But For Thoughtless Manspreading
When the young man sat down
With his legs wide apart
On a crowded subway train
There was no room left for
The elderly woman standing
Before him to have a seat
But for thoughtless manspreading
Subway
NYC Mayor John Hylan and the Fight to Create the Port Authority
As Rick Cotton retires as the latest in a long line of executive directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, it’s worth thinking about the original, lurching journey to create the agency a century ago.
The Port Authority, which last year recorded gross operating revenues of almost $7 billion on assets of more than $63 billion, oversees many of New York City’s bridges, tunnels, marine terminals, and airports and a 1,500-square-mile port district. It was created in 1921 via a two-state compact ratified by Congress. That launch had not been assured, nor was getting there smooth. [Read more…] about NYC Mayor John Hylan and the Fight to Create the Port Authority
Catalonia in Manhattan: The Architectural Legacy of Rafael Guastavino
At the start of the 1880s, Barcelona was an expanding city of about 350,000 people. Its medieval walls had been knocked down only twenty-five years earlier. Capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, city and region developed into Spain’s economic dynamo. Prosperity mushroomed. A self-confident territory strove to re-establish its identity by invigorating local traditions, culture and language. Barcelona became an engine of change and modernity. [Read more…] about Catalonia in Manhattan: The Architectural Legacy of Rafael Guastavino
The Subway Sun: Advertising Public Health & Safety
Over five decades, The Subway Sun advised, informed, and admonished New York subway riders – encouraging civility, safety, cleanliness, and pride in their city and its mass transit rail system.
Designed to resemble the front page of a newspaper, The Subway Sun quickly became a part of daily life for millions of riders. Initially, the posters were text-based and emphasized the benefits and conveniences of the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) system, as well as announced schedule, fare, and safety information. [Read more…] about The Subway Sun: Advertising Public Health & Safety
Manhattan’s Congestion Pricing Now in Effect
Starting on January 5, 2025, vehicles entering Manhattan‘s Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ), will be charged a toll in an effort to encourage commuters to use rapid transit instead. The disincentivizing fee, intended to cut down on traffic congestion and pollution, was first proposed in 2007 and included in the 2019 New York State government budget by the New York State Legislature. [Read more…] about Manhattan’s Congestion Pricing Now in Effect
The New York City Chewing Gum War of 1939
Sugar was cheap during the Great Depression. Chewing gum was an affordable treat that sold well. But New York City was paying a high price to scrape the sticky mess from the ground.
The city had recently taken over the Independent Subway Line and balked at the cost of cleaning gum from the platforms. The Mayor released a statement to the morning papers on December 4, 1939: “This may seem like a trifling matter, but it costs the City of New York literally hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to remove gum from parks, streets and public places.” [Read more…] about The New York City Chewing Gum War of 1939
New York City Subway Fare History: A Primer
On August 20, 2023 New York City‘s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) instituted a 5% increase for the cost of a single subway or bus trip, with the base price going from $2.75 to $2.90. The previous fare hike took place in 2015.
From the inauguration of subway services in 1904 until the previously separate Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit (BMT) and Independent (IND) lines were unified into one system in 1948, the fare for a subway ride of any length was 5¢. [Read more…] about New York City Subway Fare History: A Primer
International Express: New Yorkers on the 7 Train
In the new book International Express: New Yorkers on the 7 Train (Columbia University Press, 2017) by Stéphane Tonnelat and William Kornblum, the French ethnographer Tonnelat and his collaborator Kornblum, a native New Yorker, ride the 7 subway line to better understand the intricacies of the New York City Transit Authority 7 subway.
Nicknamed the International Express, the New York City Transit Authority 7 subway line runs through a highly diverse series of ethnic and immigrant neighborhoods in Queens. People from Andean South America, Central America, China, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, and Vietnam, as well as residents of a number of gentrifying blue-collar and industrial neighborhoods, fill the busy streets around the stations. The 7 train is a microcosm of a specifically urban, New York experience, in which individuals from a variety of cultures and social classes are forced to interact and get along with one another. For newcomers to the city, mastery of life in the subway space is a step toward assimilation into their new home. [Read more…] about International Express: New Yorkers on the 7 Train