Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Mid-Month Theme: Subway Day

I was waiting for the train at the Queens Plaza station last weekend when I spied this man, on the opposite platform, looking somewhat confused. He was reading the bulletins next to the subway map and trying to figure out which trains to take that day.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) frequently re-routes trains or pull them out of service on weekends to allow routine maintenance of the subway tracks. Most of the work are done on weekends to avoid inconveniencing commuters who rely on subway transportation on week days to get to the office on time.

Today is July 15, which means it is subway day. The theme is shared by the following bloggers:

22 comments:

Olivier said...

belle composition cette photo, j'aime beaucoup le contrasme entre le métro qui va vite et cet homme qui téléphone tranquillement.
beautiful composition this picture, and I love contrasme between the subway that will quickly and this man who quietly phone.

Alexa said...

Ming -- I LOVE subway pix, and this is a classic. I just want to go up to this guy and clear up his confusion (didn't you?).

Sally said...

Happy Subway Day!!! Nice shot across the tracks by the way - lots of movement, in that moment of still contemplation.

Sydney Daily Photo

stromsjo said...

Ah, that's typical. Once you've figured out how to find your connections through the city they are re-routed.

Have a happy Subway Day, Sally and everyone!

Anonymous said...

Soooooooooo........did you head back to the escalator and down the other side...to help the gent?

PeterParis said...

The kind of subway photo I would like to be able to produce!

Anonymous said...

The scene is interesting. I suspect the man will be talking about this confusion at the end of the day.

Kate said...

Hi there, love the movement in the photo. I'm back again after an illness and short stay in the hospital. I've missed all the bloggers, but I'm recuperating and will return!

Virginia said...

This is a great photo. Please email me the settings you used to get this effect. Fast forward this 4 months and that will be moi looking dumbfounded in the Paris Metro.
I would love to participate in your Subway Day, but alas here in B'ham, we are still using buses and an occasional trolley (yes TROLLEY) as our "rapid" transit system. I don't want to talk about it.

Chuck Pefley said...

Well, he sure missed that train :)

Ken Mac said...

I like the way his body is leaning inward...like an optical illusion.

Ming, you make the High Line yet? I wanna see your pics!

dianasfaria.com said...

excellent capture! Nice contrast in textures as well.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Nice photo! You catch the moment!

NYD said...

When I look at this, I can feel the burst of wind that pushes itself into the station smell the burnt air as the third rail ionizes the oxygen and hear the clap N rattle of the cars as they travel by - all subdued by the pensive pose of the man across the platform.

I guess 1000 words would be about enough, but I'll keep it short.

NYD said...

Does this day have to be about subways? Can regular train lines count too?

Jane Hards Photography said...

I can honestly say the tube in london I don't miss. Having your head stuck in someone's armpit is not my idea of fun. Viewing your images I can appreciate subwas from afar. He does look like he's about keel over, maybe had his head stuck in someone's smelly armpit for too long.

Knoxville Girl said...

Yeah, that could've been me the last time I took the subway in NYC.
Well, except for the moustache.
Hope that train whizzing by wasn't the one he needed to take.

NormanTheDoxie said...

Those weekend re-routes can be confusing, not to mention inconvenient.

Bergson said...

beautiful opposition enters the subway and this man

good glance

• Eliane • said...

Nicely done. For me, the subway zipping away makes the subway map pop in! And his shirt colors echoes nicely the map, the stripes on the ground, etc.
But the real question is: how could he get good reception there?
Oh and, dude, you should update your cities links on the right... Just saying...

stromsjo said...

NYD: "Does this day have to be about subways? Can regular train lines count too?"

I'd say that Subway Day is about subways: under ground, above ground, interiors, exteriors, by day, by night and so on.

Still, regular train lines are also interesting and there are many days in a month so maybe someone will create a theme day for those? ;)

Todd HellsKitchen said...

Oh, those signs are IMPOSSIBLE!