I could understand Frank Sinatra’s claim, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

New York had a real reputation then, most of it earned.

Do New Yorkers have that sort of pride these days?
_____________________________

There are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn’t advise you to try to invade.

–Humphrey Bogart, “Casablanca”

An “engineer” back then want exactly what it is today. It was more of a construction foreman type role.

I Callahan, speaking of which, you know, when I stop and think about it – why did Detroit not try to build a subway system? Was it just the whole car thing? It just struck me now for the first time.

Ha. Glad I dropped by.

For many years Detroit had a street railway system run by the DSR. It ran well beyond the city limits out the major radial arteries.

Popular and legendary explanations for its demise in 1956 were various and partial and include a conspiracy by General Motors, and the observation that auto traffic mixed with pedestrians attempting to access the trollies in bad weather led to injuries and deaths. The actual reason was probably just economic.

There are plenty of websites on the Detroit Street Railway, and numbers of home movie clips of the street cars. But the one really fine cinematic quality shot of one in operation which I can think of consists of a few seconds of a film noir movie location shot: in 1947’s “T-Men” starring Dennis O’Keefe.

The short scene of O’Keefe disembarking from the street car and heading to the Detroit public library gives a shocking glimpse of an orderly, well maintained, clean and tree lined civilization that no longer exists. The once famous Belle Isle fountain, back-drop for thousands of wedding couple poses, is shown too.

T-Men was on YouTube, but a brief glance indicates it might have been deleted. Without further checking I don’t wish to launch off on a tirade about corporate vermin and their parasitic dining off of even 75 year old B movie noirs which someone curious might watch as a harmless diversion in preference to the woke sxit spewed as supposed entertainment currently. No, I don’t want to do that.

Probably just as well to leave well enough alone, and play out the rope. When the current system abrupty hangs itself, not too many will mind. LOL

Yes, the straw seats I were on the BMT, I believe, and they were arranged differently, in little catty-corner groupings.

No AC in the subways until after I was grown-up. At least, no AC in the ones I rode, which were usually on the IRT. First I would swelter in the summer for an hour and a half in dance class with no AC and no cross-ventilation (speaking of steambaths or more like sweatlodges), then the subway ride without AC. Good thing I was young.

During the apex of graffiti-covered subway cars you literally could not see out many of the subway windows; they were covered in graffiti.

Only got mugged once in a subway station; 145th Street and 8th Ave station. I used to carry “mug money;” that is, I would have pocket change , but I would keep the bills in my shoes. I am not kidding. My thinking was if the muggers – usually young males of a certain race – at least walked away with something, they would not beat me up. The two that mugged me were kind enough to return my subway token and not beat me up.
No point reporting anything to the cops.

Did witness a professional pick-pocket group in action on the subway as passengers – all jostling and crowded together – were entering a subway car.. One pick pocket would open the purse of a lady standing in front of her and immediately hand it over to her accomplice behind her, and he would scoot off. When confronted by the victim, the original pick pocket denied doing anything and suggested the victim search her.
Of course, nothing happened to the crooks and the poor women lost her wallet.

Once in a while a very crowded train would pull into a station and one car would have only one “passenger;” that’s because the occupant was a passed out bum laying across the bench seats who had defecated in his pants. You and everybody else would immediately exit the car because of the stink.

A few times – during rush hour – some well dressed lady would begin yelling and screaming at some guy who was grabbing her. Was quite the site to see a well presented lady unleash a string of F bombs at the culprit.

Can’t think of any more fun experiences I’ve had using the subway.

My wife and I rode the subway frequently on a trip in 2017. The memory seems recent, but it isn’t anymore. We’d ride the #1 line back and forth between mid-town and the north end of central park where our host lived.