Great thread!

When I'm in New York (which isn't very often) I use hopstop.com to figure out how to get places. I used to live in London and one thing I really miss is the electronic sign telling me how long I have to wait. The Washington Metro has them too, don't know why NYC can't. And don't get me started on escalators/elevators...

Oh yeah, thursdaysd, that's a great tip too! I couldn't live without Hopstop, especially on the weekends with all the construction. Great mobile, too. (Got that, Adu? For you and your smartphone LOL.)

The NYC MTA <i>does</i> now have electronic signs telling customers how long they have to wait; they call them "countdown clocks" and they've been around for a few years now. Only, they're not aboveground/outside the turnstiles where they could really help; they're not in every station; and at stations with both directions on the same platform, they're not as clear as they should be! *sigh*

ggreen - guess I must not have been in the right stations! (Or maybe not looking in the right place, the overhead space tends to be cluttered.) I usually just take the train in from JFK to 14th St, and then the west side trains and the L.

A little bit of MTA trivia: the L was the first line to get "countdown clocks". From what I've been told, the next station to get them was... 103rd Street on the 1 line. How random! (They test a lot of stuff on the L, I think because it's a relatively simple line for them to deal with.)

And yes, they oh-so-conveniently put the "clocks" overhead! Usually about mid-platform. (There are seldom more than one or two on any given platform.) The IRT lines (1/2/3 and 4/5/6) all have them. But for the most part, the lines I frequent -- R, F and A/C -- don't...

I'm not sure which makes me feel worse: craning my neck for some glimpse of headlamp light way down the tracks (combined with other tried-and-true signs, like a sudden increasing breeze far underground), or watching those LED displays sloooowly switch from, say, 12 to 11 minutes. Besides, it's difficult to break old habits! :D

(Got that, Adu? For you and your smartphone LOL.)

What's a smartphone? I assume it is just another electronic device to make me look stupid.
___

The system is over 100 years old and it is always more expensive to make changes that create something new. If they ever finish the 2nd Ave subway, it will not resemeble any part of the older systems.

<i>it is always more expensive to make changes that create something new</i>

A truer statement has never been said. That's why Beijing has a sparkling, multilingual transit system and we're stuck with "countdown clocks".

Nevertheless, there is a certain degree(!) of added obfuscation, untimeliness and cost when it comes to the NY MTA! Not to mention, they clearly didn't ask for input from a designer when they created them... ;)

This is the third attempt at building a 2nd Ave subway. The first two collapsed under the weight of corruption.

Third time's a charm - or three strikes and you're out...

(The latter especially apropos today, because I will be using our lovely east side subway this afternoon to reach my weekly softball game. Last week I missed the first half of the game thanks to the inevitable rain delays - and I don't mean on the field. Then again, today I'm wishing for a little cooling rain!)

Well have fun, better you than me.

We are meeting cousins at the hipster Filipino restaurant Maharlika.

"The system is over 100 years old and it is always more expensive to make changes that create something new."

But the London system is the oldest in the world...

Adu - I resent you calling The Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn "the boroughs". Manhattan is a borough too, as you well know. Otherwise, you seem like a pretty good guy.

BTW - On Jeopardy tonight the Final Jeopardy question was: "What state has the lowest amount of registered drivers, at 58%"? I knew right away it was probably NY, as NYC dwellers mostly use mass transit and don't need to drive. (Yup, I was right.)

Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn are the "outer boroughs" - properly termed unless someone has moved them to Manhattan. there are some perfectly fine neighborhoods in those boroughs and some interesting sights - but again, not Manhattan.

And I notice you didn't even mention Staten Island - another outer borough.

nytraveler - The first time I heard the term "outer boroughs" was from someone who didn't grow up in NYC. I did, and this term was never ever used. Surprised that Adu used that term as he did grow up in NYC. But perhaps he is talking to tourists and that's what how they make sense of NYC. Now it's the trendy thing to call them. I didn't mention Staten Island because Staten Island isn't connected to the NYC subway system that this thread is about.

"Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn are the "outer boroughs" - properly termed unless someone has moved them to Manhattan." "properly?" Really? So is Manhattan "the center borough"? As in "I'm going to Bloomies in the center borough"? or, "Gee you live in the center borough?"

Adu - I resent you calling The Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn "the boroughs". Manhattan is a borough too, as you well know. Otherwise, you seem like a pretty good guy.
___

Well I am sorry I disappointed you, I am not sure how I can move on with my life. And I am deeply disappointed in you
since you omitted the forgotten boro, Staten Island.

And I did not use the pejorative term BBQ crowd. I grew up in Brooklyn and when we went into Manhattan, we said we were going into the City. Everybody knew what it meant and no one took umbrage at the fact that Brooklyn was part of NYC since 1898.

Do you work for Marty Markowitz, the Boro Prez of Brooklyn because that is the type of thing he would care about?

Hi Adu - I know you grew up in Brooklyn.

You almost guessed it - Marty Markowitz and I are in a secret liaison. OK. It's out now. Ah, Marty my sweet. ( I know you are friends with Stu, so I forgive all. Please feel free to move on with your life. You now have my permission, something I am sure you crave.)

I could never forget Staten Island. My sister has lived there for 30 years. Poor thing. (Uh oh)

Please do not tell Stu you gave me a pass because of him, he will become more insufferable than he is now. (His new book should be coming out in the next few months.)

I can forgive anything but affection for Marty Markowitz.

Yes, one of my best acquaintances lives on Staten Island. We always threaten to loosen the bolts to the Verrazano and let Staten Island float out into the Atlantic.

As a Brooklynite, I can tell you that Manhattan is The City and when in Manhattan, the rest are the outer boroughs. Have been for the few decades I've lived here and for all the even-more-old-timers I know, so not sure why this term is a surprise... or why the term might be considered "touristy" or "trendy"!


<i>I can forgive anything but affection for Marty Markowitz.</i>

Adu, I knew I liked you for a reason. If that like is a mutual dislike, I guess opposition makes the bond stronger!


As for my trip yesterday, not only did I get a seat on all three trains, I made it from Prospect Expressway to center of North Meadow in an unbelievable, lightning-fast 58 minutes door to dugout. It may have been a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I'm relishing it while I can!

As a Brooklynite, I can tell you that Manhattan is The City and when in Manhattan, the rest are the outer boroughs. Have been for the few decades I've lived here and for all the even-more-old-timers I know, so not sure why this term is a surprise... or why the term might be considered "touristy" or "trendy"!


<i>I can forgive anything but affection for Marty Markowitz.</i>

Adu, I knew I liked you for a reason. If that like is a mutual dislike, I guess opposition makes the bond stronger!


As for my trip yesterday, not only did I get a seat on all three trains, I made it from Prospect Expressway to center of North Meadow in an unbelievable, lightning-fast 58 minutes door to dugout. It may have been a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I'm relishing it while I can!

Ggreen we were buds before we found out that there was another use of pink slime-the Brooklyn Boro Prez.

In Ebbets Field, there was a clothing sign in the outfield which read "Hit This Sign, Win a Free Suit" and it was from Abe Stark, the then Boro prez. And they now they named a skating rink after him.

Adu - I lived on Ocean Avenue, 2 blocks from Ebbets Field. I was 5 when the Dodgers left. Please don't tell any other Brooklynites that I even mentioned the dastardly former Brooklyn team's name.