This might not be everyone's cup of tea - but for some reason - I am fascinated by the subways here in NYC. My first few weeks of work - I would come home and tell J about all the crazy things that happened on the subway - to which he usually replied, "uh-huh, yep, seen that too." But seriously where can you find ballet performances, a one-person band (complete with CDs for $1), and a man who would rival some gymnasts for greatest-back-flips-in-a-moving-car all in one place?
But what really made me interested in the subway was when I was stuck in it. Literally. One hot summer workday evening - I was coming home from work - only to find myself stuck somewhere between 42nd St. and hell on the E train. The signals and tracks were down as an electrical problem promptly turned off all power in the train. So let's re-cap - no light. no air. no announcements. It was bad. So bad - that the train had to limp itself to the closest station - where its passengers had to walk through the tunnels to get onto the station platform. It was in walking through the old rail tunnels that I had two thoughts:
1. Thank god I had worn sneakers that day instead of flip-flops. You do not want to know what is discarded onto subway tracks. gross.
2. The tunnels look really old and creepy. I must know more about them.
Thus, my quest for NYC subway knowledge was born.
The Transit Museum itself is awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone living or visiting New York. It is built inside a shut-down station and houses old rail cars, turnstiles, old bus interiors, and various transportation artifacts.
Oh and you can climb inside everything. Perfect for us big kids.
Original ticket booth from the station.
J inside one of the original subway cars from the early 1900s.
One of the neatest parts of the station was this working command center. The green lights still light up and indicate trains traveling along the rail lines.
My only wish is for the platforms to look like the above one everyday at 9 and 5!
Your hair is getting so long! Looks great.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I miss you and I can't wait to see you soooooon!