This time the thing that set Ask Gothamist off was a subway car full of cell phone talkers. Since so much of the city - coffeeshops, restaurants, movie theaters, Central Park - is polluted by wireless yappers, we always appreciated the subway as a sort of underground oasis, free from one-sided conversations and the types of voices that become exponentially louder when talking on the phone.
In places where the train comes above ground, such as on the F line between Carroll Street and 7th Avenue, cell phones are flipped out faster than a six shooters at the OK Corral. Ask Gothamist is certainly not against cell phones, but when we use ours we are considerate enough stand up and walk to the other end of the train or the vestibule by the doors in an effort to not disturb subway riders doing the crossword, reading the "Da Vinci Code" or catching up on sleep.
We are aware of some stations where it is possible to get subway service underground, particularly if one stands under a grate or near the doors that lead to the street. Although Ask Gothamist can appreicate the security that such a development might provide, if the tunnels are ever wired for cellular service, we will mourn the passing of one of the last cell-phone free places in New York.
