Bummer on the Commute

Inquiry; will a rapture result in a less crowded commute? Second inquiry; is the Koolaid Man one of the horsemen of the apocalypse? Cyanotic, sugary beverage anyone? OH YEEEAHH!

Friday Foulness: Defecation and Mass Transit

I definitely do not condone the act of urinating in public places, but from a male perspective, I at least understand it; its easy and can be done with a relative amount of discretion. Defecating in public transit system, however, requires more cojones than the lowly public urinator. I've never had the unfortunate experience of stumbling upon someone in the act of 'performing', but have stumbled upon the aftermath more than occasionally.

Some subway stations tend to be more notorious than others; the Chambers Street Station (J,Z trains) in Lower Manhattan, in my humble option is one of the worst, with an aroma that resembles an under serviced port-o-let in the middle of July with the combination of bleach (and sometimes without the bleach).

I have stumbled upon other acts of foul Subway Douchery that I suppose deserves honorable mention here: such as people stripping down (and I mean completely) and changing clothes on the station platform or the Saturday night sinner beginning his Sunday redemption early in the form of purging his gastric contents (if I'm lucky, between his own feet, if not, between mine) on a moving subway car. Ahhh, haven't I made your Friday morning complete? No need to thank me ;)

NYC Subway, Rolling Stock Profile: The R42

 

The R42 cars are the second oldest cars in revenue operation on the New York City subway system.  They were built around 1970 by the St. Louis Car Company.  You will mainly see these cars in service during rush hour in peak directions as the J and Z train engage in a skip stop pattern to and from Lower Manhattan to Jamaica.  Much like the R32 trains, they are rusty and rickety.

NYC Subway, Rolling Stock Profile: The R160 Car

The R160 A/B cars were building by Alstom and Kawasaki and are currently the newest models operating in the New York City subway system. They are a 'B Division' car, which means they run on the old IND and BMT lines and are too large to run on the IRT lines. These cars contain many modern features such as LED information boards indicating stops and transfers, LCD monitors for information, an automated easy to understand public address system, and a smoother ride.

This post is part of a series, to view it in its entirety, click here.

The R Train that Never Comes

...Because it doesn't run late nights. The newly formed, or more accurately, joined, Jay Street-Metro Tech station now joins the A,C, and F trains to the R train in downtown Brooklyn. This is another step closer to uniting the subway system from an old visage of three competing transit companies. A similar connection has being made in Long Island City connecting the E,M,G trains at Court Square to the 7 train at the elevated 45 Road- Court Square station two blocks away. Now if only something similar would be done (or atleast a metrocard transfer) with the Broadway-G and the nearby elevated Lorimer-J,M station in Williamsburg (ahem MTA), I and many other Brooklyn commuters would be quite happy.

All Hail the CTA Blue Line

Well Ok, you need not humble yourself to prostrate to the next approaching train, but it is quite a nice service. One line can transport you from O'Hare International to the loop without transferring for $2.25. This is one of the most extensive posts in Heidelberger Paper's history ;)

I fly to cities / Airports frequently and in my experience, how do other cities I frequent size up:

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New York City / LGA: No direct subway access, but a shuttle bus ($2.25 can get you to the 125th and Lexington subway station (free transfer), in which a complex pattern of train transfers can proceed it to get you around Manhattan. This runs 24 hours a day with reduced frequency off hours.

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New York City / JFK: An independent tram operated by the NY/NJ port authority ($5.00 and no free transfer to the subway, which is $2.25) can take you from the terminals to Jamaica Station on the far side of Queens, then a complex pattern of train transfers may also ensue to get you around Manhattan. Trips from JFK to Midtown Manhattan can take an hour and a half or more.

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Washington DC / DCA: A subway line runs (fees vary on distance traveled) from the airport and usually only one transfer (at Metro Center) will be required to get you where you need to go.

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Indianapolis International: A soon to be terminated, express bus line is available ($7.00) to take you downtown. Another bus line runs local (recently increased to $2.00). Just don't expect you to get anywhere late night or early morning.

Randolf / Washington

Taken from a Red Line subway station in Chicago's Loop...

Definitely best if viewed large, you may click the image to do so...

Sunset on the Loop

From the Library-State/Van Buren 'L' station...

Brown to Blue

Looking North over State Street from the Library-State/Van Buren Station

Going down to Dearborn Street to Transfer to the Blue Line...

Best if viewed large and these shots are geotagged in the Flickr Page, you may click the images to do so...

Fun on Subways Week, Part 2 - This Train Don't Stop

A subway station at 116th and Lexington...

Best if viewed large on white, click the image to do so...

Transfer in Chinatown

A typical scene in a Washington DC metro subway station...

Best if viewed on large in black, click on the image to do so...