|
|
| Re: The subway during the 1970's, how bad did it really get? (54531) | |||
 |
|||
| Home > SubChat | |||
|
[ Read Responses | Post a New Response | Return to the Index ] |
|
||
|
Re: The subway during the 1970's, how bad did it really get? |
|
|
Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Tue Feb 22 18:46:10 2005, in response to Re: The subway during the 1970's, how bad did it really get?, posted by UWS Greg on Tue Feb 22 17:06:12 2005. There were times that I was on an R42 or R30 on some of els or subway, and you could even see out the windows. There were times when you had to wait until you got to the station to find out where you were. And then it was still a project to figure out where you were if you didin't know the area, because even the station signs were covered with graffiti, and that includes every other inch of surface of the stations covered with it. In the 70's, even the tiled walls of underground stations were covered with graffiti, and the columns too. On the elevated lines, they usually turned the lights out to save power, that gave you a really weird glow of light through the multicolored windows, that you couldn't see out of (and people complain about scratchitti!).If you were on the elevated lines, and you were on a line where the roofs were below you (low buildings), all the roofs along the els were covered with door windows. They would just be kicked out by kids. I was even on a sidewalk under the M train once and a window from the passing train came crashing down on the sidewalk!! The only good thing about windows that were missing were that at least you could see where you were if the rest of the windows were spray painted. Every inch of every surface of the train was covered with grafitti, inside and out. Then you had the trains where the interior lights didn't work at all, and that was always "fun" on the underground lines. In the 70's, those became the unofficial "pot" cars. I remember getting on a dark R30 on the L train at Union Square when I was about 7 years old with my father, in the 70's. As we were passing through the tunnel to 3rd Ave, I remember smelling a "smell" that I didn't know what it was. I asked my father what that smell was, and he just looked down at me and said, "I don't know, but let's go to the next car". I guess he didn't want to explain to me what "pot" was, and that someone was smoking it on the train. It wasn't until years later that I found out what that "smell" was (you know how when you smell something, it almost intantly reminds you of an event" - like when you smell apple pie it may remind you of grandmother's house, etc). The 70's and 80's were really something. The su bway of today bears little resemblance to those days. |
|
(There are no responses to this message.)
|
|