6 posts tagged “transportation”

Kudos to Matt Green and Donald Badaczewski, two men who take after my own heart.

At 6 a.m. today, the duo set off on a journey that would take them to -- and through -- every single stop on the New York City subway system. While I've often thought of riding every line from end to end, they aim to do so within the next 25 hours.

They're even leaving frequent voicemail messages detailing their progress. You can call 718-407-4697, but you can't leave a message of encouragement -- their mailbox is full. When I called moments ago, they were heading up to the Bronx on the 1 train.

Best of luck, gents!

Tonight, I watched Marc Singer's 2000 documentary Dark Days. It's a fascinating portrayal of some of the 150 people who lived in the largely unused train tunnels underneath and along Riverside Park until they were "evicted" in the early '90s. Many had built elaborate homes out of found materials, and it was amazing how much of a normal life they could lead underground, living in homes with working kitchens, electricity -- even showers. Apparently, the tunnel is still accessible.

Watching the film made me track down my copy of Jennifer Toth's book The Mole People, which details "life in the tunnels beneath New York City." I know I haven't posted a review of The Gangs of New York yet, so we haven't wrapped up July's book club yet -- and I know it's now almost the end of August -- but I think The Mole People would make a good choice for the next book for New Yorkests.

And it might be fodder for a weekend outing!

Today's edition of USA Today highlights "10 great places to savor the wild blue yonder."

Among them, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, located about two hours from midtown Manhattan. "America's original living museum of antique airplanes is also a 100-minute Amtrak trip up the Hudson.

The museum features 20-minute biplane tours of the Hudson Valley, a collection of old airplanes -- including an original 1912 Thomas Pusher -- and reenactments of World War I air battles.

Sounds worth a day trip!

I had the dubious honor this morning of being the last in line at a ticket window to buy my monthly Metro-North pass. While I was waiting, a woman, departing from the front of the line, stopped and told me that I was supposed to tell everyone who came up to get in line behind me that I was the last in line -- and that the window would close after me.

So, I did. About 12 people came up to stand in line behind me -- more, more frequently as I neared the front of the line and it became visibly shorter by comparison to the other lines around it. Some people took it really well -- "Oh! Thank you!" -- and others took umbrage, as though it were my fault -- "I suppose it's so they can have even more long lines!"

It wasn't really a responsibility I relished, but I got to talk to more fellow commuters than I ever have before, albiet briefly. And when I got to the front of the line, the window clerk was visibly relieved that I had done my duty so well.

"Thank you, passenger," she said.

You're welcome, window clerk.

This afternoon, while exiting the First Avenue subway station on the L line, I passed a man who did a mild doubletake, thumped me on the shoulder as he walked by, and said, "Go Bears!"

Go Bears?

As I emerged onto the street level, it hit me: I was wearing a Berkeley T-shirt. Go Bears, indeed!

It's not often that a total stranger says something to me while walking down the street. When was the last time someone said something to you while out and about?

The Staten Island Ferry terminal building

We were very tired, we were very merry --

We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;

And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,

From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;

And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,

And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.

-- Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Recuerdo"

On Sunday afternoon, after brunch in Cobble Hill, my girlfriend, her mother, and I went on a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. It was a bit of a challenge to get to the ferry terminal via subway because of trains running on other lines and station closures, and we had to make several transfers in order to get to the R train and the Whitehall Street-South Ferry station. While there, be sure to take in the station's ceramic and glass mosaic murals by Frank Giorgini. The station itself is named after the Whitehall building, which is now located on the former home to Peter Stuyvesant, New Amsterdam's first governor.

Once we got to the terminal, however, it was smooth sailing. I love the entrance to the terminal building, with its sweeping signage and interior information displays, and the process for boarding is seamless -- and painless. Most of the passengers seemed to be along for the round-trip ride, as practically everyone disembarked, made their way around to the opposite side's boarding area, and got back on for the return trip.

But the terminals aren't the highlight of the ferry ride, the ride itself is. The Staten Island Ferry has got to be one of the best free experiences in New York City. One way, the trip takes about 25 minutes, and the view of the southern skyline, Brooklyn Bridge, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, and Governors Island is unparalleled. In addition to Millay's historic poem about a ride on the ferry, it's also notable because monologist Spalding Gray may have committed suicide by jumping off the ferry in 2004. Ghosts abound among the lively scene provided by the ferry's five boats, 110 round trips a day, and 65,000 passengers daily.