Lessons on the L Train

Speaking of the train , Stefan, I’m new to the city, which means there are a lot of things I need to learn before I can start getting from here to there without scratching my head a few times. Of course, one of the first hurdles I’ve had to overcome was navigating the sprawling MTA transit system. While most of my initial lessons were rather commonplace, like learning the difference between local and express trains, I’ve also picked up a lot of interesting tidbits about mass transit in New York.

I’ve discovered, for example, a vast subculture surrounding New York’s subway system. SUBWAYblogger.com and Second Avenue Sagas are two examples of a flourishing blogging scene that covers everything from the MTA’s shocking announcement that the subway is dirty to the story of three New Yorkers stealing $800,000 worth of free subway rides .

So next time you’re catching the L out to Brooklyn or the 3 up to Harlem, remember that that massive beast called the MTA has a story, and it’s a story worth telling.

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.

GIVE NOW

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

The Church in the Age of Therapy

Matthew Loftus

In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…

Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot

Anna Farrow

On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…

The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen

Mike Aquilina

Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…