NYMuse

The G Train...

 

Has Anyone Seen the (G)HOST Train???

Service changes at night on the G Train they say?  Has anyone even seen the G train during the day?  This is the most undercover train in existence!  (If it really does exist!)  Last spotted:  I think it was about 1997...I'm convinced it really is a Ghost Train! 

So many things about it are so mysterious!  To start with, it's so much shorter than all the other trains, with about 2-3 less cars.  I don't understand why it just can't be like all the other trains?  Perhaps the G has gone into hiding, because it feels a bit 'inadequate' compared to all the other longer trains (wink, wink.)

And another thing, no one knows where it actually goes.  It claims to start its route in Queens and end in Brooklyn.  But it's nowhere to be found!  I doubt if anyone in NY has ever actually seen the G train.  This game of hide-n-go-seek doesn't seem very practical for passengers expecting the train to show up!  At least the other trains do tend to make a daily appearance.  The G just wants to play (G)ames.  So what's the point in keeping it around?  Why won't the MTA just do away with the Ghost train?

Anyway, I (G)uess I may never really know all there is to know about this (G)uileful train.  But at least I (G)ot it all out.  Thanks for listening. 

R is for RINSE please!

I haven't been on the subway since last Friday.  Life is good!  Who actually looks forward to waiting on those platforms as they get stickier, smellier, and even more disgusting than usual in the summer months?  So I'm enjoying this mini-subway hiatus (which will end, unfortunately, all too soon, this evening!)  But alas, even while on hiatus, the subway is never too far from my thoughts!

Especially when I heard that the Subway Schmutz Report came out last week.  Who even knew that there was such a report?  Well, according to their findings, the R Train is the filthiest line.  Hmm...they all seem about equally dirty to me.  I can't say I've really noticed the R being any better or worst than the rest.  And the 7 train was rated one of the Cleanest Trains.  Interesting.  

I actually think that if I had to choose, I'd say the E train is the filthiest (with the exception of some of the newer E trains that've just recently been added.)  And maybe the 6 train seems to be the cleanest.  Your thoughts?

Rush Hour Repairs...

So, I've been looking at this sign for a few weeks in the subway now -- that trains will run "less frequently during rush hour."  I honestly had to do a double take the first time I read it.  (I finally decided to take a photo of it because I just didn't think anyone would actually believe it.)    

I completely understand that repairs need to be made (though it's impossible to ever notice any real improvements service-wise or otherwise).  But during rush hour?  Isn't rush hour when a gazillion people need to get to work?  When we expect service to be the most frequent and fast?  Is it just me?  Or wouldn't it  make more sense to do repairs during "off-hours"????  

GOOD IDEA:  Next time you're late for work because of the train, show this photo to your boss as proof.  You just can't make this stuff up!

What Train Goes to....?

Have you ever used Hopstop?  It's the coolest site for subway riders trying to find their way around.  It's sort of like the MapQuest for trains.  Just plug in your start & end points, and it'll tell you what train to take, how many stops, how much time....you get the point.  It's awesome!  Check it out!

 

NYC Nail Clippers

Seriously?  Nail clipping on the subway?  Is it a trend that’s starting to happen in greater frequency lately?  Or am I just the lucky one who happens to notice it all the time? 

 

It’s not a new phenomenon really.  When you’ve been a rider of the NYC subway system for as long as I have, then you’ve come to know and expect certain things about your subway experience.  One of which is that there will always be someone clipping his nails.  (And note that I do say ‘his’ purposely, because I've only ever seen a ‘he’ clipping.)

 

Aside from the very obvious fact that it’s a disgusting, odd, and incredibly rude thing to do in public, I just cringe at the thought of that clip-clip-clip sound clipping through the subway car!  Eeek!!!!  Don’t they get it?  Doesn’t it occur to these people that it’s just not cool? 

 

Well, I decided to try to do some research on this – see if anyone else is also thinking about this disturbing-subway-phenomenon.  Google at first only brought up something on nail clippers on a plane.  This thought is possibly even more disturbing than the train clippers.  But perhaps that topic can be explored more fully at another time. So finally, I found something on it – a story from another subway rider who really captured the experience so well, really making me laugh.  Oh, and this rider was also witness to a ‘She’ clipper, which I guess totally kills my theory of it always being males.  So, I share his post with you.  Enjoy!  http://www.thesubwaychronicles.com/express/Trench%20Warfare.htm

 

SO, what is the inspirational lesson in all of this you may ask?  Well, I will tell you.  As soon as I think of it.  But maybe there’s nothing more to be learned here than to remember to practice proper etiquette....or more likely, that most people just need to learn what that really means!   

 

In the meantime, NYMuse invites you to come to your own conclusions about this & feel free to comment and share your own stories.