New York City commuters were treated to a moment of unexpected wit recently at the street-level subway entrance on 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, adjacent to the Moynihan Train Hall. What normally reads simply as Subway in its stoic, Helvetica signage had been slyly altered to say something far cheekier: Subvert.
Whether this was the work of a renegade graphic designer, a conceptual artist with a MetroCard, or simply someone with a roll of black tape and a dream, the modification caused us to pause and smirk — a rare feat in this city. Continue reading Subversive Subway Signage→
If this Giant Pink Banana looks familiar, it might be because you’ve seen one like it offered as a prize for winning one of the games at Luna Park in Coney Island. I was nowhere near Coney, however when I saw this happy teenager, waiting to board the elevator from the 7 Train platform at 42nd Street with the banana, which is clearly as tall as he is, in tow. Live in NYC long enough and eventually you’ll see everything.
When you’re on a long commute, whether on a train or bus, it can seem that time just slows down, and a twenty-minute journey can feel like an eternity. When traveling by public transportation, many people try to occupy themselves to help pass the time so that it’s a bit more bearable.
What you choose to do to pass the time will depend on your interests, but to help guide you, here are a few things that you can do to make your journey more interesting. Continue reading How to Pass the Time on Your Commute→
Man with Multiple Yellow Submarine Tattoos (All Photos By Gail)
People Watching is one of the most fun things you can do in a big city like New York — and the best part about it is that you can do it anywhere. For the best Spy Pics though, the subway is one of my favorite places to get that coveted capture. Check out the guy above, who loves the animated film based on The Beatles Yellow Submarine so much, he has started a tattoo sleeve of various images from the film. What a fan! Please enjoy a selection of my favorite photos of the people who keep NYC so colorful!
On his second stay in New York, Jose Clemente Orozco (1883 – 1959) made many works reflecting the city’s urban expansion and social dimension. The Subway (1928) presents several commuters on New York’s emblematic public transportation system, which first opened in 1904. The shadowy, stone-faced passengers impart a sense of melancholy to the scene, contrasting with the shiny train poles. A highly regarded artist in Mexico, Orozco struggled to find recognition in New York despite showing at several local galleries and completing a five-panel mural cycle at the New School in 1931.
