Photo copyright © 2023 by Gerry O’Brien
Subway Scenes
January 4, 2024•Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, New York City Subway, Photography
January 4, 2024•Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, New York City Subway, Photography
Photo copyright © 2023 by Gerry O’Brien
The thing that jumped out at me was the words, “News Stand” above the gentleman’s head. It appears to have been quite a while since a news stand was there.
Exactly! This particular subway line first opened around 1916, and many stations had amenities like restrooms and newsstands built in. Over time, the restrooms were closed for safety reasons (some are now open again), and newsstands moved out of the system. The NYC Transit Authority is a big, dumb bureaucracy that remains clueless about many things. There are numerous kiosks and storefronts built into the subway system that were renovated in the past few decades, yet remain vacant because the MTA can’t get it’s act together.
Wow. That’s kind of wild. Thanks for the background info. Apparently in 1916 they expected things to be the same. Things from back then seem to be made with more permanence.