Day 3: Keepin It Real n Keepin Alive..

We weren't prepared for today to say the least. Sure we knew the stops we were covering were all in Brooklyn, but what we were careless to research was WHAT area of Brooklyn these stops were located. The first part of our journey we were still in familiar territory. We planned on covering 8 stops on the C train from High Street to Kingston/Throop. Our first stop of the day was High Street/Brooklyn Bridge. It was an average station. Very similiar to the station before it, Broadway-Nassau. Same circular track structure. Same peeling paint from the dome-shaped ceilings. Escalators and security cameras throughout. There wasn't any significant artwork at this station. I also noticed there weren't any billboards or advertisements adoring the walls. Where ads usually are placed on the station walls, everything was blacked out instead. We also got some footage of a closed stairwell that was chained off and no longer in use. Now if you exit the station, you are in the area of Dumbo, a very prominent part of Brooklyn. We stepped outside the subway and caught an amazing view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Next was Jay Street/Borough Hall: This was a very unique station. Not so much on the platform, but as we exited the turnstile, we found some magnificent architechture reminsicent of past stations. There were escalators that brought you to the outside of the station where old subway pillars adorned each stairwell. This is a very active station due to many other line transfers. As we came off the escalator we were literally on street level. At this point, I needed a bathroom break, so we decided to take a pit stop at a crowded pizza joint across the street. I finally find a bathroom, but it's co-ed and no doors on the stalls. UMM, shall I wait? No, I have to go BAD. So I ask Christi to watch my back. We both agree this bathroom resembles an abandon crackhouse, but at least it's better than subway bathrooms, which are still functioning in some stations.. I'm all better now, and we are off!! We head back to the station. Its old colonial architechiture reminds me of being in the financial district close to City Hall. One of the nicer and unique stations so far.
I did not know what to expect at our next stop: Hoyt Street. I did not think it would be anything too shady since we weren't that deep into Brooklyn yet. Well, I mistaken. We stepped out of the train and onto a very busy platform. From afar we could see a part of the station that was dark and desolate, which we concluded was once a running track, was now abandon. We walked up the stairs and through the turnstile. There were a lot of police monitoring the station even at 11am on a Monday. We walked through a long hallway with walls which resembled a gymnasium. There were little old women sitting on chairs as we passed by selling religious materials. We decided to exit the station to the street above to check out the area. We literally walked out and then right back in again. The feeling at street level was not a good one. We were getting heckled and we weren't even 5 seconds out of the station. I could handle it if there was something outside of the station worth getting footage of, but there was nothing worth sticking around for. So, on our way back down to the platform, we saw at least 5 guys sneak through the emergency exit, which is a crime, and which I have seen performed many times before. What kills me is that with all the police activity, not one of these young men were stopped. I got some last minute video footage and upon taping was stopped by a woman, who addressed herself as the Hoyt station attendant. She asked me if I had authorization to videotape. I say no, but that I did my research on the MTA site and that, in fact, videotaping is allowed. She retaliates, and tells me, "No, it is not." She is wrong, but I did not feel like arguing. We got the footage we needed to get anyway. What was the point. What is funny to me is that this woman was so concerned with our "harmless" videotaping than that of the dozen or so kids bypassing the turnstiles and sneaking through the emergency exit. Oh the irony!
So after that ruckus, we were en route to the Lafayette stop. I am already very familiar with this station and the area. It is known as Fort Greene when you exit the subway. I didn't recall anything significant as far as artwork, but then again I was never looking out for those types of things before this project. I was right. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Same with the next stop: Clinton/Washington.
So we were breezing through! Next was the Franklin stop. This was a neat stop. It was both an above ground and underground station. We walked outside to the outside platform and discovered beautiful stain glass murals adoring the wall. We also had some kids yelling "tourists" at us, which with all our camera equipment, we most certainly did look like tourists. I looked down to the street from above and noticed this wasn't such a great area. I saw run-down bodegas and collapsing buildings. We didn't stick around long because of time constraints. This was a memorable station. 2 more to go!
Nostrand was next. At this point we didn't know what to expect or what area of Brooklyn we were approaching.
Sure, throughout all the subway lines, you'll have your nice station stops and good areas that the train runs through and then you'll have some bad and then you'll have the ugly. We did not even have to exit the subway station to know that we were getting into shakey territory. Just observing the people inside the train cars and on the platform as we rode deeper into Brooklyn, I got the sensation that we weren't very welcome. No one really said anything to us, but they didn't have to. As the saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words." I felt the long, cold stares being translated into "What are YOU doing here?" Maybe it was paranoia. Maybe I was just blowing it out of the water and no one really gave a damn who we were or what we were doing in "their hood." Or maybe I was dead on in feeling this way because Christi felt the same, and I could see the anxiety coming over her.
We didn't get much footage at the Nostrand stop. It was a little nerve racking. Let's just say we were out of our element here, and we didn't want to draw anymore attention on ourselves than our obvious physical appearance in which we did not fit in. We walked up the stairs and we saw a young man surrounded by 5 police officers. He was being arrested. We were quick about getting through this station.
Last and definitely NOT least was Kingston/Throop. Christi proceded to mention that this station stop marked the edge of Bed-Sty, aka Bedford Styvesant, aka one of the most notorious crime-ridden areas of New York. Proceed with caution! A part of me was nervous and another part excited. This was the "Real Deal Holyfield!" I'm sorry, but Manhattan is NOT New York. Manhattan is a fantasy island. These areas of Brooklyn, now that's real. It's a whole nother dynamic. Poverty, violence, filthy streets and decaying buildings. Survival is top priority, We get off. We look around. We wait for the people to exit the train so we can get footage without being watched or bothered. We find out that to get to the uptown platform, there is no transfer and we must exit the station. Yes, we must go outside on the street. This is a big deal. It's like a fish outta water. You can feel the stares. Why are we here again? This is Brooklyn. This is New York. Usually a white girl in her mid-twenties on her day off would be shopping on 5th avenue or having brunch at an East Village bistro, relishing in the lavish new york afternoon. We are over that. We want an adventure, away from the fluff and false lifestyles we so often are encouraged to live. I'm scared, but brave. I want to walk down the street and feel the realness, the toughness, the struggle. I did for about 2 minutes. I don't want these locals to perceive me as an intruder, when in fact I am, but aren't I allowed to walk the same streets without being ridiculed or labeled "tourist?" After all, we are all human beings here. But after I ponder, that statement is not valid to say the least. Yes, we are all human beings anatomically speaking. We all have struggles, some more life altering than others. I can't begin to understand the lifestyles these people lead in this so-called "dangerous" area of Bed-Sty. Why the violence, why the hate? I can't begin to answer that because I can't begin to know how these people live day by day and 5 minutes outside of station is not going to help me understand. I can be glad I made it out alive. Christi and I are done for the day. We get on the train and head back uptown, back to Manhattan, back to familiar territory. But we aren't finished yet. We have 8 more stops to go until we complete the downtown C Line. Next week when we travel even further into Brooklyn: East New York and Far Rockaway. I'm getting the camo and slingblade ready for this trip!! Til next time..Over n out -L

Day 2: January 21st, MLK Day

Still on the Downtown C Line: 34 Street to Broadway-Nassau
So, my initial thoughts were that the subways were going to be running on a "holiday/weekend" schedule, which is usually slower and more annoying than usual, but to my surprise, they were running on normal schedule..YAY #1! YAY #2 was my thinking they were going to be crowded since most people were off due to it being a holiday, but I was wrong again. They were pretty quiet, but I think this was due more to the blistering cold weather. And it was horribly cold out. We weren't even above ground and we were feeling the painfully cold air seeping from above. But we put on a few more layers and managed to accomplish what we needed for the day.
Our first stop of the day was a big one, 34th street otherwise known as Pennsylania Station, otherwise known as the house of Madison Square Garden. Due to it's many levels this station has an elevator. Although convenient to some, I, myself, am not a fan of subway elevators. I was in one once and only once and it was gggrrrosss. Just think of being in a subway toilet and you get the idea. We did find some art on the upper level that i had never seen before. It was a mural of circus characters portrayed by the artist Tom Fischel. I wondered why circus animal's in the subway? Then I thought maybe the infamous Barnum & Baileys Circus was held at Madison Square Garden..maybe? We also found the Lost Property Unit is located at 34th Street, I assume the Lost Property Unit is where you come if you've had any items lost or stolen on the subway....YEAHHH I wonder how many people actually have had their things found or turned in for that matter..
Next on our route was 23rd street. Nothing much notable here. A darker, dingier station than most. There were stairs on the platform, which stood out as a unique feature, otherwise nothing spectacular.
The cold was setting in as we made our way to 14th street and 8th avenue stop. This is a pretty large station and I found it to be fairly quiet as compared to the others. I find that the further away from midtown you get at 11am on a Monday, the less people you're gonna find. We did find more art at this station and not wall murals this time. Bronze scultpures of what portrayed Teletubby-looking creatures were scattered throughout the 14th street lair. These cute little creatures playing in the subway seemed almost like little guardian angels. One such creature was even sculpted sitting on a subway bench. I was surprised none of the artwork had been destroyed or vandalized since it wasn't fixed on a wall and was out in solid form..Maybe even the craziest people have an appreciation for art.
After a bit of time at 14th street, we made our way to West 4th Street. I like this station. Mainy because I like the area where this station is located. It;s a nicer station than most. Newsstands are here and is usually a very active station. You'll typically find musicians playing here, but today no such luck, again mostly in part to the bitter coldness. There is not elevators at this station, but even better escalators. I love escalators. Reminds me of the European tube stations. We also came upon an area where icicles had formed on the subway steps. Yes, it was THAT cold.
We took a break and grabbed a coffee at a diner outside the West 4th station. It was exactly what we needed to defrost and rejuvenate. We decided to just finish the C stops in Manhattan and call it a day because when you're up against the cold there is only so much you can take.
So, off to Spring Street. I'm not a big fan of this station. It's in a nice area of Soho, so you would think the station would be nicer, but not so much. At the end of the platform we noticed boxes set up and a person's legs sticking out. We assumed it was a homeless person and got some pics and video footage, but did not get much closer than that. A little creepy I must say. We didn't stick around too long and headed off to Canal Street. A cleaner station than I had anticipated, but nothing really notable here. I did notice that downtown and uptown C trains were both on the same platform.
After Canal comes Chambers. Again, this station was nicer than I thought. I think we were getting it confused with the JMZ Chambers stop, which we haven't hit yet and which is fug. More artwork at this station, which consisted of mosaic eyes throughout the station. Very beautiful, very eerie too. Some blue eyes, some green eyes, some brown eyes circle the station watching your every move. We couldn't seem to find the artist credentials though. We found a nest of birds in a structure atop a stairs. My first signs of life besides the infamous rats in the subway. We also got some great footage standing over the vents of the train coming through down below. It was kinda scary at first standing over the vents and then hearing the rattle of the train coming from down below and imagining yourself falling through onto the tracks.
I managed to exit the station and get some pics of huge skyscrapers being that we were down in the financial district area. I did not want to take the focus away from the subway itself, but these structures were literally right in view from the station. They were breathtaking.
Our last station of the day was Broadway Nassau. This station usually gives me the creeps. It is dark and dingy and you'll usually find more crazies than normal lurking down here. Not too many today, but I'm sure as the day goes on it gets goofy. We did see some nice artwork and what seemed to be an old entrance gate, maybe from a prior station, but is now turned into an art form.
Good day, Nothing too crazy went down. On the way back uptown, we rode in the very front car and I got some cool footage as if I was conducting the train myself. At 59th street as we were standing on the platform, we were approached by a guy that seemed to be either severely disturbed or on a drug of some sort. I mean you always see crazy people, but this guy was out of his mind, We managed to avoid getting in the same car as him, but as the train took off he found us in the next car. I couldn't help but think he was targeting us. Christi and I got off at 110th street and Broadway and as we exited I was looking out for this wackjob hoping he had not gotten off with us. I turned around and found him staring directly at me from the train smiling creepily as if he was telling me "I know where you live." Christi saw it too and with that, put an end to our day in the subs...til next week..over n out, Linz

Day 1 Son!

Day 1: Monday, January 14th, 2008

So we didn't cover all the stops we had hoped. Our goal was to cover the stops on the C Line from 110th Street Cathedral Parkway to 14th Street and 8th Avenue, over a 3 hour time period. But we had very large and significant stations this trip, so I can't feel like we didn't accomplish a lot, and I didn't want to rush and miss anything. So, Christi and I decided on no time constraints, no deadlines. Whatever we cover from 11am til 2pm is what we cover. Fine by me!

We started at our home turf, 110th street, Cathedral Parkway stop. Nothing too intriguing here since this is the station most familiar to us being located right across the street from our apartment. It is a nicer station and cleaner station than most I must say. There was some nice mosaic artwork portayed on the platform. Overall. not too much activity, especially at 11am on a Monday. This station typically is pretty quiet, except for your occassional stragler or homeless person looking for a dime. Since the 110 Central park West area used to be a big crack dealing area, there still is an element of those souls lingering about.
Next we hit 103rd, 96th, and 86th. Not much notable at any of there stations. All are fairly small and no artwork was recorded.
Next, one of my favorite stations thus far: 81st street, Natural History Museum. This station displays some of the most beautiful and unique artwork the subway has to offer. Different species of animals cover the platform walls. Bright colors and 3-D effects sharpen every image. On the downtown side a sea with fishes of every variety covers the wall . You feel like you're not in a subway at all, but swimming amongst fishes. All uncertainty and fear of the subway diminishes due to the fairytale fishes and brightwinged butterflys overlooking the people waiting patiently for their train to arrive. A calmness ensues and we are kid's again.
After 81st, we head to 72nd street. Not much notable here either. So we move on to 59th Street Columbus Circle. 59th is another large station. The Time Warner Center is located at this stop and is generally a very classy area - outside of the subway. I am surprised 59th is not a nicer, cleaner station, but I realize it is undergoing intense construction. I intend after construction is completed, it will be one of the nicer stations in the city. The NYC Transit Police are also located at this station. They keep felons here whom have commited crimes in or on NYC subways or buses.
Next we hit 50th Street. A nicer, cleaner station than most. Escalator's are functional at this station and the structure reminds me very much of the stations in London and Copenhagen. Very sleek and open. At this station you must exit the platform to get to the uptown side, so on our way back our card's had read "just used" as we re-entered the turntile some 10 minutes later, so the "cheerful" subway attendant had to manually send us through. Miss thang seemed a bit annoyed!
By this time it was almost 1pm and hunger was setting in, so Christi and decided to grab a bite at 42nd Street, Port Authority. I have a strange love for this station. Back in the day, before we lived in New York, Christi and I used to take trips and drive from our house in Pennsylvania and take the bus from New Jersey into Port Authority. It was a very familiar and oddly comforting place for us. We spent late nights and early mornings in the old PA. It brought back a lot of crazy memories. So we got a bite and then decided this would be our last station to cover for the day. We knew this station was largely significant and was going to take a big chunk of time, so we did not want to rush. Naturally, a lot of activity goes on at this stop since Port Authority is a major transportation hub for many tourists not to mention workers coming to and from NYC everyday. We noticed that Port Authority was a heavily patrolled station. Cops at most entrances, even undercovers keeping aware of any suspicious activity. After 9/11 happened, the city's security was severely questioned. This question was put to the test when I attempted to videotape the outside of the Task Force offices. No more than 20 seconds into filming two men immediately stormed out and asked if I was the one videotaping. They must have seen me from cameras inside. I said "yes" and asked if that was OK. Assuming I was a tourist, they let me go with no problem.
We saw lots of artwork, wall murals, shops, newsstands, and most notably musicians trying to bring light and soul to the sometimes dreary days underground. The art was astoundingly beautiful. There were an array of wall murals I had never noticed before because I was too busy getting from point a to b. There was a few characters we came upon. One man just stood admist the commuters as he impersonated bird noises aloud. There was a 3 piece blues band performing on the platform, who were very good indeed. Most notably, a Michael Jackson impersonator drew quite an audience as he did his finest moonwalk to Billie Jean and other MJ hits. I wasn't sure if this guy was really a talented Michael Jackson clone or just a comical nutto tryna make an easy buck off tourists who didn't know better. Both I suppose. Brave for certain.
In life we all want something we can rely upon and in a sense the subway is the heart and soul of nyc, a friend. Other's who don't know it may look at it as creepy, filthy, dingy, a poor man's means of transportation. Where pan handlers swell and drug dealers dwell. Yes, you'll have all this. But isn't that what makes New York so surreal? That an educated white businessman can share a seat with a homeless crackhead and it be just another day on the train. We all are trying to get somewhere, to someone we love, to work, to a show, to a museum, to a part of town we haven't been before, to our homes. We wait and sometimes we wait long and sometimes the waiting turns into frustration, but then we look around and realize we are all in this crazy place together. Til next time under the city...Over n Out :) Linz

Expectations of Monday's Underground in 2008

Tomorrow, Monday, January 14th, 2008, Christi and I begin our much anticipated subway photography excursion. Christi has been pursuing the art of photography for over a year now and has been progressing steadily. She's got the equipment and has the skills to be very successful, so when I agreed to help her, I thought it would be time well spent, not to mention an adventure.
She came to me about this project last October. She had been brainstorming about doing a full-on photography project. Something with a concept, a focus, a direction. She thought why not do a project on the NYC subway system. I mean the subway and the city go hand in hand and is relied upon by millions of New Yorkers each day. It is in some ways fascinating and in others, just plain creepy (well to my parents anyway). I, myself, have had my own run-ins in the subway, most notably last New Year's Eve being mugged at knifepoint by a homeless crackhead. I mean this was even at 9am on a Saturday morning! But you have to get over the fear and realize shit happens. You're living in NYC on the edge of Harlem no less, you're gonna run into the occasional nutbag. Why was I surprised then? Don't they say every New Yorker has either been mugged or has had their life threatened at least once? Well, we as New Yorkers, it's our duty to rise up, to overcome adversity, to survive.
Our goal is to hit all 24 subway lines and it's 484 stops along the way. That is approximately 12 stops every Monday for the whole year. Has it been done? Maybe. Probably. But we really don't know and we really don't care. Cuz if we knew, we probably would care. Christi will be photographing and I will be documenting and that's that.
So, despite how i feel about the NYC subway system, which has not been defined whether I like or do not like them. On one hand they get me to work, allow me not to have a car, and provide entertainment in more ways than one. On the other hand, they can be crowded, late, dirty, and full of crazies. So right now the pros and cons are pretty much even and I remain neutral. Maybe after this project I will have my answer.