I obviously have missed something. What the heck is a "select bus" and how does it work?

How is it different from the "limited", which I hate b/c they never seem to stop at the stop where I'm waiting.

The select bus has replaced the limited on First Avenue. They are easily identified because they have blue flashing lights on the front. The driver of a select bus does not accept fares, nor check fares. You pay BEFORE you board by swiping your MetroCard or using cash in a machine at the bus stop. You receive a receipt that you must keep as proof of payment. Supposedly there might be an official on the bus who might check your receipt. The select bus has fewer stops than the limited route, and the bus stop is usually a half a block to a block away from the local bus route, while a limited bus would stop at the same stop as the local.

This system is supposed to speed the ride, but initially and still people get on at the front by the river and ask where the farebox is. The driver tells them to pay at the machine, so they hop off and the driver usually waits while they pay to get back on. Time saved, then time lost. More poeple seem to understand the system now, but this delay still happens. It has been tested on first Avenue because the east side has only one subway line.

My biggest complaint is that people with unlimited weekly or monthly passes still have to scan and get a receipt before boarding. One would think that the official who might check fares would be armed with a minicomputer (like those little credit card devices) that could scan MetroCards to see if the unlimited pass was active.

nytraveler, you had me ROFLOL! I grew up in a town so sparsely populated that there weren't street numbers until I was in my teens, and if you didn't know your way around, you could ask at the police station for directions to anyone's house. (Sounds so creepy in this day and age!) But wow, what neighbors we did have never were in our business like that. Your poor friend!!

<i>the "limited", which I hate b/c they never seem to stop at the stop where I'm waiting</i>

FWIW, a good rule of thumb is that the Limited buses stop at the same major cross streets as the parallel Express subway, e.g., 14th - 34th - 42nd - 59th - 72nd - 86th... If you're getting on the bus at one of those stops and know that your destination isn't near a major cross street, don't board the Limited but wait for the regular bus.

As for the Select bus, I'm with Adu that the way it's implemented in NYC is a waste of time and money-!

We used to go visit relatives in a tiny town when I was a kid. I remember one day we all went fishing at a little pond, and it made the front page of the newspaper!

Is there actually a subway schedule? Ive been trying to figure that out. when we need to get the subway we just walk to the station and wait for the first train that will work for us.

The schedule is posted below, but just walk over to the train you need when you need it. I do not know anyone who has ever used it. The bus schedule is posted at every bus stop and sometimes they adhere to it.

http://www.mta.info/schedules/

<i>when we need to get the subway we just walk to the station and wait for the first train that will work for us</i>

There are also a number of smartphone apps that purport to provide this information. (At present, really all they can do is pull data from the link Adu provided, relative to the time at which you check.) Rather than create one or more apps themselves, the MTA has chosen to run an annual contest where app developers compete to come up with new concepts. (FWIW, I feel that this both increases innovation and is the MTA's way of wimping out on providing a viable solution based on upgrading access to their real-time data.)

<i>I do not know anyone who has ever used it.</i>

That's because the posted schedule becomes irrelevant as soon as the train leaves the terminus! (Or the bus starts its route.) Another rule for the list, Adu. :)

<i>The bus schedule is posted at every bus stop and sometimes they adhere to it.</i>

And the MTA is slloooowly rolling out a program where, while you are waiting at a bus stop, you can use a smartphone barcode and/or send a text message and receive a response telling you how close the bus actually is. They've had it along my local bus route for over a year, but there are glitches...

P.S. In my previous post, it should have been 57th Street, not 59th Street.

The thought has never crossed my mind about referring to a schedule. You look down the tracks and either you curse or you say to yourself here comes the train.

They have posted electronic signs on the "L" and the Lex indicating the arrival of the next train.

By the way for visitors, if there is a curved truck and you cannot see the train directly, you can tell if the train is coming, as the light from the headlights travel up the tracks or bounces off the wall.

(I do not own a smart phone. So I guess everyone over the age of 32 will just wonder when the train comes.)

<i>They have posted electronic signs on the "L" and the Lex indicating the arrival of the next train.</i>

Actually the first station to get a "countdown clock" (MTA's terminology, not mine) was 103rd Street on the 1 line; as far as I know, all the IRT stations have them. However, they don't help when you're aboveground! (Nor does the tried-and-true peering down the tracks...)


<i>So I guess everyone over the age of 32 will just wonder when the train comes.</i>

Aww, Adu, you flatter me. :">

When we lived in NY, I never took the subway. I was afraid of riding alone (<I> I arrived in NYC from LA .. subway ? what is this subway?</I>) and when the husband was with me, we took cabs or walked. Then we drove .. He is an old pro at the subway. I still live in fear of getting stuck on a crowded car and losing sight of a familiar face or stop. I think it has something to do with being squished by 1,000 people in a small space.
We are moving back to NY.
I will study this, Adu and try to be a good NYer and take the train :- )

Scarlett

The doctor is in.

You have a common fear and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Practice your NY face in a mirror, act impatient when you buy a metrocard, and stare at your watch while waiting for the train and you will be fine.

And please note, NY undercover cops are sensational. They are very hard to spot and are on many trains. They no longer have the color of day because the crooks figured it out.
___

OK Ggreen

Make that 28 1/2 so I can really score Brownie points.

Welcome back to NY, Scarlett! The squishing by 1,000 people hasn't changed, but some aspects of the subway have. The new trains, especially, are a significant improvement on the experience!
http://www.antennadesign.com/Feature...42a-subway-car

Driving a car in NYC, on the other hand, has IMHO gotten a LOT worse. Half the roadways are now narrowed by bicycle lanes; many crosstown streets (and some parts of avenues) don't allow turns or have "traffic calming" concrete islands carved out of them; and the Great White Way is but a pale imitation of its island-spanning self, gutted for acres of folding chairs and cafe tables on tarmac optimistically painted grass-green where traffic lanes used to be. And don't get me started on the Muni Meters...

<i>Make that 28 1/2 so I can really score Brownie points.</i>

Haha, you win! That made my day, so Brownie points scored. :)

The only time the subway schedule is useful is the middle o fhte night. Not that the train will come on schedule, but it will tell yuo if yuo can expect a train every 10 or 15 or 20 minutes.

Thank you Adu and ggreen :)
I will have to see these new trains .. I have to see the High LIne too.. so much to catch up on .. so excited !
My son takes the train from his apt to work each day and lives through it so I guess things are not as scary as I imagine.. or I am just a wuss.
I don't ride the subway (subte) here either .. so it is not anything against NYC ..
I won't drive IN the city, I leave that up to the Yankee, he has no fear.
Adu, I can master the impatient face in about a minute ... there, got it ~
Should I tap my foot as I stare at my watch ?
Regarding undercover cops .. I heart the NYPD anyway .. you know, after living in South America where the police all look like movie stars and act like Centurians, I look forward to my NY Policeman ..

Should I tap my foot as I stare at my watch ?

Sure, just be careful of what's underneath it.

Underneath the watch or the foot .. heh heh ...
I know, we have that here too .. walking watching where I step is second nature. You know, they have the Dog Walkers here, guys with anywhere from 4 to 10 dogs on leashes, taking up the whole sidewalk ..
I thought that was a thing of the past in NYC ... don't tell me they got lazy with that rule ?

Well, the NYC subway used to be a lot less nice than it is now. But also I've been taking the subway since I was a baby, and I can understand what's second-nature to me might seem really creepy to you! Just know that if you're going to try it, better now than before. :D

As for dog walkers, we've got some talented ones here too. I thought I was going to hate this new "reality" show, but it's really kind of sweet!
www.cbs.com/shows/dogs_in_the_city

If anyone wants to practice their NYC subway skills, come to the August NYC GTG on the UWS! In case you missed the post:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...gtg-in-nyc.cfm

The traffic seems to be so bad all the time now in NYC you will be so thankful for the subways. I;ve been lucky enough to only get stuck once so far and it was only for 10 minutes on an uncrowded train. I know the odds of that changing are great, but when i can get from times square to tribeca in no time flat for under $3 , that's quite a feat! My friend wont take the subway and it's frustrating when she visits but i get her fear. My 6 yo dd loves it though!

I love "Dogs in the City" and I am not big on reality TV. But I love NYC dogs, despite not having one during the many years I lived there. There's just something about them. I used to love just sitting in CP and watching the "dog show." :-)

I recently met a colleague who works in our NYC HQ who told me she never takes the subway because she thinks it is dangerous. I almost fell over - never heard such a thing, especially from someone who has been living in the City for awhile. I can't imagine NOT taking the subway.

I actually "speak" conductor fairly well. My husband is always asking me to translate. A lot of it is knowing what to expect - like any foreign language, lol.