May 1st is a day that means a lot of things to a lot of people, but in the subway it's the 100th Anniversary of the Atlantic Avenue station. Previously, the IRT had terminated at Borough Hall. In celebration, NYC Transit rolled out its history train composed of subway cars of varying vintage for a ride from Grand Central to Atlantic Ave then back into Manhattan and up the west side to 96th Street.
The Times has a story on an underground anniversary. One hundred years ago this week, tunnel diggers — aka sandhogs — coming toward each other from Manhattan and New Jersey met underground to create the tunnels that would lead into Penn Station.
Today, the two rail tunnels are at capacity so two more are in the works.
2007, meet 1937. (Photo: Kristen V. Brown)
Here's a dispatch on the Sunday vintage train rides from our intern, Kristen V. Brown, who also wrote a story about the cool trip back in time:
Like many other New Yorkers, I was confused this morning when a vintage subway circa World War II pulled up to the E/V stop at Lexington and 53rd. Also, like, many New Yorkers, curiosity forced me onto the train even though it wasn't the line I was actually waiting for.
Officials announced last Thursday that the train would be running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m every Sunday throughout December along the V line from Queens Plaza to Second Avenue. Waiting on the train platform, I encountered many passengers who had come out just to ride the train. I talked to one who had ridden the train all morning, gotten off to get lunch, and planned on riding it all the way up to 5 p.m. He was a member at both the Trolley Museum of New York and the New York Transit Museum, and was wearing a cap with several train pins affixed to it. On the train another man dug through a folder of old pictures of the transit system in New York and Chicago to show to other curious riders.
Others, like myself, were just sort of confused as to how they'd ended up here. Cliche as it sounds, riding the vintage "nostalgia" trains really is like stepping back in time. These particular trains are all models R1 though R9, built between the '30s and the '40s and taken out of service in the 1970s — long before I was even born. Unlike today's hard plastic seats, the seats on these trains are comfy wicker, which one enthusiastic 8-year-old pointed out to me are particularly "bouncy." The cars are equipped with ceiling fans, and the original ads from the time still line the tops of the cars. Many of the ads look like something I would probably pay good money for at an antique shop — brightly colored illustrations advertising products like Campbell's Soup and Wrigley's Gum, and ads from Transit encouraging riders to cover their mouth when they sneeze. The insides of some had the same fluorescent quality that today's trains do; but with dark, rich, floors and tungsten lighting, the older cars were actually kind of homey.
The conductors for the most part had all operated these trains back when they were in regular service, so for many working this shift brings back memories. They will tell you all sorts of random facts about these cars, swelling up with pride as they do. For example, one told me, the reason the lighting goes out periodically is that when the third rail switches from the left to the right side, older cars loose power for a moment. The operator, Steve Davis, had ridden these cars as a child when his father drove them, so having the opportunity to drive the same cars was in a way the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for him.
Each car in the six car train is different — a different model, different year, different ads and in some even drastically different decor. And though they may be a little hotter, a little shakier and a lot louder, it's still a nice surprise to take a detour back in time on your way to work.
-- Kristen V. Brown
More of Kristen's photos after the jump:
We had the chance last year to visit Hangar 17 at Kennedy Airport, which is home to what little is left of the World Trade Center. Click to look at some of our coverage. Since our story ran, we've learned that some of those relics will indeed return to Ground Zero, including some of those iconic tridents that helped support the tower bases and instantly became unmistakable symbols of destruction six years ago today.
-- Rolando Pujol
The Guastavino-tiled Oyster Bar at Grand Central had the biggest year ever in 2006 for a shop at the 1913 landmark terminal, Marlene reports from the transit meeting. The institution raked in a little more than $14 million. And retail is booming at GCT. The total take was $160 million, a six percent increase above 2005.
-- Rolando Pujol
A bit of short notice on this, but Channel 13 airs a documentary on the history of London's Underground map at 2:30 a.m. Monday morning. Thanks to Gothamist for the tip. Here's their handy TV roundup for the week. Check out an earlier Tracker post on subway maps.
--Rolando Pujol
Tracker blogged last May about prominent No. 9 train signs that still survived at the 34th Street and Seventh Avenue subway entrances. They have since been taken down, as this camera-phone shot demonstrates, almost two years after the line vanished.
-- Rolando Pujol
The MTA released this interesting history of Second Avenue history. There's a lot of history working against this project, but as Mike Clancy's story point outs, the big difference this time is money. -- Rolando Pujol
Proposals to build a north-south subway line along Second Avenue date back to 1929, preceding the demolition of the elevated trains. Several detailed plans were proposed in the following decades.
Early History
1920: Daniel L. Turner of the Public Service Commission published the "Proposed Comprehensive Rapid Transit System", which included six new north-south lines and eight new crosstown lines in Manhattan. Scaled-down proposals from this report subsequently appeared in plans for a new City-owned Independent (IND) subway system, where the Second Avenue Subway was first mentioned. The IND plan called for a two phase system: Phase I would be the Sixth and Eighth Ave lines, while Phase II would include the Second Ave Trunk line.
1929 The NYC Board of Transportation proposed a 2nd Avenue line from Houston Street to the Harlem River for a cost of $86M. Contracts were expected to be let between 1930 and 1935, with the lines to go into service
1938-1941. In October, the Wall Street stock market crashed.
1931 While NYC suffered the effects of the Great Depression, the cost estimates for the IND Phase I were determined to be too low (by as much as 100%). Plans for the 2nd Ave. line were postponed. The new proposed opening date was 1948.
1939 The cost of the Second Ave Subway was now estimated to be $249M. New subway construction was suspended for the duration of World War II.
1942 Service ended on the Second Avenue El, and the line was demolished
1944 The Second Ave Subway was back in the planning stage, with some revisions. From Canal Street to 57th Street the line was to be four tracks, with six tracks north of 57th Street. South of Canal Street there would be two tracks. Connections were planned for the lines from the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. The planned opening date was 1951.
1949 The Second Avenue Subway was now estimated to cost $504M. Queens residents promised not to approve the bond issue until promises were made for subway service improvements in Queens borough. The new R11 "million dollar train" was unveiled as the prototype train for the 2nd Avenue Subway.
1950 The 2nd Avenue plan was revised again to include a two-track turnoff at 7th Street, to 34th Avenue in Queens. A new subway under Northern Boulevard would connect to the LIRR line to the Rockaways. This plan cost $118M, of which $63M would come from deferring construction of the other part of the Second Avenue trunk line. The Korean War starts, driving up material costs.
1951 A bond issue for $500M was approved in November. 1957 or 1958 was planned for the start of operation.
1955 Service ended on the Third Ave El in Manhattan. The line was demolished the following year. There was now only one rapid transit line (the Lexington Ave subway) on the East Side of Manhattan.
1957 Transit Authority Chairman Charles L. Patterson used most of the $500M bond issue for improvements to the current system, leaving only $112M for the Second Ave Subway. The New York Times reported on Jan 17, 1957 (page 1): "It is highly improbable that the Second Ave Subway will ever materialize."
The “First” SAS Construction
1964 The Urban Mass Transit Act was passed making Federal funding available for transit projects.
1965 The Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (which became the MTA) was founded.
1967 A $2.5B bond issue for Transportation was passed. $1B was for urban transit in the state and $600M was for construction in New York City.
1968 The Second Ave subway cost was estimated at $220 million for a two track line from 34th Street to the Bronx (Phase One) that would would connect with the planned 63rd Street Tunnel and Central Park line. Phase Two would bring the line down to Water Street near the Battery. On Sept. 20, the NYC Board of Estimate approved a two track line from the Bronx to Water Street, including the 63rd St. connection. To finance the first construction work--from 34th Street to 126th Street--the city applied for $254 million in Federal funds, and an initial grant of $25 million was approved by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. This marked the first time Federal money was ever made available for major new subway construction in New York City's history.
1972 Groundbreaking was held at East 103rd St and Second Ave., 68 years to the day after the opening of the IRT.
1975 Construction of the Second Ave subway was halted due to City’s financial condition. Only three non-contiguous sections of tunnel had been completed: between Chatham Sq and Canal Street, 99th and 105th, and 110th and 120th Streets.
The Current SAS Project
1995, MTA New York City Transit began the Manhattan East Side Alternatives (MESA) Study. This project was carried out as a federal Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS). The MESA Study goal was to recommend a course of action(s) to reduce overcrowding and delays on the Lexington Avenue Line, and to improve mass transit accessibility for residents on the far East Side of Manhattan
In August 1999, the MESA Study issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) proposing a subway under Second Avenue from 96th Street to the 63rd St / Lexington Ave subway station. At Public Hearings for the DEIS, strong support was expressed for evaluation of a “full length” Second Avenue subway
On March 22, 2001, the SAS Study published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register to undertake a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) to evaluate a full-length Second Avenue Subway.
On April 19, 2001, a public meeting was held to describe and discuss the new subway alignment, the project schedule, and next steps.
In October 2001, NYCT published a Summary Report describing the full-length alternative and outlining the process by which the full-length alternative was selected.
In April 2003, the Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) was published. Public hearings on the SDEIS were held on May 12 and 13, 2003.
In April 2004, the Second Avenue Subway Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was published.
In July 2004, the FTA issued a Record of Decision (ROD), which stated that the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act have been satisfied for the Second Avenue Subway Project.
In July 2004, Preliminary Engineering for Phase One was completed. In December 2004, Preliminary Engineering for Phases Two, Three and Four was completed.
In April 2006, Extended and Final Preliminary Engineering was completed. In April 2006, The Federal Transit Administration authorized the MTA to begin Final Design of Phase One of the project and the Final Design contract was awarded.
Just before 2 a.m. this morning -- the witching hour when we returned to standard time -- 
we happened upon an unusual sight at Grand Central Terminal. Two workers were standing atop the information booth, gingerly cleaning the terminal's iconic clock. One was busy with vacuum in hand, and the other was applying compressed air to its face. What better time to tidy up this gem than on "fall back" weekend.
And those workers were rightfully taking great care. Here's an eye-opening fact on the clock, courtesy of Robert Kahn's piece on GCT renovations last year: "Each clock atop the information booth in the main concourse is bejeweled with an opal face. Auction houses have pegged the value of the four faces at more than $10 million." Check out his complete GCT package here.
-- Rolando Pujol
Photos: Elisabeth Stuveras
During his presidency, Franklin Delano Roosevelt would arrive at the Waldorf=Astoria through a secure, below-ground train. 
Track 61, which is not on any official maps, would whisk him and other notables into the swanky and then brand new hotel. Here's one aspect of this story that The Tracker finds fascinating: The armored train car FDR used may still be down there, not far from the tracks where common Metro-North trains rumble every day. Here's a Fox 5 report from August, courtesy of YouTube, that looks at efforts to examine the train. Discoveries include tell-tale armor and codes that suggest this could be it. We'll also do a little more digging into this intriguing story.
-- Rolando Pujol
The World Trade Center's concourse was home to one of the most profitable shopping malls in the nation -- and during its last day served as a safe escape route for thousands. The signs being conserved from that area of the trade center include subway signs for the N/R trains and ads promoting the "Death of a Salesman" revival on Broadway. Also interesting but not among these photos: You can still get a small taste of what the concourse level was like. A small but significant portion of the concourse survives at the E train terminus of the WTC PATH station. There, you'll find 1970s vintage metal doors, travertine marble, and subway signs similar to the ones the authority is conserving at the airport.
-- Rolando Pujol
The Port Authority's collection includes several signs salvaged from the Austin Tobin Plaza. They include signs for the 1/9 train and 5 World Trade Center, one of the smaller buildings. They also saved a plaque honoring Austin Tobin, head of the Port Authority during the creation of the towers, as well as a 1973 metal marker that honored the people who built the towers.
-- Rolando Pujol
The Port Authority has salvaged several items from the World Trade Center's PATH station. They include some trains, one entry and two exit turnstiles (one had more than 200 tickets still inside).
-- Rolando Pujol
Recently, we had the opportunity (the privilege, really) to visit Hangar 17 at Kennedy Airport, where the Port Authority is conserving most of what's left of the World Trade Center. Above, a sign salvaged from the N/R station at the World Trade Center. It's a classic image of the trade center from the 1970s. There's no Battery Park City, the elevated West Side Highway can be seen, and the North Tower does not yet have its massive antenna. The markings on the sign indicate that the station was inspected on Sept. 15, 2001, and no victims were found. We'll have more later today. For our complete story, click here.
-- Rolando Pujol
It toiled in anonymity on the Brooklyn waterfront for decades. But now, trusty No. 25, a "switcher" locomotive, will become the centerpiece of a new Hudson River park in Manhattan. It will also have the honor of being the only locomotive in a city park. “These switchers are so beloved to rail fans that they call them honorary steam engines,” Thomas R. Flagg, an industrial archaeologist, told The New York Times, “because like steam engines, they have character, and are closer to a living creature than any other kind of machinery.”
Here are some shots snapped today in Riverside Park South by Charles Eckert. For more, check out this New York Times piece, and discussion of No. 25 on Trainorders.com:
-- Rolando Pujol
Well, MTA New York City Transit is remembering them today.
The Manhattan U.S. Attorney just announced a $165,000 settlement with the TA for violating the Clean Air Act. Apparently, the Redbird cars on the IRT line had faulty air conditioner units that released ozone-destroying choloroflurocarbons between 1998 through 2004, when the cars were phased out. The TA failed to repare leaks in the air conditioning units within 30 days of discovering them, failed to maintain service records, and couldn’t document how much refrigererant was used in each car.
Fun Fact: The Redbirds were painted red in the 1970s to discourage graffiti.
Photo via SubwayNut
-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com
New York City Transit’s chief spokesman Paul Fleuranges stepped back into reporting mode with this fascinating TransitTrax podcast on why the subway stations are so hot and how nothing can be done about it. Click on Summer Heat & The Subway.
Well worth the listen.
Most startling fact: The subway cars weren’t all air conditioned until 2003!
-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com
The Daily News has a good story today on the landmark Ridgewood Saving Bank in Forest Hills, a treat from 1940 that's a welcome sight outside the 71st Street-Continental Avenue station. It turns out that a clock on the Queens Boulevard side has been stuck at 2:24 for years, perhaps as far back as the 1970s. Why not just fix it? Well, it's the landmark issue, complicating the search for a proper new motor.
The bank's very existence is tied to that subway station, the News says, since its builders wanted to take advantage of that new stop and the booming neighborhood around it. It is certainly one of the jewels among many architectural gems in Queens.
-- Rolando Pujol
Ah, 1997, when people were still resisting the MetroCard and the MTA had to hire Mandy Patinkin to sell it. Props to the New York Observer Politicker for fishing up this MetroCard commercial on video treasure chest YouTube. Patinkin does the voiceover honors as he touts the cards against awe-inspiring city scenes. Gov. Pataki pops up at the end outside the Union Square Station. Ads in this series, the Politicker remind us, set off a political stir back in the day.
This isn't the first time YouTube delivered an MTA chestnut. Check out our post on the Train to the Plane -- and we don't mean the AirTrain.
-- Rolando Pujol
The second day of the scorching heat wave saw a brief disruption of the 1, 2 and 3 lines in Manhattan, and evening power problems are snarling subway service in Queens.
The cold front, such as it is, has passed through, but troubles continue in Queens. Here's the latest service advisory.
As for the big picture, amNY takes a look at problems the subways endure during the heat.
"Extreme heat has an enormous effect, we go through it every summer," said John Samuelsen, chairman of the track division of the Transport Workers Union Local 100. "The running rails expand on hot days and the possibility of rail buckling grows exponentially."
And it's not just heat. We all know how heavy downpours or melting snow can bring whole lines to their knees. Here's a look at some of the more recent problems, compiled by amNY:
Friday June 2, 2006
Extensive rain causes train delays and cancellations, especially in
Queens.
Sunday and Monday, February 12 and 13, 2006
A snow storm slowed and disrupted more than 12 subway lines throughout
the city. Central Park received 26.9 inches of snow from the weekend
storm.
January 18, 2006
High winds delayed train service from Connecticut to New York City.
September 8, 2004
Immense downpours flooded tracks and caused signals to malfunction,
which stopped subway trains. Almost every subway line in the city was
delayed because of the rain.
August 4, 2003
Rain, one to two inches in certain places, caused the rerouting of the N
and R trains over the Manhattan bridge and the No. 2 train to the
Lexington Ave. line between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The No. 1. 9, 2, 3
trains were suspended as well.
-- Rolando Pujol
Photo: Getty Images
Those stainless steel 1960s subway trains that ferry you on the A and C lines have a special place in NYC train history: They were the first to have air conditioning. And the robust if underappreciated R38s are among the oldest in service. So as you step from sweltering platform to cool subway car during this heat wave, tip your hat to the line of cars that started the cooling trend.
Here are vintage R38 photos and even a YouTube video. And we'll throw in some cool subway facts.
-- Rolando Pujol
Photo: Rebecca Letz for Newsday
In two weeks, breakdancing icons Rock Steady Crew will be holding their 29th anniversary party with a celebrity basketball tournament, concerts, and old-school “crew battle” dance competitions. throughout the weekend of July 27 to July 30.
Back in 2003, Mayor Bloomberg declared July 26, Rock Steady Crew Day. And back in 1980 the Bronx-bred crew performed at Ronald Reagan’s inauguration.
So in a little old school spirit, check out these great subway performances courtesy of You Tube. Without a doubt the subway is the past backdrop from their performances. Speaking of which, anyone ever check out their artistic heirs cartwheeling through the A train?
Photo courtesy of Rock Steady Crew
-- Chuck Bennett
The assistant managing editor for photography of The New York Times made a curious comment in a Q&A published online recently that has set off a kerfuffle among some photographers.
In response to a query posed by a student photographer on handling overzealous security guards, she advised that it's best to shoot from public places, and then added: "You are prohibited from shooting bridges and tunnels, less so the subway."
Now, in offering these tips, she was probably erring on the side of caution, since it's much easier to get out of a scrape with an officious security guard who misunderstands your motives if you carry a Times press card. And indeed, reports still emerge from time to time of photographers being hassled when legally taking pictures on the subway. But her advice has raised eyebrows.
Firstly, regarding the legality of subway photography, no less an authority than The New York Times itself wrote on May 23, 2005: "A proposed ban on taking photographs in the subway, meant to thwart potential terrorists, has been rejected as too broad to be enforceable, the police said yesterday."
Now, it's true that around the city's tunnels, there are a barrage of signs prohibiting photography. And a little Nexis research supports the idea that laws do prohibit photography of MTA bridges, too, but who is really going to stop that student photographer (or those countless tourists) from snapping away? (Well, this did happen shortly after 9/11 and may remain an issue today.)
To be sure, it seems the key questions are vantage point of the photo, and whether "sensitive" areas were being photographed. Still, the editor's comments, however well intentioned, seem to cry for amplification.
Here's reaction over at the Chezlark blog, who says the advice was "entirely incorrect or badly misleading". And there's more commentary at The Online Photographer.
-- Rolando Pujol
Have you been hassled taking pictures in the subways or around bridges? Let us know in the comments section. And the Chezlark blog pointed us to this interesting subway photography blog, Express Train.
Photo: Woman boards A train, by Newsday's Julia Gaines
If you've been looking for an excuse to visit the Transit Museum, here's a good one: On Saturday, the museum will be celebrating its 30th anniversary, with lots of festivities planned. It'll be a good chance to check out the Triborough Bridge/Robert Moses show. And while there, mull becoming a member, because it'll entitle you to such perks as a chance to see the 1904 IRT City Hall station. The
next members-only tour of this underground palace is Sunday. Their Web site warns that capacity is always limited for these events, and advance reservations are a must. So even if you don't go this time, the promise of access to such a gem alone makes membership worthwhile.
-- Rolando Pujol
2004 photo by Scout Tufankjian
Today is the first anniversary of the London transit bombings, which killed 52 people. While the city has long since regained its footing, this line in the AP dispatch encapsulates that eerie feeling which New Yorkers know all too well:
"A sense of mourning descended on the city -- as well as apprehension at the knowledge that any repeat attacks had the potential to devastate the precarious security that the affluent, cosmopolitan city has regained. "
Here's coverage from The Guardian, and a chilling look at how the news unfolded a year ago today on the blog Londonist.
-- Rolando Pujol
The Wall Street Journal (subscription only) has a good feature today on the $450 million project to rebuild the South Ferry Station in lower Manhattan. It tells the story through the eyes of Krunal and Jolly Patel, recent immigrants from India who fell for that longtime South Ferry trap: They were stuck in one of the five cars that do not board at the station. Soon, they saw the station zoom right past them, and back uptown they went. But that pint-sized platform will grow, allowing entire trains to finally fit. That and other modifications will cut the trip from midtown by 5 minutes, the article says. In the meantime, there's still the matter of the tiny platform. The MTA says signs are everywhere, and heck, out-of-towners should be able to figure it out. But the Patels aren't buying that. All this will be a nonissue come April 2008, when the New South Ferry station opens.
-- Rolando Pujol
AP Photo
If you were anywhere near a TV set in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then you remember (and perhaps recoil at the sound of) this jingle: Take the train to the plane!
That train was the JFK Express, the repurposed A train which ran from 1978 to 1990 and was a
dud almost from the start. The big but hardly only fault: It didn't provide a one-seat ride to the airport. (You had to endure an arduous transfer to a free Port Authority bus at Howard Beach.) It did offer several perks, such as a comfortable ride, police on the train, and even on-board ticketing. But by May 1989, daily ridership was down to just 3,700 (each express used four cars), while an average A train could accommodate 2,000 passengers, Jim Dwyer pointed out that year.
So all these years later, here's a look at the commercials that tried and failed to sell New York on the merits of the JFK Express, but left NYC with -- love it or hate it -- a classic campaign. The first spot introducing the service is from 1978; the second is from 1980, and has a commuter taking a stab at singing the jingle. They surfaced on YouTube, from a poster called tvnewsman.
-- Rolando Pujol
Image from Wikipedia
The little sign says Queensboro Subway, in raised letters on a metal, rectangular box. It appears to have been there -- high atop the entrance of the No. 7 train station in a historic building on 42nd
Street -- since the tower opened in the 1950s.
The subways have come a long way from May 12, 1989, the day the war on graffiti was declared won. But in truth, transit workers have long been spending nights quietly erasing a day's worth of damage. And their work is getting harder with the recent resurgence in graffiti. Since that milestone 17 years ago, most of the train vandalism that I've run across has been in the form of acid etching and scratchitti. But car 2069 on the No. 7 line at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday told a different story, one that had the faint air of the kind of subway experience of a generation ago -- the New York of "Death Wish" and "The Warriors". Virtually every door inside this car was tagged. The photos speak for themselves. Click on thumbnails:
-- Rolando Pujol
With all the talk about resurrecting the spirit of the old Penn Station across the street at the James A. Farley Post Office, it is always interesting to find evidence of that long-lost masterpiece in the present gloomy underground warren of corridors.
We ran into this sign on our commute yesterday morning -- what a treat it is to still find
these reminders of the old Penn. Of course, this historic sign -- worthy of a plaque next to it -- is unceremoniously overwhelmed by a flourescent light, but it makes you think about what else is left of the old. Where better to turn than Forgotten NY , which has a full page of amazingly extant delights from the Penn that was. It's worth a field trip to forage around and see some of these evocative remnants for yourself.
--Rolando Pujol
Here's a Tracker post from March on the demise of the LIRR flip boards.
The Triborough Bridge is turning 70, and how better to celebrate
than with an exhibition. "Robert Moses and the Automobile Age" will
open on Tuesday at the Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights. The construction of
the bridge
led to the creation of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel
Authority, Moses' seat of power for decades.
To quote Moses: "It has long been a cherished ambition of mine to weave together the loose strands and frayed edges of New York's metropolitan arterial tapestry... The Triborough Bridge Authority has provided the warp on the metropolitan loom, the heavier threads across which the lighter ones are woven."
Well, he did that all right, and we'll be debating the repercussions
of his projects forever. This
show has the makings of an interesting addition
to that conversation. It'll be there for a good long run, through April 2008.
-- Rolando Pujol
Photos: Triborough Bridge during 2003 blackout by Jason DeCrow for Newsday; Robert Moses by Harvey Weber for Newsday
Just one day ago, the FBI released statistics showing that New York was bucking a national surge in crime. We have indeed come a long way since the dark days of 1990, when the city recorded its most murders in a single year. But a single crime that bloody year shook the city in a way that encapsulated the sense that New York was truly out of control -- the subway murder of tourist Brian Watkins, 22. He was in town for the U.S. Open and died because he had the nerve to defend his parents from thugs at a midtown subway station.
On Tuesday, another tourist, Christopher McCarthy, 21, of Houston, Texas, was brutally stabbed on a subway train. It was completely random, a subway rider's worst fear -- a crazed man plunging a knife repeatedly into one's chest without cause. The assailant is at large and his victim is in critical condition.
This tragedy by no means even remotely suggests a creeping lurch back toward the horrors of Gotham, 1990. The FBI numbers are testament to that. But it does remind us that the unthinkable can and does happen in the now "cleaned-up," tourist-friendly New York.
Perhaps one of the people Brian Watkins defended so many years ago can best put words to this: His dad, the man he was fighting to protect from muggers when he was killed.
"We saw some change after our son's death," Sherwin Watkins told The New York Times last night. "The worst thing I can think of is for it to return to what it was before."
Here's Newsday and The New York Times on the story. And the photo of paramedics tending to Tuesday's victim is by Charles Eckert, a Newsday freelancer.
-- Rolando Pujol
No MSG: History may be repeating itself. Plans to build a brand new Madison Square Garden in the back of Moynihan Station are generating controversy. After all, Moynihan Station was supposed to atone for the destruction of the original Penn to make way for the Garden. Now the Garden plan could threatenin Moynihan Station. [amNewYork]
Sold: All that speculation was right. The TWU confirms it’s Upper West Side union HQ was sold for a cool $60 million. Paying off those Taylor Law fines will be a cinch but expect plenty of internal dissent about where the rest of the money goes. [The New York Post]
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