Monday, May 21, 2012
Is this a cult?
(see photo). I have been seeing signs advertising the School of Practical Philosophy since I first moved to NYC in 2003. They are always either in subway stations or in the trains themselves. I suppose it is a good way to reach a wide, disparate audience quite likely disillusioned and searching for meaning, and perhaps wondering how it came to be crammed next to a a particularly malodorous person at that particular point in time, or wondering what mistakes in life destined it to be sitting next to a drunk, vomiting teenager (this has happened to me). Still, as much as I question my life choices when suffocating in the N train at rush hour or waiting 45 minutes for a D train at 2 AM, I have never been tempted to phone up the School of Practical Philosophy. A glance at the website, www.philosophyworks.org, doesn't really reveal much more than their advertisement, though it has the same vaguely creepy graphics with sun shining through clouds in a blue sky. They seem to offer courses in philosophy and economics for a fee, of course. But the whole thing feels cultish to me somehow. I am, however, happy to be proven wrong if any former or current students of the school want to speak up for it. I am also happy to be proven right if anyone wants to confirm that it is in fact a cult out to recruit vulnerable subway patrons.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Signal Failures Abroad: The London Underground
I'm not writing this from London - I was last there for about three days almost two years ago, and looking through some old photos today, I found that I have tons of pictures from the London Underground. So, I thought it might be fun to share some of them here, and think about some of the pros and cons of each city's system. I welcome comments, corrections, etc.
I was very impressed by the subway system in London. I have to say - for anyone coming from NYC, it's very easy to figure out a lot of systems in other cities, and the famous London tube system was no exception. It seems that it almost goes out of its way to create a pleasant and easy experience. I loved especially those electronic signs that tell you when the next train is coming. The NYC MTA is very slowly getting around to implementing them, but it's taking years. We have them on the 4/5/6 line, though they're often not working, and now they're on the 1/2/3 as well, and the L (if I'm missing one let me know). I love those signs, because often they can let me know whether or not I should start reading my book, look for a bench on the platform, or just give up and take a cab. I also very rarely had trouble finding a seat on the London trains. I'm not saying this even should always happen, but invariably some nice man would get up and offer me his seat. That doesn't happen here. In fact, I've actually had men push me out of the way for a seat on the train. We're a city filled with George Costanzas here in NYC. I've also never had to struggle with a heavy suitcase up or down the stairs in a tube station. Someone *always* offers to help. People will occasionally help here, too, but it's not something to be counted on. In fact, I offered to help a woman struggling with a suitcase yesterday, and the thing was so heavy I almost instantly regretted it. I can't always blame people for not helping. It sure is nice when they do, though.
There are things I think NYC does better - such as air conditioning in the train during the summer. It wasn't overly hot in London in mid-July, and I doubt they get as many scorchingly hot days as we do here, but stepping onto the train upon leaving Heathrow, I was a little taken aback by the warm air that hit me. And when the train gets crowded in the summer, that A/C is quite a blessing. Another thing I noticed in London in general, but also in some of the tube stations (I say some because I wasn't in that many of them, and can't say whether this is universal) - the absence of trash cans, or "bins." The stations seemed perfectly clean, but it left me wondering what people do with their trash! I remember holding the same paper bag that I wanted to toss on two different trains on my way to the airport, and then finally asking the woman behind the desk at Virgin Atlantic's check in counter to throw it out for me, because I simply could not find anywhere to do it myself. Not that NYC's stations are any cleaner for having trash cans. There are still rats running around, especially late at night, and there is still tons of litter on the tracks. It's pretty gross. I heard recently that there was a proposal to do away with trash cans in subway stations here, and I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not sure how the London stations stay clean, but I'm pretty sure here people would just start using the tracks as a garbage can even more frequently than they already do.
I loved the aesthetic of the London system, though. I like ours, too, in a lot of the stations, but I loved the clean lines, the iconic signage, the way people move to the right on escalators so those of us who want to walk can pass them .... (OK that's got nothing to do with aesthetics, but it's something people are supposed to do here and don't, and it drives me crazy). So here are some of my favorite photos of the London Underground:
King's Cross/St. Pancras - A station I was at quite a bit given that I was doing some work at the British Library...
A very steep escalator. It reminded me of the Lexington Ave station here with the really steep escalator. Notice how that person is standing to the right, though. So I could pass her if I wanted to. Take note, NYC.
I *think* this one was outside the Hyde Park station. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
This is here just because it's Hampstead, which is where I would live if money/job/etc were no object. My Keats obsession might have something to do with this.
Maybe my favorite station that I came across, because of the nifty pictures on the wall (that's right, I use the word "nifty") showing the history of Charing Cross. I'm sure these are here for tourists, just like the animal mosaics in the 81st Street station near the NYC Museum of Natural History are there for tourists. I loved them, though!
I loved the curved ceiling in the tunnel here ...
Another very steep escalator pic...I think it's the same escalator as before, actually.
More Charing Cross, because they're just so much fun! Is that a raven in the one on the right? And look at those guys with clubs on the left. What are they doing?
Camden Town Station, near where I stayed.
Finally - I will be traveling in Europe in August - France, Switzerland, and Italy. I look forward to doing another edition of Signal Failures Abroad at that point!
I was very impressed by the subway system in London. I have to say - for anyone coming from NYC, it's very easy to figure out a lot of systems in other cities, and the famous London tube system was no exception. It seems that it almost goes out of its way to create a pleasant and easy experience. I loved especially those electronic signs that tell you when the next train is coming. The NYC MTA is very slowly getting around to implementing them, but it's taking years. We have them on the 4/5/6 line, though they're often not working, and now they're on the 1/2/3 as well, and the L (if I'm missing one let me know). I love those signs, because often they can let me know whether or not I should start reading my book, look for a bench on the platform, or just give up and take a cab. I also very rarely had trouble finding a seat on the London trains. I'm not saying this even should always happen, but invariably some nice man would get up and offer me his seat. That doesn't happen here. In fact, I've actually had men push me out of the way for a seat on the train. We're a city filled with George Costanzas here in NYC. I've also never had to struggle with a heavy suitcase up or down the stairs in a tube station. Someone *always* offers to help. People will occasionally help here, too, but it's not something to be counted on. In fact, I offered to help a woman struggling with a suitcase yesterday, and the thing was so heavy I almost instantly regretted it. I can't always blame people for not helping. It sure is nice when they do, though.
There are things I think NYC does better - such as air conditioning in the train during the summer. It wasn't overly hot in London in mid-July, and I doubt they get as many scorchingly hot days as we do here, but stepping onto the train upon leaving Heathrow, I was a little taken aback by the warm air that hit me. And when the train gets crowded in the summer, that A/C is quite a blessing. Another thing I noticed in London in general, but also in some of the tube stations (I say some because I wasn't in that many of them, and can't say whether this is universal) - the absence of trash cans, or "bins." The stations seemed perfectly clean, but it left me wondering what people do with their trash! I remember holding the same paper bag that I wanted to toss on two different trains on my way to the airport, and then finally asking the woman behind the desk at Virgin Atlantic's check in counter to throw it out for me, because I simply could not find anywhere to do it myself. Not that NYC's stations are any cleaner for having trash cans. There are still rats running around, especially late at night, and there is still tons of litter on the tracks. It's pretty gross. I heard recently that there was a proposal to do away with trash cans in subway stations here, and I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not sure how the London stations stay clean, but I'm pretty sure here people would just start using the tracks as a garbage can even more frequently than they already do.
I loved the aesthetic of the London system, though. I like ours, too, in a lot of the stations, but I loved the clean lines, the iconic signage, the way people move to the right on escalators so those of us who want to walk can pass them .... (OK that's got nothing to do with aesthetics, but it's something people are supposed to do here and don't, and it drives me crazy). So here are some of my favorite photos of the London Underground:
More Charing Cross, because they're just so much fun! Is that a raven in the one on the right? And look at those guys with clubs on the left. What are they doing?
Finally - I will be traveling in Europe in August - France, Switzerland, and Italy. I look forward to doing another edition of Signal Failures Abroad at that point!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Pink Floyd on the D Train
Musical entertainments of all sorts are very common on the subway, as well as on the platform as anyone who regularly rides the rails in NYC knows. My personal favorite is the Mariachi band, about which I will post more extensively another time. The break dancers make me nervous. I'm always scared both for them (that one of them will crack his skull at some point) and for me (that I'll get kicked in the head). The break dancers, however, are pretty common on the D train, which I ride pretty often through the South Bronx to and from work. The Mariachi band occasionally frequents the D train, too, but I last saw them on the N. However, a few weeks ago, a friend and I were riding the D train together, and this guy gets on with his guitar. Imagine our surprise when he starts singing one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs. Naturally, since I started doing this blog, I decided to start filming.* Apologies in advance for the generally poor quality of this video - it was taken with my iPhone on a moving train:
I regret that the sound isn't better - he actually sounded sort of nice (unlike a lot of subway singers), but my phone seems to have picked up a lot of miscellaneous train noises. What I mostly love about this performance, though, is that he just doesn't care that this isn't really an audience for that song. He's just singing his song and not worrying about it, though he's determined to finish, even when the train is bumpy and when people are getting on and off. I can't blame him - Wish You Were Here is such a great song. Hearing it on the D Train was a completely unexpected, somewhat surreal moment. But that's one of the kind of wonderful things about the train, and indeed about NYC in general; you never know when someone is going to start singing a Pink Floyd song in the South Bronx, or some other completely random and amazing thing. In this case, the unexpected made for a pretty fun ride.
*Since most of these performers ask for a donation afterwards, if I film I always make sure to give them something. If I'm getting something out of it, it's only fair.
*Since most of these performers ask for a donation afterwards, if I film I always make sure to give them something. If I'm getting something out of it, it's only fair.
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