fbb has been examining public transport in New York, more specifically Manhattan Island. See "fbb's Dabble with the Big Apple [1]" (read again). The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the "umbrella" organisation for buses and trains. It also offers a simple-to-use on-line journey planner ...
... which, unlike Transport Defunct, doesn't require you to specifiy "station", "address" etc. In New York, You just type in where you want to go. So where does fbb want to go, virtually? How about starting at Central Park Zoo.
This is towards the south eastern corner of the massive Central Park that is, surprise, surprise, is a huge park in the centre of Manhattan. And where shall we go?
To the Statue of Liberty, of course.
Looks pretty simple and even gives the fare. Of course fares, like timetables, are a closely guarded secret in Boris the Blue's London.
What about going by bus?
What about going by bus?
A perusal of the bus map (here) suggests that route M5 (Whoops, sorry, line M5) would do the trick, delivering fbb to the Whitehall Road Station as shown in the subway schedule. There is a full timetable on line, with journeys arranged horizontally as opposed to the UK vertical style.
The line runs every 10 minutes off-peak but the journey will take an hour rather than 25 minutes underground. It is also further to walk from the Zoo. So the subway it is.
So, down the steps at "5th and 59th" he hurries, virtually, and onto a route R (sorry again, line R) subway going uptown (or is it downtown?) ...
... following the route delivered by the "Trip Planner" ...
... and back into daylight at Whitehall Street. Seemples!
The virtual fbb is all ready to gaze heavenwards at the magnificence of the Statue of Liberty. But of the pretty lady holding her ice cream cone aloft there is no sign. She ain't here! Quick, check you asked the right question ...
... O.K. Buddy, you did it right.
Illusionist David Copperfield once "vanished" the Statue; shown here in couple of fuzzy clips from a U-tube video. In front of a live audience, a curtain is raised in front of the statue, and ...
... moments later lowered and there she was ...
... gone. Perhaps he's been and gone and done it again?
Remember: an innocent fbb has asked the Metrolpolitan Transportation Authority's journey planner for a trip from Central Park Zoo to The Statue of Liberty. He has arrived at Whitehall Street station and walked 0.19 miles to his destination, The Statue of Liberty, and found no "Lady with Ice Cream Cone".
The Statue of Liberty (La Liberté Éclairant le Monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch (or vanilla cone) and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an icon of freedom and of the United States.
Really, fbb, it should be hard to miss.
Tomorrow we discover what went wrong.
Those from the USA who read fbb's blog will be screaming at their confuser screens; utterly convinced that fbb is a throughly British idiot. But, remember, fbb has never been to The Big Apple. He is simply interrogating an on-line system which, we are often told, is the best thing since sliced bread ground beef and zippers for your pants.
Next Blog : due Sunday February 19th
Just to make fbb feel at home he could try looking at this blog about the NYC Subway.
ReplyDeletehttp://secondavenuesagas.com/
Happy reading!
Now that's what I call a blog! Just tasting so far but fascinating nevertheless. Thanks Daddysgadgets!
ReplyDeleteUptown or downtown? The answer's in another song: "New York, New York, a helluva town. The Bronx is up but the Battery's down". Could have been written especially for your journey, fbb.
ReplyDelete