Subway Etiquette 101: Seating Arrangements

OK, so here is another problem I have with the subways. Why do passengers on the trains have this urgent need to sit on other peoples laps? I mean, while I appreciate the cheap feels, this is not the best or most comfortable way I want to begin my morning.

I understand that seats on the subway are tight, but if the seat in between two people is empty and your big ass can't fit, why would you sit there? Have you ever done a puzzle? If you have then you might have heard the phrase, "If it don't fit, don't force it." I declare that this phrase be made a rule to be applied to seating on trains, buses, and any other form of public transportation.

By the way, I think everyone should familiarize themselves with the Rules of the Ride.

MTA Service Changes

So there are a bunch of Service Advisories for the subways this weekend. If you are going to be working or traveling around the city here are some places to look out for:

1 - October 25th to the 27th 2008 - 1 Trains are skipping 28th,23, and 18th streets between 12:01 AM Saturday and 5AM Monday. There are also no 1 trains between 14th street and South Ferry. There will be a shuttle bus to take you to stations between 14th street and South Ferry.

Supposedly they are making changes to improve the system (Which we probably won't see till 2015)

4 - Brooklyn Bound Trains are skipping Bergen Street, Grand Army Plaza, and Eastern Pkwy. Your best bet here is to take the 4 to Franklin Ave., and transfer to a Manhattan Bound 2,3, or 4 Train

F - Manhattan Bound trains are skipping Ft Hamilton Pkwy, 15 St-Prospect Pk, and
4 Av. I would take a Coney Island-bound F to 7 or Church Avs and transfer to a Manhattan-bound F.

For more service advisories your best bet is to check the MTA website.

Subway Etiquette 101: The Meaning of Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

For anyone who has ridden any NYC Subway, has heard the announcement, "Step in and stand clear of the closing doors." Well this lesson I am breaking into two parts.

Part 1: Step in -

Step in does not mean stand in front of the doors when you know you aren't getting off the train for 5 or 6 stops. There are so many times, like today for instance, that tons of people will stand in front of the door leaving tons of space in the middle of the train car.

This is upsurd, I can understand if you are getting off the next stop. But, if you are taking the train several stops, there is absolutely no reason why you can't step into the middle of the car.

Part 2: Stand clear of the closing doors -

In simple terms this means move your butts away from the door, so that the door can close, and the train can get you to your destination faster. I apologize if this seems to be a very common sense thing, but I swear passengers of the NYC Transit System are ridiculous.