Return of the Mighty Observations Thread

[Low Down Low]

Even after 3 months in nyc a few years back, riding the subways every day, i never came close to mastering it. Going up and downtown manhattan, piece of piss for sure, but as soon as it was anything even remotely complicated like, say, Queens to Brooklyn, it was a case of pointing myself in the general direction i was hoping to go and being pleased if i landed within 15 blocks of final destination.

[WestwayKid]

My partner and I are New York City-ophiles and we try and get out there on a regular basis. Just returned from a visit last weekend and one thing I keep thinking about is how the NYC Subway is horrible and awesome at the same time. It's unlike any subway I've ever experienced anywhere else: the stations are shabby (though you can see they used to look nice, well, at least some of them) and cave-like. They're too hot in summer and too cold in winter. They leak when it rains. The signage is terrible. Want to know when the next train is coming? Good luck. The station layouts are confusing - sometimes you have to really hike to make a transfer. That said, they keep the city moving. We'd never consider another method of transportation when visiting.

I’m also an NYC lover but I prefer to walk everywhere, there’s so many weird things to stumble across that I’d have missed on the subway.

We actually talked about this very subject last weekend: how we prefer walking whenever we can because you get to see so much more.

[WestwayKid]

Even after 3 months in nyc a few years back, riding the subways every day, i never came close to mastering it. Going up and downtown manhattan, piece of piss for sure, but as soon as it was anything even remotely complicated like, say, Queens to Brooklyn, it was a case of pointing myself in the general direction i was hoping to go and being pleased if i landed within 15 blocks of final destination.

I went to a record store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and then we were seeing a comedian near Prospect Heights. They're 4 miles apart, which was about a 90 minute walk which we didn't have time for. Google Maps told us we needed to ride back through Manhattan, rather than anything direct between the 2 locations. It took about 45 minutes. Looking at it now, there is a more direct route - taking the G Train for a 30 minute trip. Had I known the area/system better I would have maybe challenged Google's original route - surely we didn't need to ride from Brooklyn - back through Manhattan - and then back into Brooklyn.

[WestwayKid]

My partner and I are New York City-ophiles and we try and get out there on a regular basis. Just returned from a visit last weekend and one thing I keep thinking about is how the NYC Subway is horrible and awesome at the same time. It's unlike any subway I've ever experienced anywhere else: the stations are shabby (though you can see they used to look nice, well, at least some of them) and cave-like. They're too hot in summer and too cold in winter. They leak when it rains. The signage is terrible. Want to know when the next train is coming? Good luck. The station layouts are confusing - sometimes you have to really hike to make a transfer. That said, they keep the city moving. We'd never consider another method of transportation when visiting.

I’m also an NYC lover but I prefer to walk everywhere, there’s so many weird things to stumble across that I’d have missed on the subway.

That's the Boss and I. And that's something we love about New York, that it's full of pedestrians, people who know how to walk out in public.

That's a great point that I've also taken note of. You can tell when you start getting close to somewhere like Times Square because the qualify of pedestrians starts going downhill as tourists replace locals. My partner lived in NYC for awhile, so I've been blessed to have her as a guide as in what not to do.

[Low Down Low]

Even after 3 months in nyc a few years back, riding the subways every day, i never came close to mastering it. Going up and downtown manhattan, piece of piss for sure, but as soon as it was anything even remotely complicated like, say, Queens to Brooklyn, it was a case of pointing myself in the general direction i was hoping to go and being pleased if i landed within 15 blocks of final destination.

I went to a record store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and then we were seeing a comedian near Prospect Heights. They're 4 miles apart, which was about a 90 minute walk which we didn't have time for. Google Maps told us we needed to ride back through Manhattan, rather than anything direct between the 2 locations. It took about 45 minutes. Looking at it now, there is a more direct route - taking the G Train for a 30 minute trip. Had I known the area/system better I would have maybe challenged Google's original route - surely we didn't need to ride from Brooklyn - back through Manhattan - and then back into Brooklyn.

I was staying just off Queens Plaza, just over the bridge from Greenpoint and often faced same dilemma, ending up going through manhattan to get to brooklyn when there had to be a better way, but i just never bothered to work it out. Trick, i observed when with my brother, was to know which terminal to access to get the right train. On my own, it came down to pot luck. They were all basically going the same direction so you'd never get lost, but you'd end up spending a lot more time beneath ground than necessary!

[Low Down Low]

The other thing I'd say about nyc subway, i found it safe and reasonably comfortable though, for sure, wait times could be long. Recall a lot of protracted late night waits at 59th St (i think!) to go just the one stop to Queens, I'd often walk it but it can be a hell of a trek over that bridge at night when you're all beered up! The other thing that struck me were the folk who would have the ends of the carriages cordoned off and bedded down for the night, just riding from one terminus to the other. Often remember thinking, if i had sleeping bag and a pillow, i wouldn't have minded joining them!

[BostonBeaneater]

The NYC subway is pretty remarkable. The G and the 7 Trains are rolling performance art.

[Dr. Medulla]

The NYC subway is pretty remarkable. The G and the 7 Trains are rolling performance art.

John Rocker agrees. Sort of.

[revbob]

The NYC subway is pretty remarkable. The G and the 7 Trains are rolling performance art.

John Rocker agrees. Sort of.

File that under the topic "What happened to that piece of shit?"

[Dr. Medulla]

The NYC subway is pretty remarkable. The G and the 7 Trains are rolling performance art.

John Rocker agrees. Sort of.

File that under the topic "What happened to that piece of shit?"

I vote for some kind of scam regarding building a wall on the Mexican border. Whether he's the scammer or scammed is a pick 'em. But I'll bet he and Schilling text each other lots.

[WestwayKid]

The NYC subway is pretty remarkable. The G and the 7 Trains are rolling performance art.

John Rocker agrees. Sort of.

File that under the topic "What happened to that piece of shit?"

I vote for some kind of scam regarding building a wall on the Mexican border. Whether he's the scammer or scammed is a pick 'em. But I'll bet he and Schilling text each other lots.

He was at one point in the not too distant past writing a column for one of those far right "news" sites.

[Dr. Medulla]

The NYC subway is pretty remarkable. The G and the 7 Trains are rolling performance art.

John Rocker agrees. Sort of.

File that under the topic "What happened to that piece of shit?"

I vote for some kind of scam regarding building a wall on the Mexican border. Whether he's the scammer or scammed is a pick 'em. But I'll bet he and Schilling text each other lots.

He was at one point in the not too distant past writing a column for one of those far right "news" sites.

I'd have wagered good money that he was defiantly illiterate. You know who likes to read and write? Queers and immigrants.

[Kory]

My partner and I are New York City-ophiles and we try and get out there on a regular basis. Just returned from a visit last weekend and one thing I keep thinking about is how the NYC Subway is horrible and awesome at the same time. It's unlike any subway I've ever experienced anywhere else: the stations are shabby (though you can see they used to look nice, well, at least some of them) and cave-like. They're too hot in summer and too cold in winter. They leak when it rains. The signage is terrible. Want to know when the next train is coming? Good luck. The station layouts are confusing - sometimes you have to really hike to make a transfer. That said, they keep the city moving. We'd never consider another method of transportation when visiting.

I’m also an NYC lover but I prefer to walk everywhere, there’s so many weird things to stumble across that I’d have missed on the subway.

That's the Boss and I. And that's something we love about New York, that it's full of pedestrians, people who know how to walk out in public.

Seattle DOESN'T have this, we instead have people who stop in the middle of the sidewalk to text somebody.

[Dr. Medulla]

My partner and I are New York City-ophiles and we try and get out there on a regular basis. Just returned from a visit last weekend and one thing I keep thinking about is how the NYC Subway is horrible and awesome at the same time. It's unlike any subway I've ever experienced anywhere else: the stations are shabby (though you can see they used to look nice, well, at least some of them) and cave-like. They're too hot in summer and too cold in winter. They leak when it rains. The signage is terrible. Want to know when the next train is coming? Good luck. The station layouts are confusing - sometimes you have to really hike to make a transfer. That said, they keep the city moving. We'd never consider another method of transportation when visiting.

I’m also an NYC lover but I prefer to walk everywhere, there’s so many weird things to stumble across that I’d have missed on the subway.

That's the Boss and I. And that's something we love about New York, that it's full of pedestrians, people who know how to walk out in public.

Seattle DOESN'T have this, we instead have people who stop in the middle of the sidewalk to text somebody.

Yeah, that's here as well. The classic "stop at the top of the escalator, try to get on the elevator before it empties" mentality. I have murdered so many people with my eyes in those situations.

[tepista]

My partner and I are New York City-ophiles and we try and get out there on a regular basis. Just returned from a visit last weekend and one thing I keep thinking about is how the NYC Subway is horrible and awesome at the same time. It's unlike any subway I've ever experienced anywhere else: the stations are shabby (though you can see they used to look nice, well, at least some of them) and cave-like. They're too hot in summer and too cold in winter. They leak when it rains. The signage is terrible. Want to know when the next train is coming? Good luck. The station layouts are confusing - sometimes you have to really hike to make a transfer. That said, they keep the city moving. We'd never consider another method of transportation when visiting.

I’m also an NYC lover but I prefer to walk everywhere, there’s so many weird things to stumble across that I’d have missed on the subway.

That's the Boss and I. And that's something we love about New York, that it's full of pedestrians, people who know how to walk out in public.

Seattle DOESN'T have this, we instead have people who stop in the middle of the sidewalk to text somebody.

Yeah, that's here as well. The classic "stop at the top of the escalator, try to get on the elevator before it empties" mentality. I have murdered so many people with my eyes in those situations.

New York's alright if you like saxophones