0

A First Time For Everything

Posted by
on August 24th, 2007 at 8:05 am

I did something for the first time during the last part of rush hour on November 9, 2005. What did I do? I rode a Bee Line bus for the first time! I don’t know why I was excited since I’ve never been a bus fanatic but I was. I guess it stems from the freshness of something new being accomplished.

I had just left my girlfriend & was walking back towards Nereid Ave for the 2. I originally was going to just walk there even though my foot was killing me. I then stopped & said why don’t I just check to atleast see when the next Bee Line bus was scheduled to arrive. I looked at the schedule & noticed one was due in a couple of minutes. I decided I’d just hop on it to 233rd St & catch the 2 to Simpson from there.

I only had a couple of minutes so I went through my bag to find $1.75 in change. I managed to find enough change for the ride. The bus came & I boarded bus 850 & my first Bee Line ride was about to begin. When I payed my fare, I realized I could have just used a dollar bill along with 75 cents. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.

The ride was a very quick but enjoyable one. The bus pulled up to the corner of White Plains Rd & 233rd St when a woman asked to get off. I assume she wanted to hop on the 2 train as well. The driver told her he couldn’t drop her off there as it was no longer a bus stop.

He also mentioned if he let her off & she got injured & sued, he would lose his job. Wow not everyday you hear a bus driver even go into detail. Most times the driver will let the person off or just flat out say no & nothing else.

The light changed & he made the left onto 233rd St & dropped everyone off at the last stop. I wished him a good night as he did I in return & I got off. I hopped on the 2 back to Simpson & the rest is history.

The Bee Line will eventually be photographed for this site as I made a promise to myself. Once I officially moved down here, the game as a whole would be on & no equipment or place would be off limits. The promise will be kept, period.

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0

When Pigs Stay Status Quo

Posted by
on August 24th, 2007 at 5:45 am

This story takes place during the afternoon of November 7, 2005. I was on a downtown 5 train (6379) on my way to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall. The photo itch was upon me & I intended to satisfy it. I decided I would shoot at a few stations in Brooklyn along the J, M, & Z.

I had a corner seat & noticed 2 young females sit across from me. My first guess was these two friends were in their late teens. One of the females was very tall. I originally noticed her leaning against the door when I first boarded the train. She was the topic of conversation amongst 2 friends who originally occupied the seats the two teens & I would eventually occupy.

The tall female had a serious case of the munchies by her own admission. She was scarfing down small bags of chips, & such. I bet most females would hate her as it looked like she wouldn’t gain a pound. Let me not digress however. So when she sat down with her friend, the munchies continued. She had a bag full of junk food & was continuing to scarf down.

The last thing she had in her bag was a bottle of what looked like Hawaiian Punch. I figured she would put all her stuff away in the plastic bag when she was done. I was unfortunately way off base as after she finished each item, she threw the garbage under the seat.

The other friend only had a beverage & she finished it. She looked at her friend & looked like she wondered why all the trash was thrown under the seat including the bag. I couldn’t make out what her reason was but it seemed convincing enough. Why do you ask? Well because her friend took her bottle & threw it underneath the seat as well.

I just glanced at them & thought what pigs these two are. I wonder if they treat their home as they did car # 6379. I got up from my seat as my stop was approaching. I glanced at them one last time & fully understood what it meant “When Pigs Stay Status Quo”

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2

It Sucks To Be You Now Doesn’t It!

Posted by
on August 24th, 2007 at 2:21 am

November 5th was a very busy day of railfanning & shooting for yours truly. My main goal was to shoot along the 4 in the Bronx. I managed to do most of the stations. I eventually did a C.O.T. on the D as well. I originally planned on doing one for a G.O. on the C but I knew I wouldn’t have enough time.

Since I’ve been staying at my grandfather’s place, my main goal is to not miss the last Bx5 for the night. I hate wasting cash on a cab when it isn’t a necessity. On a side note, I can’t wait to move to my new place as I won’t have to worry about catching a last bus. I’ll be about a 5 minute walk from the train station. Anyway I have digressed enough.

Since the C.O.T. on the C was out of the question, I winged the rest of the trip. I ended up hopping on the A @ 145th St so I could attempt some underground shots at a few stations. The results were better then what I expected considering the camera I use now.

However this won’t be an issue in a few days as a new camera will be on the scene & this passion of mine will be on a totally different level from everything else. Once again let me not digress though.

I eventually made my way to 190th St. I did some shooting there which was easier then expected because of the nice lighting. I took a look at the time & decided I will start heading back. I crossed over to the downtown side so I can go to 59th St-CC for the uptown 1 to 72nd St, follwed by the 2 to Simpson, & the Bx5 home.

The downtown A arrives a few minutes after I crossover. I boarded car 4022 which was pretty empty. When the train arrived at 181 St, about 9-10 young Jewish adults got on. They all looked to be in their early to mid 20’s at most. They were quite a loud bunch except for one who really didn’t say anything.

I actually felt somewhat sorry for her. I got the feeling she was the extra wheel or the ultimate outsider. I could be wrong but my gut instinct is rarely wrong. I am so glad I had my music as these people were way too loud & were quite annoying.

The story title comes from what happened when the train arrived at 125th St. The group all stood up as the train approached the station. The doors opened & each one stepped off onto the platform.

The problem happened was the conductor seemed to have a fast door trigger & closed the door on the last person who was getting out. His reflexes were slow as he didn’t get his hands out in time to at least attempt the doors from closing.

It seems only one of the group members noticed what happened at the instant it did. Some help she was though as instead of trying to scream at the conductor to open the door for her friend, she found it funny as told the rest what happened. I guess the moron thought the conductor would magically reopen the door.

The man was frustrated that he was stuck. All he could do is get off at 59th St & turn back around. I felt bad for the guy as his misery was entertaining to two black guys in our car. One of them felt the need to laugh out loud & tell the guy you are screwed.

He also notified the guy this was the express & he would have to transfer back at 59th St. I’m sure the last thing this man wanted to deal with was a moron finding this funny & continuing to laugh until atleast 72nd St with his friend.

The guy tried playing it cool but you could tell he felt out of place. Maybe he didn’t know the system well or was new to the city. I actually was thinking about this whole situation for the entire ride down to 59th St-CC. I was thinking about a few things. For starters, I wondered if he knew there was a G.O. happening which had all CPW trains running local from 59th St-CC to 125th St.

Secondly, I was wondering which stop they were originally going to get off at. Lastly I thought how it would make sense for him to call his friends & tell them to hop on the local to whatever stop they were going too & he would meet them there. This is assuming he knew the G.O. was in order. Somehow I doubt he did know about it though. I was going to tell him but when the doors opened at 59th St-CC, he sped off. I was not running after him.

In the end I assume he hopped on the A or D while his friends waited at 125th St for him so they could turn right back around & hop on a downtown local. Oh boy that just sounds like an annoying trip. Hopefully by some miracle my common sense way of dealing with this problem was used. Somehow I doubt it though & it sure sucked to be him that night.

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0

All It Takes Is $8 & A Dream

Posted by
on August 24th, 2007 at 1:33 am

Well once again I’m way behind in updating the blog. Actually if you really think about it, I’m way behind in working & finally finishing the entire site! I will have it open before Halloween, that is a guarantee! In case anyone cares, this story took place on September 26, 2005. Let me not digress however.

I decided to do some railfanning today. I really wanted some shots from the Woodside LIRR station. I accomplished that goal & decided to do some more railfanning as I waited for a phone call to find out if I could see my friend after work.

I just finished shooting at 82nd St–Jackson Heights on the 7 when I got a phone call from my friend. She told me we could meet up for a little while before I had to head back to what she likes to call the super boonies. So I decided to take the 7 down one stop & transfer at 74th St-Broadway.

I figured I’d catch the V & take it to 53rd St for the 6 uptown to Hunts Point for the BX5. I just got down the stairs & saw the V pulling off. I could see another train coming right behind it & low & behold it was the R.

Since it was the R, I decide I’ll take it to Lexington & transfer for either the 5 or 6 uptown. I get in car #5754 which was the first one. As I sit down in a 2 seater behind the T.O., I notice what looks like a spanish woman in her early to mid 30’s across from me. I didn’t think much of it until I saw her pull out a couple of “Crossword” scratch off tickets from her bag.

I was somewhat taken back by the fever pitch like scratching that was taking place in front of my eyes. She seriously had the look of a junkie happy to get a new fix of the “good stuff”. This woman is oblivious to the fact that I’m watching her in amazement.

I could tell she didn’t win anything by the way she folded up the tickets. I figured this would be the end of it as she would fold the tickets up & put them in her bag until she could toss them later. However I couldn’t be more wrong.

I watch her fold up the tickets so she could stuff them in between a crease between the bar & seat itself. When she couldn’t fit them in there, she just tossed it on the seat intending to leave it there. The temptation of saying “hey why not put your trash in your bag” was there. However I didn’t say anything.

Maybe she felt how annoyed I was at her for doing that or the magical feeling of common sense kicked in. Yes, she did the right thing by picking up the tickets & putting them in her bag for a later disposal. So now I’m thinking this is the end but I was wrong!

A few minutes later as music is filling my ears through my torn apart headphones, I glance over at her. I notice that she is pulling out 2 more “Cashword” scratch off tickets. I thought the fever pitch scratching show was over. This time the scratching was even more eye catching.

She scratched as if she felt doing it harder would lead to financial rewards. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be as she lost again. I’m happy that she did the right thing this time & put the tickets away in her bag immediately after the tragic ending.

The train is approaching Lexington Ave so I get up & check to make sure I left nothing behind. As the R is pulling into Lexington Ave, I glance at her & she did the same to me. She gave me the infamous smile that tells you not everything is ok but lets pretend it is. The doors have now opened & as I turn away from her to walk out, I tell myself one thing. In regards to this woman, “All It Takes Is $8 & A Dream” couldn’t be further from the truth.

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0

Wrapping A Mind

Posted by
on August 24th, 2007 at 1:01 am

I know this story is late but at least I’m actually writing about it! The night was Friday April 8th. I had just finished doing my first “chronicles of time” on the W. I was standing outside the stairs to the Whitehall St station. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. I decided to call my best friend Dawn. Unfortunately she was on the phone so I figured I’d try one more friend before I made up my mind in regards to what I would do next.

I called my friend Stephanie. She seemed wrapped up in some company at her house. I figured I’d just do some railfanning before heading back to my Bronx crash pad for when I’m within the 5 boroughs for days at a time. I can’t wait until I actually move into my own place somewhere within the 5 boroughs. Lets not digress from the story though.

My cell phone rings & I see it is Dawn calling me back. We spoke for a few minutes & then made plans on the run. I was happy we made plans for a few reasons. First, I had no sense of what I wanted to do next. Secondly it would give me something to do & lastly it has been over a year since I have seen her.

The last time I saw her was when we met a bunch of WWE superstars on the eve & day of Wrestlemania 20. Why I haven’t seen her in over a year you ask? Well that is none of your business plus it isn’t the point of this blog.

We decide to meet up at 71-Continental Ave. I decided to take the most direct route which was the R from Whitehall St to the last stop. This is where my first blog opinion gets started. I’m sitting in the corner of the train & I see a guy with a couple of bags sitting across from me. I notice he has a new cd. He was admiring the new Beanie Siegel cd. I was just listening to my Jesse Malin cd when I noticed he started to open the cd.

The reason this caught my attention was because of what I see him do with the packaging. The man has a couple of bags with him yet he still felt the need to open the cd & throw parts of the wrapping underneath the seat. The kicker to this story is he took the rest of the packaging & placed it inside one of his bags. WTF??????

I don’t understand why he couldn’t just put all the wrapping in one of his bags to begin with. I could understand if it was an accident that led to the wrapping going underneath the seat. The fact is there was no accident & he purposely littered what is an already dirty enough system.

He eventually got off the train but for the rest of the ride my mind was stuck on his actions. Did a magical power touch his soul & make him realize he was wrong for throwing his wrapping underneath the seat? Who knows what he was thinking.

In the end I got off at the last stop, exited the station, crossed the street, & went up to Dawn. I will probably never see the guy again & really have no reason too. All I can hope is that he will remember his last action & do his part to keep our system clean.

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