I got up and got dressed before I
headed down to a restaurant in the lobby of the hotel for breakfast. After
breakfast, I returned to the room and got my stuff together. I was going out on
my own to visit the
I first headed out to a Burger King
across the street because it had internet access. I had lost the directions to
the
I bought an “Unlimited Ride” fare card and boarded the A-line subway. While waiting for my train, I photographed a subway on the E-line which was made of the oldest equipment in regular service.
When that subway train left, I
filmed it, but an A-line train arrived and I got on. That train had some newer
equipment on it. It wasn’t until a few stops later; I realized I was going the
wrong direction! I got off and filmed the train leaving before I caught another
A-line train south, where I wanted to go. This train however had the oldest
cars in service which reminded of the Toronto Transit
Commission’s class M-1 subway cars which were retired in 1999.
When I finally
got to the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street station, I filmed
the train pulling out before I walked two blocks to the museum. One the way, I
photographed a MTA New Flyer C40LF and an Orion 7 powered by CNG.
I paid admission
to the museum and explored. They have an exhibit about the construction of the
New York subway and the reconstruction of a line that was damaged when the
World Trade Centre collapsed on September 11, 2001.
The museum is in
a 1930s vintage subway station that MTA no longer uses in regular service. They
have a fleet of subway cars, several of which I photographed.
There were some
school groups of young children visiting on field trips, so I avoided them the
best I could.
I went upstairs and photographed a few more things. However, one person at the museum said I couldn’t use my tripod. I put it away, but I didn’t ask why I couldn’t. He said I could still take pictures.
They had the mock up of the front of a subway car, an MTA RTS, a streetcar, and a fishbowl. I photographed each.
They had a small exhibit on buses and it mentioned the various fuels buses use. I found the CNG part kind of ironic since back home; the TTC no longer runs buses powered by CNG. Also at the museum was a collection of turnstyles used over the years in the subway. I walked through each one!
I went to the gift shop where I bought a mouse pad and a keychain. I then left the museum and ate lunch at a Wendy’s in a strip mall a few blocks away.
After lunch, I explored the strip mall before I headed onto the subway. I rode the subway one stop east to get my bearings, then got off and caught a westbound express train to Penn station, which I explored.
After I left Penn station, I decided to visit the area of the hostel I stayed at when I first came to New York in February of 2005 to ride the Three Rivers. I took an E-line train to the 51st and Lexington station. Right after I got off, I heard a drummer playing which reminded me of how a subway musician last time I was at this place got on my nerves. I soon left and got off at 103rd street station on the 6-line.
I rode a MTA New Flyer D60 to where the Manhattan Youth Castle was. I saw the building, but it appeared to be closed and/or under renovation. I then boarded another D60, and found my fare card didn’t work. Apparently, you have to wait 20 minutes between riding buses on the same route going the same direction for it to be valid. Unlimited use, my ass!
The driver let me on though, and I got off at the next subway stop. I entered the station with no problem and rode the 6-line train back to the 51st and Lexington station. I would test some theories I had so I could avoid the annoying subway musicians. First, I rode a train to the next stop east. It would have taken a few minutes longer, but I still would have been at Penn station in time to ride the Three Rivers had I done that. Next, I took a V-line train, (which stops at the same platform as the E-line), two stops west. When I got off, I found even more annoying musicians at the 5th Avenue station. I was relieved when the next E-line train arrived and I rode back to Penn station and walked back to my hotel.
Once back at the hotel, my family and I decided to walk over to the Empire State Building which was three blocks away. Once there, we had to go through security which was at stringent as airport security. I had gone up the CN Tower in Toronto last year, and security wasn’t this tight.
We took an elevator to the 86th floor where the observation deck was and I took some photos.
It was windy up at the top, so I went inside. My family and I left and had dinner at a restaurant a block away from our hotel. After dinner, I looked around Penn Station and filmed an LIRR train arriving. I then returned to the hotel and eventually called it a night.
Click here to read my Amtrak trip to Philadelphia: Phili trip.htm
