Well today I couldn’t roam far had to go to the dentist in my neighbrohood mid-afternoon. Instead I decided it was about time to revisit stations in the Bronx to finally write my detailed descriptions that I neglected to research or write four to six years ago when I was finishing the Bronx’s section. I’m not going to be able to add any photos yet until I have more lines finished to every station, I want to convert the entire Bronx to php sometime soon but doing it with stations at random as I photograph them isn’t practical I need to make long branches in one fail swoop together and today I kind of did pick and choose what I photo essayed today (some were caused by GOs) links are provided to stations that I’ve added my new detailed descriptions to the old HTML pages but no photos until I have an entire branch re-photographed and can convert that branch to the new standard php format.
Anyway here is a description of my day:
First I did something that was a stable of my trips to the Bronx over four years ago, took the Bx35 from 181 Street across the Washington Bridge to 167 Street from there I decided to focus on the 2/5 elevated lines. I took the four down to 149 Street-Grand Concourse where I left the station for the first time (for such a crucial transfer point actual fare control is tiny), did a complete photo essay (there tons of old name tablets including a couple to the New York Central Railroad) and took the 2/5 train (I don’t keep track of which train I road at what time) out to Jackson Avenue. I got off the train to do a full photo essay but immediately noticed a downtown train operating via the middle express track. I left fare control to take exterior shots, and went up to the Manhattan-bound station house (these elevated stops are so old that the fare control areas are to the side of the platforms) with the intent of doubling back to 3 Av-149 Street to do an essay there (doubling back is the best way to get stops that have artwork on both platforms you want to photograph and separate fare control areas to avoid constantly swiping in and immediately leaving). Instead I decided I now at least had enough exterior photos and would just have to get off one train and on the next for some quick photos of the Manhattan-bound platform to finish it off (not leaving fare control). I then walked beneath the elevated north to Prospect Avenue and did a similar photo essay. Next it was on a 2/5 train to Intervale Avenue the highest station on the line above street level (due to a small hill in the Hilly Bronx’s topography) and after an arson fire in 1989 had to be be completely rebuilt and has the early 1990s full windscreen design, but artwork in the mezzanine no reason to revisit the Manhattan-bound platform of that station. Than I walked up to the next stop Simpson Street and did a similar photo essay. I than decided I might as well wait on the lower portion of the branch and come back when the GO is over. So I took a 2/5 train to East 180th Street and did a photo essay of that station which is a total mess and the last on the entire elevated 2 line in the Bronx that is being reconstruction (all will have when East 180th is finished in 2012 been in the last ten years except for Intervale Avenue which had to be when it was reopened in 1992). The old New York, Westchester & Boston Grand station entrance and building is covered in scaffolding I’m assuming there restoring. I got off did a photo essay of the two ground level entrances and got back on the 2 train to do a photo essay of Burke Avenue and walked down White Plains Road to Allerton Avenue where I did another photo essay. From there I took the 2 train up to Gun Hill Road for a full photo essay. I then walked up White Plains Road again to 219 Street and did a photo essay of that station before getting on a Manhattan-bound 2 train to Pelham Parkway. From here I took a very crowded but still quick thank god for off board fare collection across Pelham Parkway and Fordham Road to 207 Street and Broadway–(2 photos) and took the 1 train to 168 Street to go to the dentist.
After the dentist I realized I still had some daylight left to do something and the Bronx seemed easiest place to go. I took the C down from 168 Street to 145 Street and hopped on the D there to 161 Street-Yankee Stadium. I decided I should finally get a full photo essay of the stop and left fare control outside I thought of something I’d been meaning to do for two years, photographing the Yankees-E 153 Street Metro-North Station. Getting there was a total mess because of huge amounts of construction in the former site of the earth pit that is the old stadium, I had to walk south to the small narrow walkway at what was once the first base side of the old stadium and than reached the wide staircase that crosses East 153 Street and parking lots. I sept some time doing the photo essay going down to the platforms happy to see some people getting on and off the train and the huge new station. I then continued on the otherside of the overpass to another area that is also a mess. I decided to see how I could avoid retracing my steps and ended up crossing back to River Avenue through the Gateway Shopping Center and walked back up to 161 Street and finished my photo essay. At this point I decided it was dark and no reason to do the 4 train and to take the B north for a photo essay of one of its rediculous and confusing Concourse Stations. The B took a while to come (two express D trains bypassed us on the center track) and I decided to get off at 174-175 Streets a ridiculous station where the subway crosses above 174 and 175 Streets (there in underpasses) while staying beneath the Grand Concourse. At that point I realized the street entrances were too interesting to take during the night and too call it a day by taking the train up one stop to Tremont Avenue and taking a stange Orion-V (the seats were padded had grey) Bx36 bus back to 181 Street and my parents house.
Total Subway Swipes (all bus rides would have been recorded as free transfers): 10! (plus 3 buses)