Transit Museum Time

The transit museum is a place filled with interesting facts and stories....as well as more fun than you can ever imagine having in a museum!

Check me out playing a game of peekaboo on one of the older trains in the collection. I believe this is the train where our fantastic tour guide turned the fans on.

Here I am "swiping" my Metro Card. The museum has all the different styles of turnstyles starting with the very first one. When you arrived in the station you would purchase a ticket from one booth and then walk to the entrance. Here the passenger would put their ticket into a box and another transit worker would let them pass through to the subway. (I'm pretty sure that's how it went). The first time I tried going through this turnstyle was pretty painful. Unlike most of the display this particular one did not let you pass through. OW!

The car Julia has the pleasure of sitting in is in fact the oldest in the collection. Again, notice the straw seats. Both the back and bottom were straw and comfortable, but only for women. This was the train with the very low seats. Most men opted to stand because their knees would be in their faces when they sat. Notice that Julia does not have any problems sitting in the seat....go shorty!

To your right you'll notice the constant grin on my face as I'm holding on to a more "modern" train. I believe this train was from the 50s, but don't quote me. I took too long getting my photos developed and have forgotten some facts :(

The most comical aspect of all the trains were the ads. They're hysterical!!! They make no sense, have amazing illustrations and just plain ridiculous. They're much better than the ads we have today about TV shows and viagra.

What you've been waiting for....

Finally! Julia has posted her photos for me to show everyone. Over the next serveral days I will reveal the beauty that is the transit museum. I will be getting my own photos back from the lab next week. As it is late, 1am, and I have to be at work soon I'm only posting this one photo for now. And remember if the ride sucks put your feet on the seat! (Notice the straw seats....talk about a luxury ride!)

"I have a wad of $100s"

In a total brain fart moment I completly forgot to tell the tale of my recent Metro North ride. On Saturday my dear friend Kim and I took the 2:23 to Fordham. We almost didn't make it. Apparently the workers in Grand Central drive around on yellow work type vehicles. Within in 5 minutes we were almost run over twice. No joke. Had I not jumped back the first time I swear I would've lost a toe.

We finally made it to our train, with all our toes. One of the perks about taking Metro North is that the train is always on the track and waiting. Even better....the doors are open! Get out! They actually let you wait in the train. Kim and I made our way to find seats, it wasn't hard the train was empty. It was a new train like the ones the LIRR has. The only difference is that the seats looked like they had just been slicked down in oil. Not gonna lie, it was gross. They didn't feel oily they just looked nasty.

As we were waiting to pull out of the station an announcement was made:

"I just found a wad of $100 bills. Please find the conductor to claim it."

After Kim and I made numerous jokes that it was our money another announcement was made.

"I'm sorry, I lied. It's just one $100 bill. The rest of the wad is made up of $50s."

I doubt any of this was true. Just a conductor trying to be funny and probably wanting to see if anyone would step up and try to claim the fictional money.

The ride itself wasn't bad at all. But going back on Sunday the wait was a pain. Like the LIRR it pulled into the station about 5 minutes late. This is unusual for the very punctual Metro North. The highlight of it being late was having to "walk the plank" to get on the train. There was actual track work going on and long ramps were built out on to the tracks. Once it was safe we walked single file on these ramps to board the train. Then we waited another 5 minutes before moving. It was frustrating, mainly because I was sure the train would be on time. I just wanted to get home and rest! I was exhausted from the weekend.

Another perk....round trip it cost me $6! Gotta love city zones!

Be patient!

I know, I know I'm awful. I still haven't posted any glorious photos from the transit museum. That's only because Julia hasn't sent me her digital shots yet and I still need to finsh my role of film...egads! Film! Give me some more time and I'll see what I can do. In the mean time enjoy this lovely photo of me at Jubilee! Yes, even the LIRR haunts me at my college reunions!