Everybody comfy?

Tired of not being able to find a seat on the subway? Of course you are! It’s like saying you’re tired of that garbage smell during the summer, or high rent or Mike Bloomberg’s stupid face. But short of wandering around with your own tiny seat, there isn’t much you can do about being required to stand in the subway. Fortunately for us, the folks at the Transportation Research Board have been watching us (on the train only we hope) and have some recommendations for an improved seating and standing environment. (more…)

You can’t spell “financial inequality” without “L”

The subway is New York’s great equalizer. It’s the one place in the city that puts comfortable, monocled millionaires into the same tiny box with rude, possibly deranged people who clip their toenails in public. And those millionaires take the train, or at least pretend to, because the only thing more New York than being filthy monocle rich is pretending that you’re still a working class palooka despite your vast wealth. But now, thanks to the New Yorker, people will know just how rich you are when you get off the subway, because they’ll be armed with the median income of your subway stop. (more…)

He’d have fit right in, honestly

Before it rode off into the TV sunset, 30 Rock was known for a being sitcom that was in love with New York. We particularly liked the occasional Mr. Met cameo. But for anyone who’s ever ridden the subway and passed time staring at the ads, there’s one that’s always stood out: “Thank You Dr. Zizmor!” The ad, which despite being clear about what its advertising is mysterious because it looks like it was made in 1995, is as much of a New York institution as the Yankees at this point, so it makes sense Tina Fey tried to get the man responsible for it to make a cameo on her show. (more…)

Which side are you on? via Flickr user Susan NYC

Today is the last day of February, marking the unofficial end of winter! Hooray! Then again, while March should bring higher temperatures and less bulky jackets, it’s also going to be bringing higher subway fares, with the MTA fare hike kicking in on Sunday. Uh, less hooray. Instead of just grousing about those clowns in Albany, No Fare Hikes, a group organized against endless fare hikes, has a better idea: swipe people in with your unlimited card while you’re walking out of the station. The protest is known as Swipe Back, and we talked to one of the organizers behind it. (more…)

I want YOU to come to Videology

1. Get thrizzled at Book Court by author Michael Kupperman’s stories of Einstein and Mark Twain solving mysteries (Monday)

2. Hampshire College hosts their alumni (including Eugene Mirman) at Union Hall in a display of how much better their college is than your college (Monday)

3. Find out if it goes to 11, at Videology (Monday)

4. Dive into Freddy’s back room for some comedy, but be careful: there are no lifeguards on duty (Monday) (more…)

Wait for it…wait for it… via Flickr user Stephen Rees

The Helvetica-laden notes from the MTA’s January Transit & Bus Committee meeting are out, and boy, are they scintillating. Besides discussing cash deficits, ridership statistics, and something called the “obsolescence reserve,” they also released some handy charts detailing wait times that subway riders have been subjected to in the last two years. So if you felt like G train service was especially crappy last year, well, you might be right. (more…)

Ho hum, another boring-ass commute. via Flickr user Ennuipoet

Things you can see on the subway every day include kids selling candy, people clipping their toenails, people listening to music WAY too loud on headphones and dead-eyed commuters just wishing the day would end. Things you can only see one day a year on the subway: a thousand people riding the subway in their underwear. So be sure you’re aware of the fact that this Sunday, that’s exactly what you’re going to see, when Improv Everywhere’s No Pants Subway Ride returns to the city. (more…)

Who were the first people to ever make out on the subway? via Crushable

So you’ve done trivia on everything from The Simpsons to a Pat Kiernan-hosted 90s quiz, sex-ed to black history, and you’re hungry for more. Well, did you know that the 7 line has 21 stations? Or that the longest distance you can take on the subway without transferring is 31 miles? Oh, you knew that? Well then you very well may crush it at the Transit Museum’s trivia night next Thursday. (more…)

You don’t have to resort to anything this desperate…yet. Photo via Flickr user deltacbravo

If you’ve spent any time standing on a G train platform and staring down the tunnel, wondering where the hell the train is, we’ve got a way for you to make a dent in the waiting game. Fresh off their meeting to sketch out plans for getting better G service, the Riders Alliance is taking things to the streets this weekend with a petition drive. (more…)

Now waiting for the subway won’t make you feel like a helpless child. Photo by Margaret Mendel

For some odd reason, the MTA decided to break the news of their new Subway Time app during New York’s Christmas brownout. As if they were ashamed of it, or didn’t want us all the be able to know when the subway was on its way. This is strange, but no one ever said the MTA did things in the most straightforward manner possible. Of course, they may have been low key about it because the app only debuted on the iPhone and they had no plans to design one themselves for Android phones. But some enterprising soul has already gone and made one for us. (more…)