Terrible Commute on the #7 Train Tonight

It was a normal commute this evening until I got to Times Square and tried to board the beloved #7 train.  There was an announcement that there were signal problems on the #7 so I decided to walk over to 8th Avenue and 42nd Street to take the E to Roosevelt and 74th Street.  When I got there we were informed that there was no power at 90th Street and that all service would stop at 74th Street.  I had to think out my options:

1. Wait until the delay ended
2. Walk to Northern Blvd and 74th Street to take the 66 Bus to Flushing (it was raining)
3. Take the #7 back to 61st Street and take the LIRR to Flushing.

I chose option #3.  The platform on the LIRR Port Washington Line was very crowded but I was able to get on the scheduled 6:07 train.  After much aggravation I arrived home at 6:50 PM after leaving work at 4:00 PM.  As of now (8:50 PM) there are still problems.

Please read this report from the Wall Street Journal blog.

For years there has been problems on the #7 line but they have working on the tracks and signals all this time.  Hey MTA what gives here.  We deserve better service than this.

Panhandling on the NYC Subway

I think everybody can relate to this video

I Prefer Using Cash in Metrocard Machines

Until 1997 I used tokens to get into the subway system.  All you had to do was go to a token booth and buy as many as you needed.  I would usually buy 10 at at time for an entire week.  For a while the MTA would sell little plastics bags with 10 tokens.  When the Metrocard was first introduced the fare was the same for tokens and the card.  In 1997 the MTA implemented a free transfer between  bus and subway with a Metrocard.  At that point it became more economical to use the card.  Eventually the token was eliminated leaving the Metrocard as they only method of payment.  Simultaneously, the token booths were eliminated, thus riders had to use the machine pictured above to buy a new card or add money to an old one.

Most of the time I use cash to purchase a new card.  Today, I used a credit card which took longer to use.  I always insert the card the wrong way.  When I do it the right way, the computer in the machine takes a minute or so to complete the transaction.  I highly recommend to my fellow riders to use cash since it is faster.