Digging The Second Avenue Subway

This video ran last week on CBS Sunday morning, but it's a very well done piece about the progress of the Second Avenue Subway. As someone who has almost always lived off of Second Avenue in my 14 years in Manhattan, the Second Avenue Subway has been a bit of an urban legend. Would it ever really happen? Now that it is underway, it's still only three stops long.

But it's needed. I've done two tours of duty living on the Upper East Side, and the subways in the morning are reason enough for me to pause before ever moving back. Even if the subway only goes three stops, and through the most residential sections, maybe it will be an improvement.

I Am A Little Concerned About The 6 Train

The 6 train has reached new lows, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

Four times in the past 24 hours I have been majorly delayed by the 6 train, going both uptown and downtown. Twice I was actually stuck on the train, between stations.

It started Friday morning at 77th Street, when I was trying to get to work. Basically, the train never came due to "signal problems." I left and hopped a bus to 59th Street, then took an N train to 14th Street.

On the way home I got stuck in a tunnel for over 20 minutes, again because of a "signal problem." We were literally 50 yards outside of Grand Central station.

This morning, again, I had to walk to work from Murray Hill because there was no 6 train. Heading back home after some shopping, something went wrong with the brakes on an uptown train, and we all had to get off while they fixed it.

I understand that the subway runs on an antiquated system, but in the nine years that I've lived in NYC I've never gotten stuck in a tunnel. With the recent cuts to service that the MTA recently announced, I also don't expect things to get much better.

It's also futile to suggest that the Second Avenue subway would solve these transit issues. Guess what, kids, the Second Avenue subway is never going to happen. It's like the Easter Bunny or Santa Clause: people tell you it's coming, but deep down you know it's nothing but a fairy tale.

If you need me, I'll be on the bus. I get lots of reading done there.