100 Days on the A Train: DAY 3

You really can count on the A train to wake you up in the morning. At around 7:30am a FOP entered the uptown train at Chambers Street. This particular man had an amusing, yet annoyingly offensive, tic. He picked up on one phrase and yelled it out repeatedly for at least five minutes like a cuckoo clock while varying the syllables he emphasized: "WASHington Heights! WASHington Heights! WASHington Heights! WashingTON Heights! WashingTON Heights! WashingTON Heights!" etc., etc. Other choice words: UNion Square! UNion Square! UNion Square! Union SQUARE! Union SQUARE! Union SQUARE! Pretty Girls! Pretty Girls! Timessss Square! Timessss Square! Timessss Square!

The amusing part was the sound of his voice: rough, jagged hiss. And he interspersed a creepy, slow, guttural chuckle between his repetitive screams. Heeeuh, Heeeuh, Heeeuh.

A Train Fun Facts

It is the longest subway line in the world: 31 miles with 65 stations
The A was the first subway route operated in NYC as part of the IND subway system
A typical type of train on the A line is the R32, which was built in 1964-65. They are the oldest cars in the system.
The longest gap between stations is on the A from Howard Beach to Broad Channel
It was the inspiration for the hit song, “Take the A Train” by Billy Strayhorn, a Duke Ellington standard
The A and the AA were the first services in the IND Eighth Avenue Line when it opened in 1932.
Identity crisis: the AA was renamed the K in 1985 and in 1989 it was replaced by the C.

100 Days on the A Train

DAY 3

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