A day in the life of a transit bandit.

Hello August, the sunniest and hottest month for all you sticky commuters to enjoy! For my parting words, I wanted to share with you some of my adventures I've had on the train and I've chosen 3 of my most memorable experiences (most of them are performances.) I had a great time posting and blogging and sharing things interesting to me. But, for my final hurrah, here goes nothing.


8 P.M. Friday, 1 train

As I walk down into the crowded zoo that is the 42nd street Times Square 1,2,3 Station, I think to myself what I would give to have my own motor vehicle right now, literally anything from a jetpack to a motorcycle would be sufficient. The station is hot and commuters are becoming impatient as they perspire. The crowd is not surprising, women in heels accompanied by other women in heels or a man dressed in something tailored and J. Crew. I take out a water bottle from my backpack. Hot. No, not hot, sweltering. I start walking towards the other end of the platform to possibly find a map and get a better estimate of how much time my commute is going to take.  I gradually make my way to the other side of the platform, just as I start fiddling in my bag for my headphones. I hear a wonderful voice renditioning "My Girl". As I approach closer, the woman singing stands next to a little boy who looks about 7 or 8. I stand in the crowd surrounding the duo and slowly my attention span sways to my phone to play Candy Crush, until suddenly a young powerhouse voice revels the whole entire station with shock of how such a small person can let out such a big voice. I am astounded, so astounded that I actually give money! Something about a young struggling singer really tugs on my heart strings, especially one singing My Girl. The beauty of it was that sometimes you are very likely to find a below average performance, but other times you can have your mind blown. Their voice is their instrument and their train car is their venue and they put their heart on their sleeve to let thousands of strangers listen and donate if they feel compelled, that's essentially the role of an entertainer.

2 A.M Thursday, 4 train

 It's one of those nights, and by those nights I mean its past midnight. So, I have to wait forever for the train. From what I've encountered, most people on the train at this time are either heavily inebriated or homeless, needless to say I am not excited. I sit down on the available bench and try to escape the rest of the world with my portal to music through headphones and close my eyes and breathe deeply. I feel a gentle pat on my leg. I open my eyes to find a younger gentlemen in his late 20's looking right at me. "Yes?" The words race out of my mouth, what could anyone have to ask, let alone say at this hour?
 The man looked down and smiled,"Well, originally, I was alone and I'm not from here so I wanted someone to speak to somebody, but then I saw you were very beautiful, so I forgot what I wanted to say." Flattered, yet slightly confused, I utter, "Oh, well hello," I didn't comprehend in my mind how unordinary it was for someone to want to talk to a stranger if they're bored. Suddenly, out of nowhere I blurt out, "Do people do that where you're from?" The man looked up with a pondering face, "I guess no, not really. I don't really do it much either. But, it's 2 A.M. in New York City. Live a little," and walked away. That struck me. What did he mean? Why wasn't I living? What did he consider living? Was he insinuating that after a certain point of nightfall that it is okay to talk to strangers?  I decided to answer all these questions on my train ride home. Most New Yorkers are stuck in their own bubbles, and simply do not care about anything except getting home or work or their destination in general. Our mentality seems to be, everyone for themselves.

3 P.M. Sunday F Train
 
Sluggish Sundays. All I can say is I am going home from my best friend's house and I am not happy because I am tired. Honestly, I just want the train ride to zoom by because if it doesn't, I will certainly sleep through my stop. The train car is pretty empty, so I take that as a sign to get lost in my music and thoughts. "Hello everyone," a tall urban man rises and says, "my name is Jonathan and I am raising awareness for sick children in the hospital, like my sister Janelle, and if you like what you see, please give a donation. My best form of expression is my dance, and I'm not very good with my words." I take off my headphones, as my interest is peaked because I was once a dancer. Jonathan takes out a mini boom box out of his backpack and sets it on the ground and presses play. The whole train cart then becomes his stage. He began to breakdance and  swing through the poles. All his movements were flowing and fluid. The beat was clearly, an instrumental hip hop beat and everything he did was natural. After, he was finished, I gave him a thumbs up. "Thank you for your story," I said.

 I hope everyone picked up even the littlest of somethings from my blog. I hope the blog provided informative or entertaining information that one could carry with them. My adventures will continue and I know y'all will also have adventures that are worth telling. Everyone needs to share their story, because your story is your journey.

Please stand by for the closing doors 

34th Street Station or 34th Street Spa?

What is the new trend, and even if it is just a prank can you please sign me up. Yeah, everybody has those days where a short subway ride can frizz your hair, turn the subway into a sauna with your sweat, or completely ruin your makeup. But I never expected anyone to follow through with this even just as a prank, check the video out!



What in the world! People are getting really creative. They, actually, turned the station into sauna which includes fresh towels, soothing music, icy water with fresh lemon slices, and hot stone massages. The prank was done by Improv Everywhere, a New York city based prank collective that causes scenes and enjoy's causing a stir in New York city folk.

But, wow, that one is really something.

Please Stand by for the Closing Doors

BUSKRS - what is it?

Okay, I am supremely sorry about all the websites I've been sharing with y'all, but this one's very similar to Underground Public Library, except its MUSIC. I mean, who hasn't seen a wonderful subway performance, unless of course taking the subway isn't your transportation preference or you are a tourist in the Big Apple. But back to the point, but what buskrs.com does is make surround sound recordings of the NYC subway's best performances. On the website's "About me," there is a definition of busker provided which is a "a person who entertains in a public place for donations."
This video in particular really struck me, because it was played at my best friend's subway stop (7th Avenue) that I am in more than my house, but it is AH-MAZING, watch for yourself!


The website's author, Brett Paine Murphy describes his hobby like so:

Some musicians are local, others have come from half way around the world or migrated from small towns across america. Most come here with hopes and dreams of making it big and for others this is the only thing that separates them from the panhandlers. They wear their hearts on their sleeve and pour their souls out to strangers.

Well done, Mr. Brett Paine Murphy, well done.

Ew, ew , ew bedbugs found in the N train!

If you live or commute anywhere by the N line, I truly sympathize for you because that is vile. Bedbugs were found in at least 3 N trains last week. The MTA has planned to make checks in the Coney Island rail yard which is the last stop southbound on the N train. The location of the bed bugs was said to be in the cushions in the train cabs that motormen use.

Two N trains were taken out of service and fumigated after bedbugs were found in some of the cars.

MTA PLANS INCREASE!

What? And by what, I mean WHAT? I am not ready to pay more for my very necessary commute. Apparently on Monday, July 28 the MTA announced that next year there will be a 4 % fare hike, less than the original proposed hike of 7.5, but still not ideal. These are approximates on how pricing will look like in 2015:

• Single ride would go from $2.50 to $2.60
• Unlimited weekly passes would go up from $30 to $31.20
• 30-day unlimited passed would jump from $112 to $116.50

This increase will not be impacted by the recent and ongoing agreement with the LIRR, bus, and subway workers. Instead, the MTA will fund those by dipping into reserve funding. Along with the $14 million dollar budget revealed earlier this week calls for $20 million dollars in improvements. The MTA also plans to increase staffing to prevent equipment failure and a quicker response to subway track problems.

The following fare hike is scheduled for 2017, as of right now that increase is predicted to be another 4%. Talk about confusing and upsetting half of New York City commuters.

Underground New York Public Library

Recently, I was browsing online and I discovered something called the Underground New York Public Library, basically it's a blog of photos taken of different people reading various books/Kindle books on the train

Click here to visit the blog.

The most interesting thing for me,  when looking at the blog is the books range from classic like "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger to apparently instructional books like "How to be a Man: A guide to Style and Behavior for the Modern Gentlemen" by Glenn O'Brien. They also post daily from Sunday-Friday! So if you're looking for book ideas, look no further! Also, to spice it up on Sundays they post a "Sunday Morning Bible," which is like highlights and other interesting thoughts from the author of the blog.

Hopefully this inspires some of y'all to grab a book and have something to do on the train, because it sure inspired me to reread Catcher in the Rye, and get insight from Holden Caulfield.

"I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway. It wasn't all my fault. I had to keep getting up to look at this map, so we'd know where to get off. The whole team ostracized me the whole way back ton the train."

For me, that is such a familiar instance, I have definitely gone on the train and gotten off without something that is really important and had a significant amount of people judge me for it.

Please stand by for the closing doors

Mom leaves baby in train station

I recently read an article that I encourage everyone to read about a woman leaving her 7-year-old child in the NYC subway. The article is written by a mother, who completely relates how that could happen and discusses the hardships of being a mom and all of the awake hours. Instead of taking the high horse route and telling the mother what she already knows, about how heartless and horrible of anyone to commit such a crime.

The link for the article is here.

Check it out.

Interview with a commuter who doesn't speak much English.

So, yesterday I interviewed my grandma, Lehya Khazan a woman who is 78 and born in Russia. She barely speaks a lick of English and I was curious to find out the perspective of someone who isn't a native riding the subway, and the obstacles within that.


So, here goes:

Q: Hi grandma! Thank you for letting me interview you. I think my first question would have to be, as a non-native, would the MTA transit system be your favorite type of transportation?

A: No. I really don't like it because it is very hard to get around. I am too old to use it.

Q: If you're getting on the subway, where do you usually go? 

A: I usually only take the subway to Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center for concerts. I take bus everywhere else or I like to walk. Everything I need, I have near me.

Q: Do you think the language barrier gets in the way of you comfortably riding the subway?

A: Yes, but I don't think it would be my favorite way of transpiration.

Note to self: Old Soviet grandmas are very ambivalent to subway riding.

Please stand by for the closing doors 

 

 

 

 

How to be recluse and not talk to anyone on the subway

I'm sure any given individual who has taken the NYC subway a handful of times has had to run into the awkward moments of some nutty person speaking to them on accident or someone begging for money and hated every second of it. When you want to be alone, you just want to be alone and theres nothing anyone can do to change that, especially a stranger. Sometimes it's plainly just too early. Sometimes I'm in a really bad mood. Sometimes I just don't actually care.

But here's my tips on how to appear as a recluse on the subway and like it,

1. Use your phone. I know the complete opposite of what the rest of the world is telling you to do. But, do it. You'll look and feel important and like you have something you need to be doing, even if you're just pushing random buttons on the verge of wetting your pants.
2. Read a book. Or whatever is in place of books these days. You'll look and feel smart and slightly old fashioned. Books always have service, unlike phones.
3. Sleep  or don't because I have missed my stop so many times and ended up in the Bronx of Queens.
4. Read the newspaper. You know they still exist? They're 75 cents now. America...
5. Do your makeup. Ladies, I hate doing my makeup in a moving train car, but sometimes I know I have no time and, honestly it's something to do on the train.
6. Do some last minute work. Whether it be homework or work. Always good to review whatever you're doing.
7. Daydream and get lost in your thoughts and awkwardly look like you're staring at someone.

That's all. 

Please stand by for the closing doors

Beautiful train montage

This woman did what ever NYC subway rider wants to do, and that is recording other subway riders sitting across from her, for a whole year. The act of riding the train seems so routine and mundane that we forget about the interesting characters we can run into on the subway.


Here is the video, I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Lost and Fraudulent.

Recently, a local Brooklyn blog called the Bensonhurst Bean conducted some research regarding the lost and found operations that go on in the MTA. If someone has been on the MTA train, they have definitely heard the message on the train "to keep your belongings in plain sight."
Well, what happens if you by chance you lost a personal belongings? One would expect there to be no fee to find an item that belongs to them. But apparently, online searches direct MTA customers onto an official website called "lostpropertynyc.com," which demands personal information then generates a payment automatically from the given information. The website informs the reader that the MTA works hand in hand with them and that the process is completely legit.
Currently, the MTA Police Department has launched a criminal investigation into the website. They found that this website is also soliciting money from NYC taxi and airport customers.

Whoa, what a scheme.

For the original Bensonhurst Bean article click here

Cell service and Wi-Fi! Oh my!

Yes. A crucial part of what would make the NYC subway experience better, from internet radio to browsing the web to checking e-mails and texts, most subway stations offer it now! Not only that, but if you are truly in danger and need to dial 911, the MTA has made that possible for security purposes. Today, I was looking at the new advertisements on the 4 train coming back from a friend's and I quickly ran home after my commute to search the worldwide web and check what subway stations offer this grand improvement. My first instinct was to go on Wikipedia, written by the people for the people.

To my dismay, the Wikipedia page had such little information on the topic that if I were a tourist or anyone alike I would definitely want to know more about cellphone service on the train. The short little paragraph had nothing specific or anything of value, just facts.

New York City Subway began to provide underground cellular phone with voice and data service, and free Wi-Fi to passengers in 2011 at six stations. The new network was installed and owned by Transit Wireless as part of company's $200 million investment. The company expanded the services to 30 more stations in 2013 and signed an agreement with all 4 major wireless network operators to allow their cellular phone customers to use its network. The MTA and Transit Wireless are splitting the fees received from those wireless carriers for the usage of the network. The Wi-Fi service, which operates using antennae,^[150] is operated by Boingo Wireless.^[151] Transit Wireless expects to provide service to the remaining 241 underground stations by 2017, including the four deep-level subway stations under construction. Work to install the antennas within the next 40 key stations in midtown Manhattan and Queens has already begun, and the antennas are expected to be in service by March 2014

But, what stations? Tell me more! What are the 4 major wireless operators? Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T?  As I continued my research, I found more concrete and detailed information on the subject and added in the changes to the Wikipedia site, so everyone who wanted to know, would know. I added some critical information, that is best for tourists, mainly naming stations that are populated with tourist attractions.

New York City Subway began to provide underground cellular phone with voice and data service, and free Wi-Fi to passengers in 2011 at six stations. The new network was installed and owned by Transit Wireless as part of company's $200 million investment. The company expanded the services to 30 more stations in 2013 and signed an agreement with all 4 major wireless network operators to allow their cellular phone customers to use its network. The MTA and Transit Wireless are splitting the fees received from those wireless carriers for the usage of the network. The Wi-Fi service, which operates using antennae,^[150] is operated by Boingo Wireless.^[151] Transit Wireless expects to provide service to the remaining 241 underground stations by 2017, including the four deep-level subway stations under construction. Work to install the antennas within the next 40 key stations in midtown Manhattan and Queens has already begun, and the antennas are expected to be in service by March 2014.^[152][104] The first six stations part of the initial build were 23rd Street and 8th Ave, 14th Street and 8th Avenue, 14th Street and 7th Avenue, 14th Street and 6th Avenue, Times Square and Columbus Circle. Commuters now have the opportunity to dial 911 in case of an emergency.

As a NYC subway rider, I approve of this message.

Congress will not intervene on any LIRR strike

Yikes! As I already mentioned here, the LIRR strike has become a hot topic , since my last post! With the upcoming LIRR potential strike less than two weeks away, the chairman of the MTA traveled to DC for a meeting with lawmakers to discuss Congress' role in the chance that workers walk off the job. But, legislative leaders said the railroad and the unions should not count on congressional backup. Representative Steve Israel, a Democrat from Long Island, said after a delegation meeting with the chairman, "This is a Republican majority that shut down the federal government for 16 days. What would lead anyone to believe that they would act to avoid a shutdown of the Long Island Rail Road?"

For Long Island commuters, the road is looking pretty bleak.

NYPD clearing out homeless people from subways, and assuming people are homeless when they aren't apparently.

I have seen some seriously disturbing videos of the unnecessary and aggressive behavior by NYPD towards people falling asleep on the train and homeless people. According to the Hope Annual Street NYC survey there were 1,800 people living in the train station in 2013, a whole 800 up from 2009. Now the NYPD are cracking down and searching for these people, they have sent a few officers to search each car every time a train pulls into a station, and take all the homeless people either to a hospital or a shelter, sounds pretty nice doesn't it? But, looks like they've taken it too far, with either assuming this man is homeless or doing some ridiculous racial profiling.

Let's take a look at two police officers beating and arresting a man for sleeping on the train.

More on man being beaten and arrested on train by the NYPD



The crime was listed as nodding off during a commute from coming home from work. As seen, the man continuously yells "For what? I didn't do shit." The incident occurred at the 57th Street stop in Manhattan in a fairly empty car. As the man continues to cry for help, backup arrives and sees that the man is resisting. So, the immediate reaction is to start hitting this man over the head with a baton? What? Is that even legal? After more officers arrive, an officer grabs the resisting man in a clinch and manages to yank him onto the ground. A woman standing by begins to record the scene and eventually asks the officers for their badge numbers.  Rudely, one of the officers tries to whisk away the recording device from her, to which she yells "don't put your fucking hands on me."

Please stand by for the closing doors.

Joyrides for a bus-obsessed man in Staten Island.

Nikolas Elias saw an MTA bus parked in Staten Island's St. George Ferry Terminal and figured 'hey, YOLO, so giving myself a ride back home."

Let's watch.



Elias, is a 20-year-old man, and his family and friends would describe him as "bus obsessed." So, him driving 1.6 miles from the Ferry Terminal to where he lives in Stapleton was no surprise to them. The MTA located the bus through "advanced MTA technology" (also known as a GPS).
Elias had claimed that he was just testing out his dream of being a bus driver and he had plans on returning the bus after he was finished. Apparently, this was not Elias' first attempt at trying to steal a bus, months before he saw another bus and tried the same stunt, but police had stopped him just in time. He is being held on $10,000 bail and being charged with grand larceny.

Taggers take over NYC trains.

I think it's silly that the Daily News refers to taggers as attackers. Sure, they are vandalizing the MTA property, but it's certainly doesn't constitute of "nine sneak attacks." I mean who is getting attacked really. I am not condoning their behavior. I just believe that the Daily News is being a little rash with their language. Here is said attack,

"MTA you are slacken," is what is said on the train car.

Sure, they are taking freedom of speech to a new level, but honestly MTA you are seriously slacking.

Goodbye MetroCards. Swipe ya later!

Let's save the environment, and not have to use disposable plastic cards to get on the train. By 2019, the MTA plans to create a new system for commuters, and it is still under wraps. But, rumors say that this new system will either involve a credit/debit card or smartphones.

This new upcoming change is said to save infrastructure costs and also increase convenience for commuters. Metrocards as most of us know are very easy to lose, bend, or damage. Another idea for a Metrocard replacement is a possible app for all regional commuting, no matter where. But, unfortunately not everyone has a smart phone, so that introduces a problem in the seemingly flawless system.


Here's a quick sneak peek into our possible future!

Even though it looks super efficient, the problem arises, would the MTA be invading our privacy? Is it too much to access?

Do women feel uncomfortable on the train?

So recently, I noticed something on my way home on the C train. Women can't even have a peek of cleavage without the fear of some sleazy man eyeing up her tits. Like, man I'm just trying to get to my destination, and if you are going to call me names for wearing clothing that makes me feel good, then go shut the front door. I think the problem gets infinitely worse at night and more specifically SUMMER NIGHTS. That's right when the short tight dresses come out on Friday and Saturday evenings, and my fellow females are inebriated. Now I'm not one for doing that sort of thing, but I will be out late at night observing these ladies and the pervert men who should be doing something constructive with their time, instead of turning the train into a nightclub, (you're not picking anyone up, no offense guys!)

People are really getting desperate out here.


So, I decided to ask two women that I met on the 4 train who prefer to remain anonymous some questions about their comfort level on the train.

Q1: Have you ever felt like someone of the opposite gender is watching you in a really uncomfortable manner?

A1: (chuckles) When I was 17, I was taking the A train to 145th street to see my boyfriend at the time, Timothy, if I remember correctly it was 10 pm and I decided to wear a form fitting red dress to surprise him. I was expecting some glances of attention, but nothing like I experienced. There a was a man on the opposite side of the car all the way at the end, and I noticed he was eyeing me since I got on at W.4th street. It was the most bizarre thing! Every few stops, I would notice him moving a little bit closer and closer to where I was sitting. Finally, I saw him sitting right across from me at 125th street, and I saw a flashing light and I realized that he was taking pictures of me. I was terrified. 

Q2: Do you carry any precautionary tools like mace to protect yourself when you take the train at night?

A2: Unfortunately, I cannot say that I have. But being as old as I am, and seeing what young women wear nowadays, I would strongly recommend it.

Q3: Do you think the MTA is doing enough to keep the trains safe at night?

A3: Supposedly in comparison to the 80's, we're supposed to be safer which I think is horse crap, because the so called precautions we are taking are not more effective, such as the back halves of trains were prohibited until 8 PM. Although, I am in favor of the commissioner's new idea about putting video cameras in the train.

So, women be conscious and aware of all your surroundings at night in every area.

Please stand by for the closing doors

People get crazier by the day.

A woman in Grand Central Terminal walked on a stairwell, fell and broke her ankle because a scary advertisement for the show "Dexter" freaked her out. Ajanaffy Njewadda is suing the MTA and the cable network, with accusations regarding the placement of the ad in a dangerous spot for citizens. The poster was a closeup of Michael C. Hall a.k.a "Dexter" with cellophane covering his face.

Njewadda after the accident.

Subway Etiquette from an Avid Subway Rider

If you want some tips on ideal subway etiquette from a veteran subway rider. New Yorkers have a specific ritual for their everyday subway traveling,  Here are some:

1. If you are someone who hasn't figured out the Metrocard swiping speed, please be wary during rush hour and let others who need to get through, get through.
2. Never stand too close to the platform, for a multitude of reasons. One of them being it is so nasty and filled with rodents, and another being it is pretty easy to fall onto the tracks to your impending doom. DO NOT BECOME A STATISTIC.
3. If you see a fairly empty car during rush hour, use your noggin. There is probably a reason behind it. Unless you are immune to grimy odors or ambivalent to airborne diseases, then choose a different car, seriously. Homeless people roam subway stations and make it their shelters. 
4. If there isn't an empty seat, it is OK to stand in front of the doors. Just be sure, to move out of the way and not block passengers trying to get on.
5. Pay attention to your belongings. While, in most cases you won't get robbed or mugged, things like your wallet and valuables may be very easily picked.
6. Also keep your music or game volume low, tired New Yorkers are coming back from work and other tiring ventures and do not care about your score in Candy Crush or your SADE track.
7. Always offer your seat to a pregnant woman or an elderly individual. That is just self-explanatory.
8. DO NOT STARE. Like, honestly don't. It's seriously creepy. This is a SUBWAY not a bar.
9. For the love of God, please don't hold the subway doors, not only is the sound ridiculously annoying, but people are trying to get places.
10. Do not eat or do makeup on the train. This is not your bathroom, nor is it your kitchen. IT IS A SUBWAY CAR, remember that.

So now you can ride the subway with knowledge and confidence.