[lbo-talk] Dispiriting Suburbs?

[Carl Remick]

>From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
>
>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 ...

Funny you should mention it.  I got waaay delayed getting home last night 
due smoke in one of the LIRR's East River tunnels.  It was a zoo in Penn Sta 
as always when this happens -- with clueless LIRR workers dispensing 
misinformation, disheveled vacant-eyed commuters wandering around like 
zombies, and the usual scattering of National Guard types in desert camo 
standing around pointlessly looking for terrorists in the throng.  It would 
take Hogarth or Hieronymus Bosch to do the scene justice.


>Yeah, some stations stink of piss, but it's no  worse than before.  It's 
>really a wonderful way to get around town.

O joy, o rapture!  You should have gone into advertising :)


>I can get a month of unlimited travel  for $76 - which brings my average 
>cost per ride to about $1.10.

Outrageous.  I can remember when a token costs 35 cents, and it was 
overpriced then.

Carl

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