either a "Hey, how 'bout this morning commute?" or a "What's happening, hot stuff?". Regardless, the eyebrow gesture was clearly an acknowledgment of my presence.

I didn't think much of that initial chance encounter, but after that, you would pop up on my train time and again. I was always surprised by this considering my arrival via the bus can vary in time, and the 7 train runs pretty frequently at that hour. So you would figure the chances of me catching the same train you are already on, and picking the car you happen to be riding in, are slim to none. Yet, against all odds, I would see you on a fairly regular basis.

I would enter the car, see your tall, young, wild and dark haired self and think-

"There he is again. The 21st century neanderthal of the 7 Train. Look at that crazy hair! I just want to climb him and stick my hands in it! But why is he wearing the exact same thing every time I see him? From the sweatshirt to the navy Dickies pants to the jacket, back pack and functional, unstylish footwear. It's the exact same outfit. Head to toe. Every time! Does he wear this every day, or is it just a coincidence on the days I see him? And what *IS* up with his hair? It's so thick and out of control. Does he ever take a comb to it? And what about that beard? It's sort of a Williamsburg hipster beard gone all crazy without a trim or any maintenance for a while. Does he shave it off when it gets warm? And if so, I bet he's very handsome under there. He has nice eyes and from what I can observe through his clothing - a nice, tall, strong, fit body. But is he homeless, or is he going to work? Maybe he's in construction? I assume it's work, since I see him roughly the same time each morning and he gets off in Grand Central. But then I just see him wandering around in Grand Central - sometimes in the main hall, sometimes on the Metro North tracks. Could he be spending nights in a shelter and spending his days with the other homeless that lounge in Grand Central? Just what is his deal, exactly?!"

But lately, I have been wondering about you even more than I used to because I have not seen you since that morning several months ago where we crossed paths in Grand Central. Remember? It was right by Track 33 where the public masturbator used to hang out. Although he's no longer there anymore either. I wonder what happened to him too? Anyway, it was right by Track 33, probably around 7:35 am since I was walking from the ladies room to Track 24. We were walking towards each other. We made eye contact and I smiled. Did you think I was laughing at you? Did I frighten you? Are you not used to hot women looking to you? Surely you recognized me from the 7 Train - I'm pretty hard to forget.

I don't know why you looked like a deer in headlights that morning, but whatever the case, you did seem startled and I haven't seen you since. Perhaps I scared you away with my stunning good looks. It would not be the first time this has happened.

Anyway, I have a feeling I will see you again one morning. Perhaps in a different outfit, or without the beard. I may not even recognize you! I look pretty much the same, so feel free to say hello.

See you on the 7 Train... maybe,
Bitch Cakes

In case you have been living under a rock...

As you likely know, I read the AMNY every morning. And I was shocked to read yesterday's article on page 3 - (click to enlarge if you want to read it-)

"Riders Unaware of New Fares"!? Really?! I can't begin to imagine who these clueless people are, that responded saying they were *surprised* by this news! This has been in the news daily since last autumn! Over 6 months! If you live in NYC, whether or not you use public transportation, how on *earth* did you miss this story?!

The brutal play by play was in every paper, often on the cover, for days and weeks on end! Even if you don't read the papers, surely you noticed a cover or two? And if you do take public transportation, did you miss all the notices about the fare hike hearings?! Did you not watch NY1 news, or any local news program in the last 6 months? Never listen to the radio? Never hear a single friend, family member, co-worker, or fellow straphanger mention the fare hike?

First there were months of WARNINGS - "the MTA has a serious shortfall and needs to close their budget gap by any means necessary."

There was DRAMA - they pleaded for a bail out from the government and waited anxiously on the Ravitch Report.

There was ANGER - the people were furious when the MTA passed the so-called draconian cuts and we learned our fares would go up 30%.

There was OUTRAGE (and rightfully so) - Governor Paterson and Assemblyman Joe Lentol, among others, insisted this must not happen to the good people of the city of New York!

It was like a really long, badly cast, frustrating movie that you couldn't walk out of because you had no choice but to see it through to the end.

How on earth did the people they interviewed miss all of this?!

I have no idea how they missed it, but for those of you who need a gentle reminder (*ahem*), the NYC MTA fare hike goes into effect this coming Sunday, June 28th. Here is the information from their website:

You should note that the MTA is going to make sure you do not hoard a bunch of unlimited cards at the lower cost. Check the below table to see how long you have to activate and use your unlimited cards (Pay per ride cards are not affected in this manner. They will just start deducing 2.25 per fare instead of 2.00 as of June 28th)-

Unlimited Ride MetroCard

MetroCard Vending Machines and station attendants will sell Unlimited Ride MetroCards at the current prices until midnight on Saturday, June 27. After midnight you will be able to purchase Unlimited Ride cards at the new, higher prices.

To get the full value of a 1-Day, 7-Day, 14-Day or 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard or the 7-day Express Bus Plus MetroCard purchased prior to June 28, you must begin using the card on or before July 6.

The chart shows when your Unlimited Ride MetroCard will expire. Regardless of the printed expiration date or date of first use, the MetroCard will expire on these dates.

Type of MetroCard	For Full Value, Start Using By	Expiration Date
1-Day Fun Pass	July 6	July 6
7-Day Unlimited Ride	July 6	July 12
14-Day Unlimited Ride	July 6	July 19
30-Day Unlimited Ride	July 6	Aug 4
7-Day Express Bus Plus	July 6	July 12

An unused or partially used MetroCard purchased prior to June 28 will be refunded on a pro-rated basis. To return a card, ask a station attendant for a postage-paid envelope.

And before you get upset about the new fares, the AM New York reminds us why they're really not so bad (I agree with them, I just hate the obvious mismanagement of the MTA)-

After last year's 4% increase, and now this year's 10% increase, let's hope these fares don't get raised again for a while...

Gross

If you live in NYC, you likely know by now that in the span of less than 24 hours this week, there were two babies born on mass transit.

First, on Thursday, a baby girl was delivered on an R Train. And then on Friday, another baby girl was delivered on a bus - a B61 bus right here in Greenpoint - on the corner of Manhattan Ave & Greenpoint Ave! Fortunately, it was not the bus that I was on that morning, as it would have made me very late for work and worse - very physically ill.

Now, I'm sure when these women envisioned their labor and delivery, they never entertained the thought of the MTA being involved. Yet, here they were, delivering their babies along side total strangers and amidst the filth of NYC mass transit.

Now, I can barely stand to touch the subway pole, let alone imagine the horror of my girl parts splayed out and coming into contact with the germ infestation that are the subways and buses. Couple that with the additional embarrassment of total strangers looking on - probably taking pictures to show their friends "Yo, you will never believe what happened on my bus this morning! Check this out!".

Hardly the ideal birthing situation.

But what really bothers me is this: not knowing what measures the MTA takes to properly clean and sanitize these vehicles after the births?! Or did they?!

I have never had the misfortune of witnessing a birth and would likely pass out and/or puke if forced to do so; but I do believe there is a LOT of fluid - blood, amniotic fluid, placenta (gag!!!) and who knows what else?! And then there's the delightful bowel movement that I have heard accompanies every birth.

Seriously, I'm going to be sick just thinking about this.

Sure, this is part of nature, I do not begrudge these women for their unfortunate timing. However, these vehicles were a bio hazard as a result of their situation. And as I was reading the article, that was all I could think of - the disgusting after birth mess! Yet there is no mention of the clean up in the articles I came across.

So, *does* the MTA have official policies in place for pulling these cars from use IMMEDIATELY so they can be cleaned and sanitized?! I certainly hope so. It was bad enough finding this on a subway seat last October, but now I have to worry I may be coming in contact with birth juice when I ride the subway or bus too?!

For a germ-o-phobe like me who carries anti bacterial wipes, will rarely reciprocate a handshake and washes my hands dozens of times a day; this is almost too much to think about. Because the more I think about this stuff, the closer I get to designing that plastic bubble I am going to live in.

An Open Letter to the AM New York

Dear AM New York,

While most of the population scoffs at the idea of referring to you as a source of "news", I stand by you defiantly. I know that your paper is totally dumbed down for the masses and I accept that, because quite honestly, that's how I like my news. I mean, I know you're not the New York Times; nor do I expect you to be. And let's be honest, I'm not reading you for anything substantial like politics, national news or world news. Unless there's something super scandalous involving inappropriate sex acts, I ignore those sections completely.

I put up with your daily misspellings, incorrect words, and incomplete paragraphs with sentences that come to an abrupt an unnatural end. The thing is, I expect that from you. I find it humorous and part of your charm. I wonder "Do they even have a proof reader? Or spell check, for that matter? Who is running that paper, anyway, a bunch of monkeys?!" I've come to anticipate these mistakes, and think it's half of the fun of reading your pages. ("How many errors can I find today?")

I also put up with the countless unsavory ads for ailments such as bunions and hemorrhoids, in addition to the obvious sex trade worker ads. (I mean "body work masseuses". Ahem...) The bottom line is, the paper is free. You have to cover your costs somehow, and these ads pay your operations expenses so that I don't have to.

Fine.

But this morning's paper had a disturbing error - the likes of which I have not seen since I made you my daily read, about 2 years ago. Quite simply, you ruined my morning commute.

First, let me explain my mornings-

I pick up my paper in Brooklyn or Queens before getting on the 7 Train to Grand Central. Attaining your freshly inked pages is tantamount to me experiencing my morning commute 'correctly'. My routine is such that, although I pick up my paper before Grand Central, I wait before I delve into it. I even avoid looking at the cover too closely so as not to ruin the surprise of the cover story contents!

I make my way into Grand Central, running to the ladies room to wash my hands, and then rushing to Track 24. I say good morning to my male admirers as I quickly board my train. I then get comfortably positioned on the West side of the 7:40 Metro North train out of GCT.

Then, when everything is 'just right' - bags are zipped and where they need to be, cell phone is within reach, legs are crossed (right over left) - It is only then that I open your paper, folding it in half, and start reading.

I read everything in order - from top to bottom, left to right. From that first page until I hit the sports section - again, avoiding any national/world/political news that is not sexual in nature. Of course I do not read the sports section either, but that is my cue that I am done acquiring all the daily knowledge you have set forth to give me.

And then, finally, it is my favorite moment of the morning. It is time to do the puzzles.

I carefully fold the page in half again, and once more. I start with Ken Ken. With my paper folded in this manner, Ken Ken is all I can see. I quickly breezed through the easy Ken Ken in under 30 seconds. I took about 2 minutes on the challenging Ken Ken (not very challenging) and then, finally, it was time. The moment I had been waiting for all morning, all weekend, in fact. Time for me to solve the Sudoku puzzle.

But much to my horror, this is what I saw:

(If you are not familiar with Sudoku, you may not realize what is wrong with that picture, but there are supposed to 9 rows and 9 columns. Shown here are 6 columns and 6 rows. This puzzle is completely useless!)

That's right. You choose to print only 4/9ths of the Sudoku puzzle. It was a terrible tease with 5/9ths missing! I considered attempting it, even though I knew it would be futile. I cursed you and wished you had printed no portion of it, instead of less than half.

Here is a zoom out showing how the upper half of that page looked -

Needless to say, I was deeply disappointed, and the remainder of my morning commute was just... just... wrong! Completely ruined! I mean, sure, you've made printing omissions and mistakes before - but never on the most important part of the paper: the Sudoku puzzle!

I trust you have been made aware of this egregious error and are working diligently to ensure it does not happen in the future.

I'll be picking up your paper tomorrow and waiting with bated breath till I make it to the puzzle page. But if this continues, I may have to switch over the Metro. I just thought it fair to warn you.

Yours,
Bitch Cakes

Transit Adventures: South Ferry Station

The day after the bike tour, I found myself longing for a subway adventure, so I decided to cross one of my NYC to dos off my list - I wanted to visit the newly opened South Ferry Station in lower Manhattan, which, coincidentally, is where the bike tour ended the day before.

Originally opened in 1905, South Ferry is one of the oldest stations in the system. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see it prior to the refurbishing. But from what I understand, it was in need of an overhaul. For one thing, the platform initially only allowed for train lengths of 4 cars, but in the 40's and 50's most stations were lengthened to allow for car lengths of 10. This station, because the curve of the platform, could not be extended. So even though trains were increased to 10 cars long ago, only the first 5 cars opened when the train would pull into this station. This forced passengers to file into, and exit from, the first 5 cars only.

Progress of this revised station was kept in the news - mostly due to issues preventing the station from opening - most embarrassingly, probably being that just weeks before they were scheduled to open, they realized the platform was one inch too short! This caused a last minute scramble and an additional 200 thousand dollars to fix (and I'd assume cost someone their job).

Originally expected to open in December 2007, it did not open until March 16th 2009. And because you can't make this stuff up, 20 minutes after it finally opened, it was promptly shut down due to a water main break! That issue was resolved in a few hours, and I'm pretty sure it's been incident free since.

Here are some of my favorite shots (and here is a link to my entire Flickr set)-

Arriving in South Ferry Station, standing in the middle of the platform-

My first impressions: 1) I hate the tile 2) My god, it's so clean!!!!!

Escalator to street level-

I love the look of the stainless steel & glass covered tops of the ground level entrances and exits-

Entrance to the Staten Island Ferry building-



Fantastic bathroom inside the Staten Island Ferry terminal building-



The Staten Island Ferry approaches -



And the beautiful Statue of Liberty stands in the distance-

View of the gorgeous Brooklyn Bridge (foreground) and Manhattan Bridge (background) just a block from the station-

And back inside, many artful touches:
A map with the original topography of Manhattan Island is displayed on the upper level-

I really like the tree tile on the upper level-

I love this metal cutout-



Beautiful mosaic tile of seagulls and skies-

Thanks to Miss Heather for recommending I take this trip, and Rowan for forwarding the Daily News article about the platform being too short. Despite the overcast weather that day, I enjoyed my time looking at the new station. I'm only sad I didn't get to photograph it before the changes. (Note: I did find this blog with a few photos of the former platform, including the beautiful old tile I'm a huge fan of.)

Secrets of Grand Central Terminal

I had been commuting through Grand Central for at least a year before my co-worker, Galen, tipped me off to one of Grand Central's (fairly well known) secrets - it's the Whispering Gallery (also known as "Whispering Corners") outside of the Oyster Bar.

Oyster Bar is situated at mid level in Grand Central Terminal - It's between the main concourse (upper level) and lower level (food court/Metro North tracks). You can approach it from the east or the west via the ramps-

Here's how it works - Basically, you stand in any of the four corners, facing the corner. Your friend goes to the opposite (diagonal) corner and faces it. Then you just talk to each other. You'll feel a little crazy talking into the wall, but it's worth it. This is your view -

Here is a woman whispering a secret message in one corner-

and her friend was in the opposite corner receiving that message and responding to her-

I finally had a chance to try this for myself on New Year's Eve with Michael. It was so cool! I couldn't believe it actually worked.

Now, whenever I pass this area, I look to see if anyone is using the whispering corners. Without fail, I see friends, lovers, kids, families - people across all racial and generational lines enjoying this simple pleasure. It never fails to put a smile on my face.

Next time you and a friend are passing through Grand Central, check out the whispering Gallery. And for even more fun, here's a self guided walking tour filled with more things to check out during your visit.


(For even more secrets about Grand Central Terminal, check out this article from Gothamist.)

Update on Construction at the base of the Pulaski Bridge in LIC

Over a month ago, I blogged about the construction going on at the base of the Pulaski Bridge in Long Island City. As of 2 weeks or so ago, it appears to be complete.

Here are some shots during the construction phase:

Center island on Jackson Ave after the pavement was poured:

And some after shots:

The service road now has 2 lanes for traffic to turn right onto Jackson Ave:

Here are a bunch of my fellow morning B61'ers walking towards the 7 Train. Look how much room we have on this island now. It's almost luxurious!

For my anonymous commenter on the previous blog, and other friends who have mentioned it- I know that during the construction phase, this project tied up traffic terribly on the bridge during rush hour, causing the bus to take a good 15-20 minutes just to get to the right lane turn. But I have noticed that since construction finished, and the trucks are no longer occupying one of the lanes, traffic seems to be greatly improved and flowing very nicely.

However, in an effort to make it flow even better, I do think they need to make this a "no parking" zone (see the 2 cars at the curb on the left in this shot)

The reason I mention that is because if a truck/bus is occupying one of the turn lanes, and is not considerate enough to be within the lane, very often, the other lane becomes unusable until after the truck moves through the green light. This doesn't sound like a huge deal but the green portion of that light is fairly short. And at rush hour, when many vehicles turn right over there, it turns two lanes into one, causing a back up onto the bridge. They could probably allow parking overnight, but at the very least, I think they should make it a no standing zone from 7am-6pm.

Aside from that, the one thing I am disappointed about is that they did not change the timing of the left green arrow from Jackson Ave onto the bridge. I see the same problem every day, still, where those drivers are hell bent on making that turn at the risk of running us over. I still say the arrow should be at the END of the light cycle, not the beginning.

Maybe they'll take that into consideration, or maybe not. I should write to the city and suggest it. But at least the wider islands are a step in the right direction. Crossing that street isn't nearly as terrifying as it used to be.

Why my bus driver is no longer allowed to take a day off

Once upon a time, I dropped my favorite pair of sunglasses on the Metro North tracks. But Thursday was a whole new set of heartbreak-

The morning started off pretty well. I even left the house a few minutes early, which meant I did not have to rush. It also meant I had time to walk an extra stop and grab my AM New York. The weather was delightful and more importantly, I was looking pretty damn good.

I was early enough to stop and photograph Peter Pan Bakery-

I mosied south further and even had time to retrieve my morning paper. Things were just moving along swimmingly.

I was the first person at the bus stop and I expected my favorite new bus driver, Frank, at any minute. However, I realized I was waiting far too long for the bus. Frank should have been here by now. I checked my phone and it was 7:16! This was bad, very bad. Frank has never been later than 7:11, and that's on a late day. So naturally I texted Frank (what? is that weird? who doesn't text their morning bus driver on occasion?) and sent him this-

I did not hear back from Frank, but since I really hate taking the G Train to Court Square in the mornings, I decided to wait it out. A few minutes later, the B61 arrived, but Frank was not behind the wheel. (I later found out Frank had taken the day off. And obviously, the MTA did not replace him or I would not have had to wait 20 minutes for the bus. Because of that I was running late. And because of that, the morning commute took a tragic turn... this, dear blog readers, is why Frank is never allowed to take the day off-)

It was now very late and I was in serious danger of missing my train in Grand Central, which departs at 7:40. This stresses me out greatly.

The bus dropped us off in Long Island City at exactly 7:30. I still had a chance to make my train if I was fast... I was the first one out of the bus, and ran all the way to the 7 Train, lucky enough to catch the lights on Jackson Ave @ the Pulaski Bridge. I entered the 7 Train at Vernon Jackson and had enough time to walk to the first car position. So when the train pulled in, I was in the first car, at the first door - exactly where I needed to be to run up the escalators when we pulled into Grand Central. I still had a chance to make my 7:40 train!

We arrived in Grand Central minutes later, the doors opened, and I was the first one out. I ran towards the escalators as I had planned. But this is where things took a terrible turn...

Somehow, my iPod - my brand new, 400 dollar, 32 gig, iPod Touch - escaped my pocket. Here is the only photo I have of it, with a game I was obsessed with ("Blocked"). I was on level 67 and quite honestly, I am having withdrawl from it-

It was at that moment that "Interpol" ceased to play, as I saw this glorious piece of technology hit the ground - the weight of it unattaching itself from my earbuds. And then, horrifically, in what appeared to be slow motion, I saw it slide across the platform, towards the Queens bound tracks, and saw it disappear from view as it dropped over the edge!

In an instant, it was gone.

I walked toward the tracks, made sure no train was approaching, and peered over. I did not see it anywhere. I went to the center of the platform to notify the MTA employee who directs commuter traffic on the platform each morning. I told her what happened. She walked me upstairs to report it to the station agent. He called someone and told me that they would come to look for it, but they would not come until after rush hour, after 9am. It was now around 7:40.

In my rush to be on time for work, I now realized I was going to be VERY late for work...

I hung around Grand Central for an hour and a half till they arrived, about 9:15. I had to retell the story no less than 6 times because they kept questioning me "Are you sure you dropped it here and not ON the subway?" "Did you actually SEE it go over the platform and onto the tracks?" "Are you sure it was this side and not the Manhattan bound tracks?" YES, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP AND I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED! Jesus Christ already!

Here's a photo I grabbed on the ride home of the exact spot it happened (just to the right of where that woman's high heel is)-

Despite them questioning my story, the men did seem to want to find it for me. One guy stayed on the platform, walking up and down and using his flashlight. The other guy spent over a half an hour on the tracks. He used a flashlight and a broom (to poke in the puddles and mud). Every time a Queens bound 7 Train came in, he squeezed himself into those spaces against the wall. It was terrifying to watch, but I guess he's done that before.

By 9:50, the search was called off. There was no sign of my awesome, shiny, new iPod. They theorized that someone else saw it happen (there were dozens of people around me at the time) and that one of them jumped down there and retrieved it for their greedy selves when I went to get the station agent. I suppose it's possible, but I don't know. I'll never know.

And now every morning and evening when I pass this spot, I will not be able to help but look over the platform to see if it decided to surface. Even though I know at this point that's not realistic. I'll also be checking to see if and when they take the broom out, because they left it there-

So if you find yourself on the 7 Train platform in Grand Central and see that broom on the Queens bound side, you will know the story behind it. And if you're the person who 'found' my iPod, I am willing to take it back, no questions asked.

Assemblyman Lentol: G Train Crusader!

Shortly after posting my blog regarding the exciting conclusion to the MTA fare hike, I heard from Amy at Assemblyman Joe Lentol's office again. She sent me the their official memo regarding the G train adventure they had, and even better, two fantastic photos!

Here's the letter and photos, used with permission from the office. (The photo caption is priceless.)

Assemblyman Lentol and Assemblyman Jeffries Take MTA Guru Richard Ravitch on a Tour of the G Line

Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Central Brooklyn) took MTA guru and chairman of the Commission on Metropolitan Transportation Authority Financing on a tour of the G Line during the morning rush hour on February 19th. They were also joined by MTA Planning and Operations experts.

“Our goal was to show Mr. Ravitch and the MTA that the G line needs better service,” Lentol said. “More people would use the G if it were more dependable.”

The timing of the trip coincides with important talks in Albany on how to finance the cash-strapped MTA. The MTA has proposed service cuts to several subway lines including the G, bus lines including the B24, B25 and B48, as well as fare increases in order to close their funding gap. Mr. Ravitch, in an effort to drum up support for his package of solutions for the funding problem, graciously offered to ride the G with the Assemblymen and get a first hand look at the quality of service of the G.
“In the quickly growing neighborhoods that I represent including Fort Green, Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy, the G train is a vital conduit. These neighborhoods need the G train to grow with them.”

“We wanted to show Mr. Ravitch the problems our communities have with the G Train,” Lentol added. “If seeing is believing then I think we made our point.”
The group made their way from Metropolitan Station in Williamsburg to Court Square in Queens, then they took the train in the opposite direction to Fort Greene.


Caption: Richard Ravitch, center with Assemblyman Joe Lentol to his left and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries to his right are accompanied by two MTA planning and operation experts as they wait for the G train to show up during rush hour. They were in for a long wait because true to form, the G Train took almost TWICE as long to show up as it was supposed to!!

Mr Lentol's quotes are right on!

While the G Train is often referred to as the 'stepchild of the MTA' (a term I believe Mr Lentol coined), my personal experience has been that rush hour service is, with few exceptions, consistent. But I do agree with Mr Lentol that it needs to be more dependable in general for people to be willing to rely on it (twenty minute waits are often the norm on nights and weekends). And I applaud Mr Lentol for all he has been doing to bring this matter to everyone's attention, like his mock funeral for the G earlier this year.

Regarding that caption - I love that the G took too long to show up. That must have been some awkward waiting time. But I (not-so) secretly wish Mr Ravitch had been forced to run down the platform for the privledge of boarding the 4-car train. That would have been a great dose of G Train reality that the rest of us endure regularly...

Anyway, here are the photos-

Great work!!! I, for one, appreciate it! I'm proud to be in Assemblyman Lentol's district and thankful for everything he is doing for us. Thank you again, Mr Lentol! I'm a Lentol fan :)

Exciting News for NYC Buses! (Part 2)

If you read my last post, then you are aware of my excitement over the 'ding thing' (or 'ding string' - thank you Diana, that makes much more sense!) that will be making its triumphant and overdue return to the MTA bus fleet over the next several years. With all due respect to Gothamist, whose article I posted first, I found a more comprehensive article in the New York Times.

And for those of you that can't imagine what the awful plastic strip looks like, I grabbed a picture for you today:

In fact, if it were not for the stickers telling you to press the black tape to signal for a stop, you wouldn't even realize that was what you had to press. They sort of blend in with the rest of the interior of the bus.

Stupid plastic strip...

And to address one of the other comments - I think I read that the new cords are going to be programmed so that after you pull it once, it will not 'ding' again repeatedly like they used to.

I can hardly wait for my first opportunity to 'ding' again. It's been decades!!

Exciting News for NYC Buses!!!

Before moving to Brooklyn, I drove a car for 20 years. With very few exceptions, I hadn't been on a bus since I turned 16 in 1987. And when I moved to Brooklyn and started taking the MTA buses I noticed something amiss immediately:

THE 'DING THING' WAS MISSING!

What is the ding thing, you ask? It's that white plastic cord strung from window to window that you gently pull to signal your stop. But it was gone! Instead it had been replaced with this awful strip of plastic/tape running vertically between the windows. WTF is that?

I did my best to avoid touching that thing. As my stop would approach, I would think "Someone else better press the stupid tape, I don't want to do it" and if forced to signal my stop, I usually opt for one of the buttons located by the rear door instead of that tape. The tape is just so, so... unsatisfying. First there's the texture - it raises to a ridge in the center making it just clumsy to press from any angle, it doesn't feel good under your finger, and there's a delay between the time you press it and the time you hear the bell which illuminates the "Stop Requested" sign - so there's that awkward pause where you try to figure out if you need to press it again. It's such an unpleasant experience, I make every effort to not use it.

And when I was at the Atlantic Antic last summer, and had an opportunity to board the amazing vintage bus fleet, I was thrilled to pull the 'ding thing' once more (sans the actual bell sound, sadly)-

I mean, look at how happy this girl is to pull the ding thing! Do you really want to deprive her of such joy?

So imagine how giddy I was today when I went over to Gothamist and read it was coming back! (I'll screen shot it for you since it's a small article, but the link is here)



Soon enough, these changes should hit the B61. I can't wait to pull that cord and feel the satisfying recoil. Thank you MTA, thank you!