Well I got back to Colorado on Tuesday June 1 and realized I hadn’t written an update recapping my time visiting in New York and thought I should. Also wrote this awhile ago and realized I forgot to hit publish, hence the reason it’s a month late!
Tuesday, May 25: I decided it was high time I do a photo essay of 34 Street-Herald Square and see if I could figure that complex Station out (which happened), I took the A down, transferred to a B train at 34 Street and spent about an hour exploring within and outside of fare control the extremely complex station complex, after that I did a photo essay of 34 Street-Penn Station and 7 Avenue. On my way home I forgot to get off the 3 train and transfer to the 1 at 96 Street (If I remember correctly I was engrossed in an Amtrak timetable or maybe dozing, that’s an embarrassment) so I took the 3 train up to 148 Street-Lenox Terminal dashed up 145 Street and took that A home.
That evening I was off to a Mets game with my brother, before that we had dinner in Flushing at a nice noddle shop, and took the 7 train one long station back to Citi Field (wrote Shea Stadium without thinking about it) where I got a nice picture of the Willets Point-Mets Stop from the Harrods Club
Total Number of Swipes: 7
Wednesday, May 26: I started off doing a photo essay of 34 Street-8 Avenue, before walking through Penn Station, and getting a few more of 34 Street-7 Avenue, hopped on the uptown train up to Times Square transferred to the W train to finally finish up the Astoria Line. First a quick photo essay of 39 Av-Beebe Avenue, than went up to Broadway and did the walk beneath the elevated up to 30 Avenue, got back on an uptown train up to Astoria Blvd, hopped on an always crowded M60 bus across the TriBorough Bridge and hopped on the A train at 125 Street to get home.
Total Swipes (I don’t include the bus): 5
Thursday, May 27: I thought I was going to have some time going railfanning during the course of my day but I had managed to leave my battery plugged into my charger in the wall so nothing. Did swipe in 3 times as I was out and about
Friday, May 28: My last day of railfanning, a day with way too much to try and accomplish, I started off at the dentist and got on the 1 train at 168 Street, I took it to the IRT Chambers Street where I did a photo essay, before through the IND Chambers Street-Park Place Station (swiping in but not riding anywhere) to finish that photo essay, and than walked across to the the South Street seaport to buy theater tickets for me and my grandmother for that evening, when I got there I couldn’t believe how long the line was so I decided I would try the Brooklyn venue, walking up to Wall Street (2,3) and taking the train to Hoyt Street (now with one additional photo), and bought two tickets to West Side Story. Then it was time to really railfan, I took an F train to 4 Avenue, switched to an R train to 36 Street, to an N train to New Utrect Avenue-62 Street, did a full photo essay of that station (Finally!) before taking an N train running on the West End Line all the way through Manhattan to Queensboro Plaza to finally spend some quality time on the 7 train where I did a comprehensive station to station of almost every stop on that line beyond Queensboro Plaza (expect for 82 Street-Jackson Heights and 74 Street-Broadway).
After that it was time to meet my grandmother took the 7 back into Times Square, hopped on a 2/3 train to 96 Street did a quick photo essay of the new headhouse, met up with her, had dinner, hopped on the 1 train at 86 Street back down to 50 Street, througholy enjoyed West Side Story, took the 1 back up to 86 Street, walked her back to my aunts house, dashed across 88 Street, to hop on the A train there (it was late enough to be running local) at 86 Street (there’s an unstaffed entrance at 88 Street, that I always use on my way home from my aunts that’s right at the front, where I want to be for 181 Street) and went home
Total Number of Swipes: 17! – A great last real day for my Unlimited
Saturday, May 29 I didn’t use the subway but loaned by MetroCard to my mother who used it three times
Sunday & Monday, May 30 & 31: I never used the subway, what a waste
Tuesday, June 1st: My last day in New York. 1 transit ride. Getting to LaGuardia for my 8:30am Frontier Airlines Flight back to Denver: It started on the first trip of the M98, We (This trip to Colorado was with my mother) got on at the 187 Street Stop, took it for a quick express run down the FDR Drive before getting off at 125 Street and transferring to the M60 out to LaGuarda, Arriving around 7:30am, Checking my two free (well I spent the extra $25 dollars and bought a Classic Fare when I bought the ticket that includes bags, well worth it to me on this trip) bags was quite quick, now that Frontier and Midwest are sharing there ticket counter so there a few more agent positions (interestingly enough no Automated Kiosks for either airline, guess with so little service not worth the investment). There ticket counters were next to each other long before the merger. Security was relatively quick, and inside concourse B I realized that Frontier’s single (& shared I believe) gate has moved across the area, still right near security, now with Midwest Airlines branding, not just at the gate but along the walls of the fairly cramped seating area. I took a little walk and realized that this concourse (security is separate for each of them) is home to all the LCC carriers that serve LGA (with non in any other concourses). I took a walk and bought a muffin.
Onboard the flight we had a bit of a line for takeoff (typical of LGA) and I read and slept, and had a fun moment watching Chicago go by window, this time in Daylight (I noticed it in darkness on my JetBlue flight home), When the beverage service came (They did about three, although there is no longer any free food on Frontier, let’s hope at least the afternoon flights will eventually serve us the quintessential Midwest Airlines Cookies, that have been promised), we arrived in Denver around 11am, had a nice walk across the airport’s bridge (a first for me, every other time I’ve arrived at a different concourse, and every time I’ve departed its security area is closed), before finding the Payless Shuttle bus, so me and mom could rent a car for the drive down to Colorado Springs so she could help me move into my new house for the school year.
And now the price I paid per ride on my Fortnightly Unlimited Ride MetroCard that costs $51.50, well I swiped in 62 two times, meaning I paid only 83ยข per subway ride!, pretty good if you asked me, if only I had actually used the subway on the weekends than it would have been even better!