Expecting the unexpected • Eliza Bent
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MTA SUBWAY
October 28th • Four Boroughs NYC
The New York subway system is the one of the oldest and biggest rapid transit systems in the world. It operates 24 hours a day and carries up to 6 million riders a day. It’s also one of the most democratized subways systems in the world. You can travel from the Far Rockaways to the top of Manhattan for the same fare as going one stop. It means those further out from a city center aren’t penalized in their pockets. But corruption, forlorn beat up stations and notorious shoddy service often overshadows its virtues. From late trains to an infrastructure in disrepair, it’s one of easiest things to hate in NYC. Yet think about the city without it, and NYC falls apart. It’s the cardiovascular system of the whole city. It’s what actually gets most of us to and from work, to school, to see friends, to get food, see art, go to the doctor. It’s where most of us encounter our share of uncurated experiences, where most of us meet the people we wouldn’t otherwise meet and it’s something all of us can complain about.
When Eliza Bent told us she was working on a musical about the MTA, it was a no brainer. On the day after the New York Subway’s 115 birthday, we met Eliza down in Coney Island to start off the journey. Without being an official host, we let the subway hold her 360 minutes. Starting at AM Rush Hour, Eliza took the D the whole way from Coney Island Brooklyn to Norwood Ave, the Bronx. From there she found her way to the A up in Inwood and traveled all the way down to the Rockaways, Queens. Here’s Eliza’s account of her day…
I was excited and expecting the unexpected. Was grateful for the accountability of starting out bright and early at Coney Island. This is the kind of thing I could do "any time" so having Dhira and Julia to show up for was very helpful. I also doubt I would have been as ambitious as the suggested itinerary. But it inspired me to go for it!
From Coney Island to the Bronx I was just enjoying myself. Reading and getting some writing done. Then I stopped for a coffee and some scrambled eggs and took in the Bronx foliage. When I got into Manhattan I decided to get serious so I put on my hat that had a little sign "Ask me about my MTA play" and things picked up. Chatted with 5 people / groups total. First dude, Luis, I spoke with the longest from 145 st to Fulton. He suggested I include "weird trains no one rides" like the G and S. He thinks the play will be a great success and suggested I have it available on Youtube. Next dude I spoke with was mid 50s white business man who told me he "only works in NYC" and then said "you meet the strangest people on the subway." At York St I spotted two strangers talking to each other. I was drawn to the man's sweatshirt that said in huge letters "Cape Cod." The woman was Indian by way of Johannesburg. She told me she had thought New York would be better and is horrified everyone is on their phones. She and the man got off at Hoyt / Schemerhorn, wish I'd talked to them sooner. Deep into BK (after the A goes above ground) I spoke with a 70ish year old woman with an intimidatingly hip hair cut! She told me she calls herself "a subway girl." Originally from Japan she said how she loooooves the subway because of its flat fare. She also said people used to be more affectionate but that "drug culture" has impacted this. (She then gestured to shooting up her arm). The last person I spoke with appeared to be coming home from work. She rides the A "every day" and has seen all kinds of things "dancers, people asking for money, people like you." She said that it's always interesting when school gets out. These were thrilling convos but as an introvert I was wiped out so when it got to the shuttle bus portion I turned inward and was pretty solo the rest of the time.
Afterthoughts:
A pictorial postscript.
The C train over 50 years ago.
The C train today. Same train.