On Oct 19, 2006, at 9:11 AM, Carl Remick wrote:
> I think NYC sucks too. I used to be a daily commuter into
> Manhattan from Long Island but now come in only occasionally for
> onsite freelance work. I've been in the city this week, for
> example, and, for the first time in many years, took the subway to
> work (because of a broken toe) instead of walking from Penn Sta. to
> Rockefeller Center. I was amazed to find the subway -- despite its
> vaunted comeback -- stinks (literally) worse than ever. It looks
> like every dime of capital investment the NYCTA has put into its
> operation has been invested in the (fitfully reliable) electronic
> fare collection system. The stations and rolling stock are as
> crappy as ever.
Carl, I've been taking the subway almost every day for 27 years and you're wrong. Back in the 1980s, breakdowns were a constant feature of subway life - trains went out of service all the time, or were stuck behind trains that were going out of service. Track fires were common, too, and stations almost always smelled of smoke. Few cars were air conditioned. Now, breakdowns are very rare, you never smell smoke from track fires, and almost all cars are air-conditioned (and if there's any place in the world that needs a/c, it's the NYC subway). Quite a few stations have been refurbished, and look better than ever. Ridership is at record levels, but the system accommodates it pretty easily. Yeah, some stations stink of piss, but it's no worse than before. It's really a wonderful way to get around town.
The MetroCard system works fine. Some out-of-towners have a problem getting the thing to swipe correctly, and take a few tries to get it right, but that's rare. And now I can get a month of unlimited travel for $76 - which brings my average cost per ride to about $1.10.
Doug