I'd like to tell you a little story of my youth. I came to New York City in 1997 to study at university. It was four years of walking around the West Village, never going past Avenue A and breaking up with my boyfriend because he lived a whole 20 blocks away from me. It was one of those isolated school experiences you didn't expect at a New York school. But, as soon as I graduated I fell in love with New York. I get a sense of satisfaction finding out fun facts and little tidbits about this city. There will always be occasions where you can say "I bet you didn't know this about NYC?" and start spewing out random facts and look like a pompous fool. I do it all the time. So as my gift to you, I offer two sites that will help you on your way to becoming a New York nerd (atomic wedgies sold separately).
The first site is Forgotten NY. It's got a ton of information on a wide range things New York. You might not know that, along with the elevated train and subway, New York had an old trolley system (it may be a San Francisco treat, but not for the hardcore New Yorker).What about this gem? You may notice that all of the street signs are green with white lettering, but that's not how is always was. Before 1964 you could tell which borough you were in just by looking at the street sign. If you encountered a blue street sign with white letters, you'd have known to get the hell out of there… fast!
Here's a useful tip to all you park goers: if you're in Central Park and you need to know what cross street you're at, run to the nearest light post and look for a small metal plate with 4 numbers. The first 2 numbers will tell you your cross street.
Also, did you know that there use to be a K line in the NYC subway system? Crazy, huh? It was part of the current A/C/E (blue) line. It was kind of a mix between the C and E line (even though both lines existed alongside the K). It ran from the World Trade Center up to 168th Street in Manhattan. It looks like redundancy is what finally killed it.Speaking of subways, I'm in love with New York subway system. It may be dirty, hot and smells of urine from time to time, but it gets me everywhere I need to be in this city (except it failed Pat and me during our scavenger hunt). It's so chaotic, yet beautifully organized. It's efficient, but frustrating at the same time. This is why I offer you NYCSubway. This site seriously has a wealth of information about that trains you ride for an hour everyday. From old subway maps to new subway cars to new new subway lines, this site has most of it. It even humors those New Jersey folk with some information on the PATH train. That's so cute.
So the next time someone says, "Oh my God, did you see Ironman? It was so awesome!", you can reply, "You know what's even more awesome? Our subway system. I bet you didn't know that there was an 18th Street stop on the 4/5/6 line. Yeah. Between 1904 and …." Unfortunately, you'll find that you'll be talking to yourself or your rum and coke after 5 minutes.
If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!
Related Things:
- Read all the Summer Friday entries