Note Of Issue Form New York: Fill & Download for Free

I'd say you're mostly correct, and there are a number of reasons why New York's system is the way it is.Comparing New York's system to those of Taipei, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore isn't really fair, considering relative size:New York:Length: 375 kmStations: 469Daily ridership: 5,597,551Taipei:Length: 131.1 kmStations: 117Daily ridership: 2,150,000Bangkok:Length: 86.52 kmStations: 53Daily ridership: 884,000Hong Kong:Length: 174.7 kmStations: 87Daily ridership: 5,263,000Singapore:Length: 170.7 kmStations: 121Daily ridership: 2,762,000As you can see from the above figures, New York's system has a much, much higher capacity than most of the other cities noted. Of the above, the only system that compares with New York's at all is Hong Kong's, and Hong Kong's system is able to carry almost as many passengers as that of New York in a system only half as long as New York's with 382 fewer stations. This is likely due to Hong Kong's population being concentrated in a relatively small area, while New York's population is quite spread out between the five boroughs.Size differences allow for increased efficiency, less delays, and less that can go wrong. All of the above cities also function as either primate cities or city states, meaning that they can depend somewhat on national coffers to support their respective systems, whereas New York has to be more self-sufficient.Note that the above systems are also much newer than New York's. Many of New York's subway stations were built in early part of the twentieth century, which is why you get this:Instead of this:Many of New York's newest stations are older than the oldest stations in the cities shown above.But why is New York's system shabby in comparison to other older systems like those of London and Paris?New York's geography really doesn't help. New York is a city built on islands and bedrock surrounded by a deep harbor and wide, swift rivers. Consider New York's geography compared with that of London, Paris, and Seoul:New York:London:Paris:Seoul:Constructing any underground system in New York is always going to be particularly challenging (and expensive) because of these factors. Moreover, New York has maintenance challenges that Paris and London don't really have to deal with. Take Williamsburg's impending doom, for example:The critical linkage that is the L Train is in dire need of repair because of damage from Hurricane Sandy. Were it not for New York's vulnerability to storms, the L's tunnel would not have suffered the damage it did, and this would not be an issue. While London has some long-term vulnerability to sea-level change, its situation is not nearly as dire as New York's.While the constant maintenance to New York's system is certainly frustrating, much of it is due to decades of neglected maintenance that we are currently paying the price for. The system was really neglected during New York's long period of decline from the '60s through the '90s. As such, we're stuck with the rather Orwellian FASTRACK.The unpredictable schedules you (very justifiably) complain about are in large part due to maintenance, which we've already addressed. It's also because New York's system uses dated technology that only allows one train to be on a given section of track at any given time, and also makes it very difficult to track where a train is at any given time:The equipment is old and breaks all the time. In fact it’s so old that the MTA can no longer buy replacement parts from the manufacturer; it has to refurbish them itself. Some of the controls for the interlockings are originals from the 30s. Much of the wiring is still insulated with cloth, instead of rubber; ten years ago the entire Chambers Street interlocking caught fire. Salt water from Hurricane Sandy did damage to trackside switches and signals that is still being repaired.Old, inefficient, and very vulnerable. Perfect words to describe New York's subway system. Most systems globally are operating with much more up to date technology, and things understandably run more smoothly.I would also argue that scheduling issues are tied to train culture, at least to a certain degree. Koreans, for example, wouldn't think of holding up a train while they talk to their friend in the train doorway. New Yorkers do this all the time, and it really slows things down over the course of the day. Ditto throwing trash on the subway tracks, which can cause smoke and fires that result in delays.Another cultural aspect is that New York's system is open 24/7, whereas most of the systems you cite close around midnight at the latest. New York pays dearly for running near empty trains, both in terms of finances (poor receipts relative to costs) and maintenance ability (tying back into some of the previous points). New Yorkers generally wouldn't have it any other way, and depending on taxis would simply be untenable (buses might be more efficient), but it increases the stress on the system.As for express and local lines, that's something that's a positive, not a negative, at least if you don't live in lower Manhattan. Living at 125th St. on the West Side, I can get all the way to the Financial District in less than thirty minutes on an express train, whereas it would take closer to an hour on a local. Most places in Manhattan are 45 minutes door to door, including walking. Moreover, while figuring out express and local trains might be challenging for tourists, it's pretty straightforward once you've lived in the city for awhile. I've only lived in New York for a bit more than a year, and I know almost all express and local stops in Manhattan, though I'm far from perfect in the boroughs.New York's stations are also really close together, sometimes as close as four or five blocks, particularly in Manhattan. Compare that with the comparatively greater distance between stations on most of the systems cited, particularly the larger systems, and express trains become a necessity. Note that Seoul has (limited) express trains which are even more complicated than New York's, and then run in the areas where stations are much farther apart (Line 1 in Gyeonggi-do, notably).So no, you're not wrong, but there are a myriad of causes and reasons for why New York's system is the way it is. Some of them are thanks to human choices and human error, whereas some are simply due to age and geography. All in all, however, it's definitely not a bad system, and its weaknesses are often more cosmetic than functional.

For me, New York was a city of firsts:The first time I got drunk at a bar. (I was eighteen at the time. The place was El Sombrero.)A half-decent relationship.My first good job.The first time I ever got serious about helping people who were not me.A place where I finally developed some self-confidence.Then the bad:The first time (of many) I ever seriously questioned my existence on earth, and started to ask myself all of those important, existential questions.The first time I experienced innocent people (that I knew) die from something so undeserved and so utterly horrifying that I began to really wonder if doing good in the world really mattered.The first place I began to understand (but never be totally cognizant of) how totally privileged and enabled I’ve been my entire life and how most others aren’t afforded that incredible opportunity.The first time I watched someone get absolutely steamrolled by the stress and status-seeking that’s become a sad, inherent part of the New York culture. Some people can hang, and they do well. But sometimes outsiders get chewed up and fist-fucked.The first place where I seriously considered killing myself.I couldn’t hang, but stress wasn’t the issue.I just wanted out.New Yorkers Are ToughWhenever I mention to someone that I’m from New York (I lived in New York City proper a year, sue me), they suggest that it’s a change of pace. This is a change of pace, right? No shit.But I also think the toughness thing is a bit of a misnomer, and kinda bullshit. (I wasn’t very tough, admittedly.)I think coarse is much more apt. Tough implies that you’ve aged, like rock. You came up mica, and out the other side sapphire.New Yorkers are rough, like #2 pencils — writing their jolly little notes in their Moleskine notepads, hoping that they don’t run out of graphite before they finish their thoughts.Some people run out — of ideas, words, hope. They can’t write anymore. So they run on fumes. Or they kill themselves. Or they move.It’s scary, and it’s miserable and it’s tough and you won’t make it. Most people don’t.Nobody is happy. Everybody wants more.And You Should Live There, Just Once“Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.”— Mary Schmich, Chicago TribuneAnd yet I never regret living in New York, not once. I miss it, like an ex-girlfriend. I secretly wanted her to call me up and tell her that she missed so that I could have sex with her.New York City is the abusive relationship of cities. It bullies you into loving it. Stockholm Syndrome.You’ll meet all of the batshit insane, crazy and quirky people you’ll ever need to meet in your entire life. They’re all twisted in their own right. You’ll fill your quota.And it’ll push your limits — it’ll make you wonder how you ever lived anywhere else. But it’ll push you, too. And you’ll toe that line. And you’ll never win. You’ll always get knocked on your ass.You’ll become bipolar. The next day will be tragic. You might die.And yeah, the weather will suck. It’s too cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer. You’ll catch a break for a few weeks every now and then, but it’s mostly shit.You’ll hate that, and you’ll hate your life.But then something magical will happen. You’ll meet someone. Or you’ll find a job you like. Or a side-project that ignites you.Because New York City forces you to dig deep and find that. And you’ll start to feel comfortable.And then you’ll be ready to move.

It’s worth noting that other First Ladies have talked about this; notably, Michelle Obama was rumored to be considering staying in Chicago with Sasha and Malia until the end of the 2009 school year so they would not have to change schools in the middle of a school year.But the difficulties involved with this made clear that moving to Washington was a necessity. It remains to be seen if the Trumps will make the same decision.To my knowledge, no presidential family has chosen not to live in the White House while it was available. It underwent renovations during the 1940s w hich left it unlivable for much of Truman’s presidency, but the Truman family lived nearby at Blair House during that time.The President can conduct his business from anywhere and the First Lady’s responsibilities are more a matter of tradition and ceremony than anything else. The main issue here is going to be the enormous cost of maintaining security for the Trumps in New York City (current estimates place it at $1 million per day). Protecting Donald Trump costs New York City more than $1 million a dayThis cost is much lower in Washington because the security apparatus to protect the White House is already in place, and the White House itself is isolated from other residential dwellings. The Trumps live in a penthouse suite in a NYC high rise with hundreds of other tenants and people going in and out all the time. At the moment, there is no other option, because they have to live somewhere until the inauguration. But there will be a much more cost-effective and efficient option available to them after January 20.And if Trump personally plans to return to NYC for 3 days out of every week, as many reports say he will, the cost will increase dramatically; the President does not travel lightly and Trump will not be able to use his own plane or helicopter, neither of which have the defensive and communications characteristics of Air Force One or Marine One. If he travels by motorcade from one of the New York area airports to Trump Tower every Thursday evening or Friday as current reports suggest, then he will snarl NYC traffic with staggering regularity. Washington D.C. is a city that is designed to house the head of government; the President can fly by helicopter (Marine One) from the White House lawn to a military airport where his plane (Air Force One) is waiting for him. In New York, things will be very different. The city is not designed with a president or first family living in its midst in mind, and whenever any president has visited New York in the past, it has caused serious traffic problems and significant headaches for everyone who lives there.So the decisions the Trump family makes will be very interesting ones.