Underground Experiences

2006_01_subsnork1.jpgThe charming Bahamas tourism campaign seems to be running a new ad campaign in the subways. One poster we saw has suggestions for "Subway snorkeling":

How to Subway Snorkel:

MATERIALS NEEDED
(1) Crowded subway

1. Enter a crowded subway station (for prime viewing, choose the L, the A, or the 4 at rush hour)
2. Float from car to car experiencing all the beauty and diversity of New York's underground animals, from Wall Street sharks to Brooklyn urchins
3. Be respectful of their habitat

But floating from car to car is totally illegal now! Unless you're doing the "rush from train car to train platform to new train car" thing which is a pain. But there is a good idea buried in this - oxygen tanks for your subway journeys. No more smells, though Vicks VapoRub under the nose is less bulky.

And one of our favorite subway station art displays is the Houston Street 1 station's submerged subway platform - complete with manatee! It's glass mosaic called Platform Diving by Deborah Brown.

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Comments (9) [rss]

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there's another one about turning your subway seat into a hammock. Step 1 is to put your feet up, which I think is also illegal now.

adm, I was going to point out the same thing (high fives!)! Perhaps the idea is that you can do illegal things in the Bahamas...ha.

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bah i say! these ads suck. lame vector images were cool like 5 years ago during the bubble. on first look they seem to be ads for next version of windows or some other lame corporate software. content is vapid and makes me yawn - maybe the result of paid for ad agency parties in bahamas -- i'm so sick of subway-referential ads! i perfer the recent courvoisier ads - "look up to me biotch" - at least they make me laugh.

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Houston St is definitely the best of all the subways. Although the one with the seals is a little creepy because of their shadowed eyes.

The Courvoisier ads are quite cheeky. Smartest things I've seen in awhile.

I do, however, like the Bahamas ad. Mostly because the identity, though MS Windows reminiscent, is fresher and more fun than most of the crap that people pay to put in the cars.

On the depressing side, I've also enjoyed the Barnes and Noble literary excerpts like Nash's "Old Men" poem. Kills a bit more time and spawns a few more thoughts than your average splashy poster.

People expect old men to die,
They do not really mourn old men.
Old men are different. People look
At them with eyes that wonder when...
People watch with unshocked eyes;
But the old men know when an old man dies.

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I still like the Poetry in Motion series and have a few of them. Some of the MTA's stuff like the chicks recreating the IRT dedication and the flyiing Redbird were quite fun.

That said, I miss The Decision, which was the saga of Julio and Marisol. It was like a soap opera on the subway car cards. Does anyone know how that ended? There seems to be hardly anything about it on the web.

>>>complete with manatee

Now, you don't hear that phrase everyday...

www.forgotten-ny.com

The ads are kind of cute, but then you realize they're telling people to be even more annoying than they already are.


Putting your feet up on the chairs and "floating" from car to car are both illegal now. I really want them to make picking your toes on the subway illegal. Yecchh.


I kinda like the MTA signs in Spanish. I can't really read them, so it keeps me occupied trying to remember my high school Spanish.

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I saw these ads on the 5 train this afternoon and they're really well done! I'm a graphic designer in the city, and these are the first ads to really catch (and maintain) my attention. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint - they are quality. I'd love to find out what firm designed them.

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