I’ve only been in Manhattan for a few months, but the subway has really grown on me. In that, it seems, I am not alone.
The American Public Transportation Association reports that, between July and September, ridership of subways, buses, commuter rail, and light-rail increased by 6.5 percent. The spike in oil prices surely had something to do with it, says APTA president, William Millar, but “many have since found it works for them.”
This is probably not the end, nor the beginning of the end, nor even the beginning of the beginning of the end of Americans’ famous love affair with the automobile. But perhaps we’re seeing the first stirrings of a new and complementary love.
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.
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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.
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