We’ve come a long, long way together

Since this is our last week of class and our last blog assignment, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what I’ve learned and my experiences during the last seven weeks.

What I’ve learned

Before I started this class, I considered myself pretty tech hip. I had a Facebook page and I knew what blogs were, what Twitter was and regularly used Wikipedia. I thought I knew what social media was.

I realized that I didn’t really know, though. Why? Because I wasn’t actively engaging on any of the social networks. And that is precisely what social networking is about – communities that bring people together around a common goal and allow, or better yet encourage, them to engage with each other.

I learned that you can’t possibly know social media unless you are a part of it. Sure you can understand the technology and the concept, but you’d be missing the most important part, which is the culture and the conversation happening across these communities.

What I’ve experienced

Taking on this blog was not something I was particularly looking forward to. I didn’t think people would want to hear from me. And, truthfully, I’m not sure that I have exactly mastered the art of blogging or that I have a compelling topic. But I get it now and I like it. In the future, I’d like to join a blogging community or start my own blog (on a new topic yet to be determined.)

Twitter was another revelation. I did not get it and I was convinced that I would only use it for this class and never again. But I know now that I have to stay involved in it if I want to be current in my profession. What’s even better is that I like it and think it is a great source of real-time news, pop culture happenings and professional developments.

Finally, this class has opened me up to not only participating in the conversation, but to also being a contributor of original content. There is some audience out there – large or small – that is interested in what I have to say. Be it the recipes I think up trying to replicate a meal I’ve had at a local restaurant or the new uses I’ve identified for ordinary objects like shoe racks (a purse organizer), someone out there has a similar interest. And we want to talk to each other and compare notes.

What’s exciting to think about is the future of social media. I think we would all agree that it is still only in its infancy. Where will it go next? Where will it be in 20 years? Where ever it is, I’m sure my son will be able to explain it to me.

Branded by the People

The NYC Subway is iconic. Images of the subway map have found their way onto everything from shower curtains to condoms, t-shirts to onesies. Posters depicting station names have found their way onto the walls of many adorers.

But these items don’t do the NYC Subway brand justice. Ride the subway through any of the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx or Staten Island – and you’ll see stations and trains that reveal the hearts of the people and cultures that pepper the city.

During the week, I travel back and forth from Brooklyn to Greenwich Village and can choose from as many as seven different train lines. Each line has its own personality. My preferred route is the R line from Union Street to the Atlantic-Pacific Station northern tip of Park Slope. From there, I change to the Q and head via the Brooklyn Bridge, through Canal Street to Union Square in Manhattan.

Each segment of my trip is marked by scenes, smells and people unique to that particular stop:

• Union Street – The Manhattan-bound station entrance is located just outside of the Brooklyn Lyceum, papered with posters of forthcoming concerts or film retrospectives. The subterranean station is quiet, but the narrow platform is crowded with a mix of hipsters, artists, moms, dads and children from every income bracket. Most subway ads include mentions of Bravo reality show premiers, the latest blockbuster movie and family-friendly Brooklyn events.
• Atlantic-Pacific Station – Though I only cross the platform to board the express Q train, the station is much more bustling. It is a transit hub, connecting a dozen subway lines and the LIRR. It is a newly renovated station and has a cleanliness to it (if you can say the subway is clean.) There is a marked increase in transit workers present at this station who are either directing passengers, cleaning or changing shifts. You also might see modern art in place of typical subway ads.
• The Brooklyn Bridge – This is the highlight of my ride. And it seems to be everyone else’s too. No matter how many times I pass over the bridge on the subway, it never fails to please. There is a quiet that comes over the car as people look out of the windows onto the NY Harbor. You can see the Statue of Liberty, the NY skyline, the East River barges. It is truly a New York moment.
• Canal Street – The last stop before I reach my destination, Canal Street is always, always jammed with people waiting to shoehorn themselves onto an already tightly packed subway. It is the opposite of my time on the Brooklyn Bridge. And there are the familiar smells of Chinatown – vegetables from the Chinese market or dim sum from a favorite restaurant.
• Union Square – This is another bustling stop with the typical commercial ads on the walls. There is also a multi-media ad on the wall that incorporates light along with images, maybe more fitting for the Times Square stop. The people are mostly New York-types dressed in all black for a look that can be both trendy and professional. Exiting the station leads you onto Union Square where you can browse street vendors or the green market depending on the day of the week.

This is all to say that there isn’t any singular brand that I can identify for the New York City subway. Rather, it is a conglomeration of cultures and lifestyles with each station taking on the personality of the neighborhood in which it resides.

However, there is one thing I think we an all agree on: you never know what you are going to see when you ride the NYC Subway.

No Pants Subway Ride 2010 courtesy of Improv Everywhere

Subway Seating Around the World

A friend of my was planning a trip abroad and was doing some research on the various cultures he would be visiting. This got me to thinking about subway etiquette and norms in different regions around the world – Europe, Latin/South America and Asia – and how they are similar and different from New York City subway culture.

London Tube

All trains have priority seating for disabled people, pregnant women, older people, those travelling with children and anyone less able to stand. Riders “are expected to leave these seats free or vacate them if they see someone who might require a seat.” The London Transit Web site encourages people to ask for a seat if no one immediately offers.



Brits take things one step further. Pregnant women can also obtain 'Baby on board' badges, making it clear to other passengers that they would welcome a seat. I thought this was an interesting concept and would help alleviate any confusion as to whether a woman is pregnant or not. It began in 2005 in London and similar campaigns were later introduced in Beijing and Tokyo. I wonder how they keep people from abusing the system, though?

Tokyo Metro

The Tokyo Metro lists only three ‘subway manners’ for straphangers to be mindful of (as opposed to the dozens listed for New York and London):

• Silence your cell phone or turn it completely off.


• Give up your seat “should someone need it more” than you.


• Women-only cars are, as the name suggests, for women only and are identified by the pink signs on the doors.

Buenos Aires

I also wanted to see if similar customs exist in Latin/South America. They do. Although finding the information on line was a bit of a challenge, giving up one’s seat for elderly and disabled riders, pregnant women and riders with small children, was a theme through out many of the sites I read.

So, at the end of the day, you can rest assured that mass transit etiquette is generally the same no matter where in the world you go. Expect the etiquette rules to give special consideration to the elderly and disabled along with pregnant women and people with young children. You can expect, too, that people will have strong opinions about the implied obligation to give up their seats.

Is that legal?

In response to my first blog post, some of you asked some valid questions about whether offering a disabled or pregnant person a seat on the subway is required by law. To be honest, I didn’t think for a second that it was a law. If it is, then there are a whole lot of people breaking it.
So, I set out to do some research this week. Before hitting the internet to do some investigating, I wanted to search the NYC subway to see if there were any instructions or commandments about subway seating.

Seat Sign

There was the familiar ‘priority seating for people with disabilities’ seat sign. I don’t know if these signs have much impact, nor do they say if it is enforceable by law.

Campaign Poster

The MTA has launched its annual etiquette campaign, which includes a poster encouraging riders to give up their seats to people with disabilities. According to the MTA, it is also the law. I don’t think this includes pregnant women or those carrying a baby.

T.V. Show Ads
I also remember seeing a series of ads for the T.V. show, Nurse Jackie, which gave riders etiquette advice. One of the posters told riders to get up for people who need a seat. Nurse Jackie certainly isn’t enforcing any laws, though.

The Law

I later searched on the MTA Web site. Under the Rules of Conduct, it states that:

“No person shall refuse or fail to relinquish a seat on a conveyance which has been designated as “PRIORITY SEATING,” “WHEELCHAIR PRIORITY SEATING”…, if requested to do so by or on behalf of a person with a disability…”

The penalties for not relinquishing your seat as appropriate range from a fine of $25 to time in jail. It is the law.

But that leaves a question as to what constitutes a disability. I don’t consider pregnancy a disability, nor do I consider holding a child one either. What do you think? What is a disability?

Sharp Elbows

Anyone who rides the subway on a daily basis has undoubtedly developed the telltale sharp elbows with which to carve out personal space. Mine have dulled a bit as I carry my son from platform to train. I tend to let crowds push past me to avoid being pinned in the middle of a packed car. This means that I'm usually one of the last people on and rarely score a seat.

I'm not going to ask

Unless I was physically unable to stand, I would never ask a stranger if I could have their hard-won subway seat. If they wanted to/were able to give up their seat, wouldn't they just offer it? And, even if a person looks generally healthy, you never know what their personal situation is. Maybe the well-dressed man reading the Times has a back injury that makes standing difficult. Or maybe the woman listening to her iPhone is seven weeks pregnant and trying not to vomit. Hence, I never ask.

What's more, I would never expect someone else -- a stranger -- to a) take notice; b) have a cause mentality about who should have a seat on the subway; and c) actually care enough to get involved. Why not? When so many people pretend to be sleeping or just plain ignore you when you are standing right in front of them, you'd never guess that the woman getting on the train with you was going to tell people to evacuate the area so that you can sit down.

But someone else will

It happens this way at least once-a-week:

At Fourth Street, I slink on to the jammed subway car with the rest of the sardines, a baby sleeping on my chest and a bag on each shoulder. All seats are taken. No one "sees" me, so I stand. And I'm happy just to be on the train, on my way home.

At Broadway/Lafayette, a woman slips into the spot next to me and asks loud enough for everyone in the three closest seats to hear, "no one asked you to sit down yet?"

I say loud enough for the same people to hear, "no, but I'm fine standing." Without hesitation, the woman will look at the closest seated man and tell -- not ask -- him to give me his seat. I'm amazed (and grateful).

The results of my poll last week suggest that I am the only one who can't believe it. Every person who responded agreed that it was appropriate for a third party to ask seated riders to offer their seats to pregnant or handicapped passengers. So, you all agree with the notion. Have you ever negotiated a seat for someone else? What were your train mate's reactions? Would you do it again?

Babies Change Things

So, everybody told me that having a baby changes everything. They were pretty much right. From the sheer volume of baby paraphernalia we accumulated to my new pseudo-insomniac state, I can barely remember what life was like B.C. (before child).

I am not one to be overly gushy when it comes to babies. In fact, I used to roll my eyes and exasperatedly mutter under my breath when a mom and her overloaded stroller blocked my path on the sidewalk to praise her son for smiling. But now I get it, though I make it a point not to block the sidewalk.

But my son has not only opened up my heart, he is also, somehow, a conduit through which I now connect with complete strangers, especially on the subway where we’re forced to get along. Or not.

B.C., my commute to and from work was one that I think many urbanites experience: music device and ear phones; walk to the train, head down; grab a Metro; wait for train while reading Metro, push on to train in hopes of scoring a seat; negotiate personal space; never meet eyes with or talk to anyone.

With such close quarters, it’s amazing how many days/weeks/months you can go without talking to anyone. It’s actually a pretty solitary experience and something that I didn’t feel particularly energized by.

Now, with my son holding on to me like a baby orangutan, when I board the subway, people want me to sit down. They flag me down from the opposite end of the car. Sometimes people fight over who gives up their seat. It is this “it takes a village” mentality that takes over. And they are so kind. They hold my arm while I settle into the seat they just occupied.

These generous people – young and old, men and women, black and white – are my inspiration for this blog. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will write about the benevolences I encounter on the subway, both my own and others’. And I’m going to make it a point in each day to reciprocate because I can’t continue to take without giving a little back.