Improve your chances of getting a cab

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Sometimes, it’s easy to catch a cab. Three or four pass by, and all you have to do is get the attention of one of them. Contrast that, however, with a rainy day in Manhattan at 5:30 PM. You and the rest of the world want 35 blocks of yellow car bliss, and most will be disappointed. Fortunately, there are now a few ways you can take control of your transportational fate.

I remember taking the train from New York to Boston a few years ago. A blizzard brought LaGuardia to a standstill, and I had no other choices. I realized about an hour from South Station that the entire train would be hunting taxis desperately in a city not known for swarms of them clogging the streets. So, I called a taxi company from my neighborhood (East Boston, at the time) and gave the simple instruction: “Don’t let anyone in unless they give my name.” The driver understood … and promptly let the word out that there was an insane amount of business.

Without that call, I’d still be waiting for a ride from Southie to Eastie.

Of course, that’s an extreme case. Everyday life provides enough challenges. Hailing a taxi on the street is the baseline, though some cities use taxi stands instead. If you’re out in the ‘burbs, reach out and touch some one. Calling for a taxi not only adds a bit of predictability, it lets the driver know a bit about you. Details such as home or work address and phone number can come in handy if a fare turns into trouble.

Instead of using the phone to talk, you could take advantage of new technology (such as Taxi Magic for the iPhone). Tap the screen a few times, and you can book your next ride. Taxi Magic is available in 25 cities in the United States. Sadly, though, New York is not among them.

In any city, iPhone or not, bad weather or periods of high demand could leave you frustrated – and stranded. The temptation to take a ride from a “bandit” (i.e., an unlicensed cab) can be pretty high. After all, you just want to get from A to B. Fight the urge! These rides are illegal … and for good reason. Unlike licensed taxi drivers, bandits aren’t checked for criminal histories and drug use. The cars aren’t inspected, and they may not even be insured. Roll the dice if you like, but understand that the stakes are high. All you get for winning is a trip home.

[Via CNN, photo by Brian Sayler]

Undiscovered New York: Going underground

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome back to Undiscovered New York. If New York was a human body, with Times Square as the heart and Central Park as its lungs, the city’s subway system would certainly be its veins and arteries – unnoticed yet vitally important.

No public transportation system could possibly encompass as many hyperboles. The smelliest. The slowest. The dirtiest. The most confusing. The hottest in the summer and coldest in the winter. The most entertaining characters and crafty schemers. The greatest human spectacle in the entire world. The most beloved.

To experience the New York City subway is literally to experience New York itself. It is at once a microcosm of the city’s dense, layered history and wildly diverse cultures, full of interesting stories, entertaining and annoying performers and people-watching at its finest. Since it first opened in 1904, the subway system has expanded to include over 460 stations, carry around 5 million riders per weekday and become the only metro system to run 24 hours a day 365 days per year.

But aside from being wildly confusing for first time visitors (express lines and construction anyone?), the New York City subway is more than simply a way to get from Point A to Point B. It’s an unsung tourist attraction in its own right. Among the hundreds of stations are world-class works of art, amazing hidden stations and a fascinating history that dates back over a hundred years. Want to learn more? Click below as Undiscovered New York digs into the secrets of the New York City subway system…
Underground Art
New York is one of the world’s great cities for art, with institutions like the MoMA, Guggenheim and The Met. But did you know some of New York’s best artwork is underground? New York’s MTA “Arts for Transit” program is dedicated to beautifying the city’s many subterranean spaces, adding bright tile mosaics and wild installations straight out of your imagination. Make sure to check out a couple of our favorites:

  • 81st Street Museum of Natural History – a favorite of both locals and tourists alike, the 81st Street Stop on the B and C trains features amazing artwork suited to the collections at the American Museum of Natural History directly above. You’ll find the stations walls covered with life-size dinosaur bones, coral reefs and unique wildlife.
  • Atlantic/Pacific stop, Brooklyn – in February 2009, New York’s MoMA launched a new project in this Brooklyn hub, installing around 50 reproductions of masterpieces from the museum’s collection including works by Picasso, Warhol and van Gogh. A great way to absorb some culture while you wait!
  • Houston Street Stop, Manhattan – though not necessarily the most famous, the 1 train stop for Manhattan’s Houston street certainly boasts one of the more interesting themes. The station is decorated with a surreal tableau of “subway under water” mosaics, including an octopus and some turtles that have taken over the station.

Underground Secrets
With a system of underground lines that stretches back more than a century, the New York City subway holds its fair share of secrets, myths and hidden history. Brooklyn is a particularly rich area for New York subway lore, including a hidden underground tunnel that runs along the Borough’s Atlantic Avenue. The man who rediscovered the hidden space, Bob Diamond, now leads regular tours sponsored by the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association. Sign up to get a unique look at some of the city’s fascinating history.

One of the most interesting aspects of the subway is that many stations are abandoned. Just below New York City Hall is the beautifully preserved City Hall station, a beautiful remnant last open to the public in 1945. The New York Transit Museum offers occasional tours – check the website and you may get lucky.

Anyone looking to get a further taste of the New York subway system’s rich history should stop by the New York Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn, which in addition to many exhibits on the evolution of the city’s mass transit system includes vintage subway and elevated train cars.

Plane crashes and traffic accidents

by Jamie Rhein on

The first thing I read this morning was the news about the plane crash of Flight 3047, a stark contrast to the landing of Flight 1549 into the Hudson. Perhaps, this is why Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III has down played his role as a hero. One different step and the outcome could have been the terrible version. The version that makes someone’s heart stop for a second and think, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Tom wrote about Beverly Eckert’s death in Flight 3047’s crash which adds more drama to an already over the top story. When I read the news story, I flashed to all the times I’ve heard planes when visiting my aunt who lives in Florence, Kentucky right under the flight pattern of the Greater Cincinnati Airport. At certain times of the day, if you’re in the backyard, you have to pause a conversation because the noise is so loud. My in laws who live near Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland have a bit of the same problem, but not quite as bad.

If you think about all the planes that fly low over buildings every day, making smooth landings or taking off with ease, it’s astounding. The principles of physics and our abilities to ward off disasters mostly work like clockwork. Still, when one reads about an accident such as Flight 3047, all the safe flights seem diminished somehow.

We wonder if we’ll be lucky enough to have a Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III piloting the plane, or someone else, even if the someone else was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, just like a traffic accident where the road was unexpectedly slick and a car slid through an intersection to plow into oncoming traffic. Car crashes, much more common, barely last in our thoughts past the few minutes we saw them, unless we recount the tale when we arrive at our destination.

Plane crashes have a way of sticking with us. Maybe that’s why there’s a higher anxiety when people fly. Heavy people, whiny children, crowded overhead bins, no snacks, a delay–all add to feelings that something awful could happen. It’s easier to transfer our feelings of a lack of control to the people who are sitting next to us than wondering what might come next. I’m just musing here. But, it’s a thought. Still it is safer to fly–and most car accidents happen closer to home. Like everyone else, I’m wondering what could have possibly happened to cause such a tragedy.

9/11 widow dies in Buffalo plane crash

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Beverly Eckert, widow of 9/11 victim Sean Rooney, perished on Continental Airlines Flight 3407 last night. She was on her way to Buffalo to celebrate what would have been her husband’s 58th birthday. While in town, she had also planned to participate in the presentation of a scholarship award at Canisius High School. She had created the scholarship in honor of her late husband.

The crash of Continental Flight 3407 occurred at around 10:20 PM, when the plane hit a home in Clarence Center, NY. It resulted in 44 on-board fatalities: all 40 passengers and all four crew members. A person on the ground was killed, as well. Twelve local residents were evacuated, and firefighters were quick to respond, as the crash site was close to the local fire station.

The crash has been described as feeling like “a mini-earthquake” and “a large explosion.”

[Via CNN, photo via thebuffalobean]

Undiscovered New York: Romance in the Big Apple

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Given that this Saturday is Valentine’s Day, it’s only fitting that we dedicate this week’s Undiscovered New York to a closer look at some of the city’s most amorous locations.

At first sight New York (especially in February) can seem a vast, cold and lonely place. But this initial impression held by many visitors is an oversimplification. Delve beneath the “hard” exterior of pushy, fast moving New Yorkers and you’ll discover a city of warmth and surprises that spring from just about every corner. In other words, New York is the perfect place to explore and uncover with that “special someone.”

But once you’ve taken the carriage ride around Central Park and been to the observation deck of the Empire State Building for your Sleepless in Seattle moment (I swear, I’ve never seen it), what else is there do? A city this big is bound to have dark corners, fabulous panoramic views, and hidden activities where you and that special someone can spend some quality time alone, right? And what about the staunchly single? What’s there to do that’s not overly cheesy and romantic? Step inside Undiscovered New York’s guide to “Romance” in the Big Apple, plus a special guide for the “proudly unattached” at the end of today’s post.
Drinking the Night Away
New Yorkers are the first to admit – nothing loosens the tongue and warms the heart better than a good alcoholic beverage. And befitting a city of its size and scope, New York has some astoundingly good candle-lit cocktail lounges where you can sip an artfully crafted beverage with the one you love. Here’s three of our favorites:

  • Angel’s Share – inside an unassuming Japanese restaurant in the East Village, up a flight of stairs, through a huge throng of tables and past a side door is Angel’s Share. This Japanese cocktail lounge, which specializes in artfully crafted cocktails made from scratch with fresh ingredients, practically guarantees you a romantic night out. If it’s not too crowded make sure to ask for a table near the windows to watch the symphony of life pass by below.
  • Temple Bar – perfectly hidden on busy Lafayette Street, Temple Bar beckons visitors inside with a sumptuous wood paneled interior and lush, moody lighting. Though not particularly well announced outside (the only clue giving it away is a metal lizard and tiny sign), the interior and bar’s expertly blended drinks seem to speak for themselves (and for your date).
  • Apotheke – down a non-descript sidestreet in Chinatown behind a inconspicuous door lies Apotheke, a parlor of artfully blended cocktails arranged around an antique drug store theme. Apotheke seems to carry the cure for whatever might ail you – behind the bar sit hundreds of bottles special blended herbal concotions and flavor-infused liquors, perfect for that totally unique cocktail and that totally unique Valentine’s Day.

Taking in the View
Nothing better embodies the unique feeling of a “New York moment” better than its many panoramic vistas. Whether viewing the city laid out from atop one of its many skyscrapers or confronting it head-on from the perspective of one of the many sweeping harborside views, you’re sure to be confronted with a scene that both inspires and delights. Here’s where you can do it best:

  • Brooklyn Heights Promenade – one of the most stunning views in all of Manhattan can only be seen from Brooklyn, at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. This stunning walkway runs along the Brooklyn waterfront, affording visitors with amazing views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, downtown Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. It has to be seen to be believed.
  • The Rainbow Room – high atop New York’s famous Rockefeller Center sits one of the more amazing vistas of New York at the Rainbow Room. Sure, the drink prices are ridiculous. Yeah, the music might be cheesy. And yes, the property’s future might be in danger. But you know what? When you see that vista of all of downtown New York laid out before you, glittering in the twilight, it can make up for a multitude of sins.
  • Staten Island Ferry – 25 minute trip to Staten Island, one of New York’s least visited areas? Free. 2 bottles of Corona beer? $6. An amazing, trip around New York Harbor? Priceless.

Unexpected Activities
Sure, February 14th is supposed to be all about love. But those of us not so lucky to be partnered or still feverishly pursuing that special someone might feel a bit left out so far. Here’s a few unique New York activities for non-believers and lovebirds alike:

  • Chelsea Flower District – along a short two block stretch of West 28th Street is the Chelsea Flower District, New York’s principal business area for the wholesaling of floral and fake floral products. Nothing better embodies the gritty industrial charm and symbolic weirdness of Valentine’s Day than a visit to this odd street. Stop by early any morning (6-8am) and you’ll be confronted by huge bouquets of exotic flowers, the manic activity of shop workers and the rusted facades of fading floral shop storefronts. It’s a fun commentary on the meaning of romance and an interesting sidetrip if you’re looking for something different.
  • Museum of Sex – everyone might say Valentine’s Day is about love. But let’s face it, New Yorkers like to get to the point – it’s really about sex. And what better way to explore your carnal desires (or lack thereof) than a visit to New York’s Museum of Sex? The museum’s permanent collection houses over 15,000 “sex artifacts” including everything from art to photography to clothing and costumes as well as an extensive “multimedia library” (euphemism anyone?) of sexually related material. Perfect for partners and perverts alike.