Anyone else take the subway to work today?

"J.K. Trotter" (trotter)
12/12/2013 at 12:29 • Filed to: transportation, subways, new york

I did. Had a pleasant ride on the J Train. Lots of sunlight. Nice views of the East River going over the Williamsburg Bridge. Pleasant passengers. Would recommend.

DISCUSSION (91)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:31

Dude, for real? Please don't start shit here.

Leadbull > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:32

Kinja'd!!!

area man > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:33

I took the train. There were three homeless people in the same car and they started to fight over who gets to beg first. It also stopped in the middle of a tunnel for 5 minutes for no reason.

Seriously, go away.

RacecaR > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:33

Kinja'd!!!

EL_ULY > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:34

Kinja'd!!!

NOOOOWWWW!!!!

rad_mike > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:35

Right, because it's all about the commute. Move along please.

For Sweden > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:35

You haven't been a dick, so you won't be banned. Thank you for not driving so we encounter that much less traffic.

Hoccy > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:38

Bet your subway wasn't a Porsche.

Nibbles > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:38

I didn't take the subway to work, because we don't have one. I didn't take the bus, because that would require me getting out of bed at 3 AM. I drove my efficient, yet boring and uncomfortable, Ford Focus. My 18 mile trip took 21 minutes and I arrived without issue.

Converse > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:38

Kinja'd!!!

Brian, The Life of > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:39

Simmer down, guys. This is called "good-natured humor." Trotter comes in peace (and I invited him).

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:39

Dear Mr. Troll.

Kinja'd!!!

Now please be a good sport and take your fanatical NYC hipsterism elsewhere.

Kind regards, all of Oppo.

Edit: you see, we have some rules here on oppo, Gamecat can tell you what they are. But the main thing goes like this: DO NOT BE A DICK.

oldirtybootz > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:39

Omg.

Much troll.

Many Jalop.

So angered.

Very success.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:40

Then I am both happy and sad for you. Good bye.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:41

I drove my car to work today. It's a short drive, but would be on the long side for a bike ride, and I live in a fairly rural community with limited public transport in the first place - only bussing, and that with nearest access a mile-plus from where I live. My car, being 27 years old, is not producing any fresh horrors upon Mother Earth other than a light taste of soot and CO2, and uses that sparingly, costing me about $12 a week in fuel costs, and that with having so many miles on it it's effectively been to the moon and back.

I went to college somewhere it was heinously expensive to park a car, so at every opportunity had to rely on public transport instead. Atlanta, MARTA - comprehensive, but quite dysfunctional. Indifferent to abrasive passengers, and a drastic increase in time to achieve any similar result to a motor vehicle. Views of low-rent concrete, decaying steel, rail yards, and graffiti. Frequent smell of urine. Less sunlight than driving on a per/minute basis, as many stations are underground. Would not recommend.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > EL_ULY
12/12/2013 at 12:42

I love the blood spray from the dude's head. Art was more hilarious back in the day.

EL_ULY > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec?
12/12/2013 at 12:43

lol right :]

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:43

Alright...where's King Patrick George XVIII to come and save us?

vdub_nut: scooter snob > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:43

Kinja'd!!!

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Brian, The Life of
12/12/2013 at 12:44

To me it seems like another attempt at trolling, and that would fall under what I see as a dickish move, and as we all know.. the primary rule here on oppo is "don't be a dick" Perhaps I misunderstood his motives, but he didn't actually make them very clear either.

J.K. Trotter > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
12/12/2013 at 12:47

Your car is 27 years old? Is it vintage?

Brian, The Life of > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/12/2013 at 12:47

He lives in NYC. Even gearheads don't commute in cars in NYC. He's not being insulting. Do you never fuck with your friends a little for fun? Same deal here, don''t take it all too seriously.

Anyway, I had fun with his post yesterday. That's what it was all about.

UserNotFound > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:47

I could have taken public transportation to work today, but that would have involved a 10 minute walk, a 15-20 minute wait for a bus, a 20 minute drive, and another 10 minute walk.

Instead I drove my car which involved a 30 second walk, a 7 minute drive, and a 1 minute walk. And I didn't get accosted by drug crazed strangers.

Oh, also . . .

Kinja'd!!!

J.K. Trotter > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/12/2013 at 12:48

For real.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Brian, The Life of
12/12/2013 at 12:49

I take it as good implication that I shouldn't ride public transport that I constantly itch to access the driver's compartment whenever I do. Maybe if he tries rural driving for a while, he'll realize there *is* a point.

Similarly to that thimble-witted number of people in cars/bikes/bus gif from a while back, some things only hold up to scrutiny in an extremely limited reference frame. Sure, the bus might take the same number of people, but to bring access to those same people might take eight buses, each running twice as long, and with half the mileage of... oh look, I'm impact equal to 32 cars already in fuel/emission and have dwarfed the time even of traffic loss, leaving only congestion irritation and parking themselves.

I'm okay with this post, as it's not mean-spirited and he's entitled to his views. They just may not be as universally applicable as he'd like to feel they are.

J.K. Trotter > UserNotFound
12/12/2013 at 12:49

I mean, the roads have drug-crazed strangers, too. And they’re commanding giant pieces of machinery!

J.K. Trotter > area man
12/12/2013 at 12:49

Oof. In New York?

J.K. Trotter > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/12/2013 at 12:50

UserNotFound > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:51

Yes but they can't speak to me, touch me, or vomit on me. And there are fewer of them on the roads than in buses or subways.

thebigbossyboss > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:52

Go away.

area man > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:53

Chyea. I can't remember the last time I didn't encounter at least one homeless person moving through the train either on the way there or home. Seriously, every single day.

cardboardarmor > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:53

The only subways where I live sell mediocre sandwiches, so no I didn't take them to work today - I packed leftovers for lunch.

bradledy > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:54

But we're happy here. Please let us be happy.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:54

It's held its value quite well, though it has yet to accrue any special value (first-year W-124 model Mercedes Benz sedan). I recognize there is a special form of waste evinced in buying a new car every two years, but as I'm capable of maintaining and operating an efficient mode of transport that suits my needs well, I see no reason to upgrade it. As the best of what its year of manufacture had to offer, it has an airbag, pedestrian safety-minded bumpers, an impact-absorbing structural cage, and has the limit of modern amenities I require (stereo, A/C, heat) in a daily driver.

In short, though I and my checkbook (both of which are pleased by it) don't have that as a particular concern, its impact is low, and for my considerations far outperforms what public transport or cycling could offer me.

I do own two vintage cars, 1966 and 1963, but they're entirely different stories...

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Brian, The Life of
12/12/2013 at 12:55

Friends yes.. but I don't start a friendship by making fun of everything they like or do. I guess my main problem is that it seems like he thinks NYC is the only place on earth that's actually worth living in.

And then we have this thing, that he wrote yesterday "The idea that an automobile “represents individual freedom” is a fiction manufactured by carmakers." That gives me the impression that he don't even realise threre might be places that don't even HAVE public transportation.

If he REALLY wanted to be friends with us, he'd tell us something about himself, perhaps actually be friendly. As of now he reminds me of Roberto..

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 12:59

You tried your best to ridicule a whole community yesterday, without much luck. Today you come here and try again? I'd say that's a rather yobbish kind of behaviour.

Hot tip: When meeting new people, be nice.. THEN, when you've become friends you can start poking fun at them. The other way around hardly ever works.

Now, let's just get this straight, I'm not mad or anything, but it strikes me as rather childish to come over here and start that shit all over again.

J.K. Trotter > cardboardarmor
12/12/2013 at 13:03

Ha.

The WB > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 13:03

If there was one available, I might consider it for the daily commute so I don't have to put extra miles on cars that I enjoy driving for pleasure. Sadly, Texas is really big.

Brian, The Life of > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/12/2013 at 13:07

TBH, I kinda liked Roberto. When he was being himself, anyway.

J.K. Trotter > UserNotFound
12/12/2013 at 13:07

But they can kill you , with their car. I say that as a Wisconsinite with a drivers license. 24% of the state where I grew up has admitted to drunk driving!

PushToStart > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 13:10

Ok, really? Seriously, it's not funny, whether you're being serious or not. I didn't care that much yesterday since it wasn't here. But now it is here. I'm not offended by the stuff you say, it's just annoying to have to see it here, a place I come frequently and can be sure that it won't have this kind of crap. I don't care if you talk shit on Gawker because I never visit Gawker, and for a good reason too, so it's easy to avoid. We come here to talk about cars. You don't like it, fine. You want to talk shit about us on your website? Fine. Don't come to our area and talk shit or belittle our stuff.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Brian, The Life of
12/12/2013 at 13:10

Yeah, I did to. but when he was.. well.. Trollberto? not so much.

And just to make things clear, I'm not mad.. just fed up with trolls/trollish behaviour, and English isn't exactly my native language so sometimes I get confused.

Gamecat235 > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 13:15

Welcome! Please stay. You gained a lot of respect from me yesterday .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

If anyone specifically continues to give you a hard time, let me know. We're trying to address it now.

Ilike_cougars > Brian, The Life of
12/12/2013 at 13:19

ahem! I work in midtown, and I drive into the city all the time. I dont get a spot to sit if I take the subway, It is so crowded that I usually have either a lady's hand bag wedged into my gut, or an elbow in my face. I get subsidized tolls and parking, so Id rather seriously drive than take the subway..

Brian, The Life of > Ilike_cougars
12/12/2013 at 13:22

So YOU'RE the guy?! I had heard rumors but I never thought they were true.

;)

J.K. Trotter > Gamecat235
12/12/2013 at 13:23

Nah, everyone’s fine. Thanks for the welcome.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 13:29

OK. I'll apologise, I never intended to be a dick towards you.. But when someone who actually works for gawker seemingly is actively trying to piss us off.. well, I put on me fighting trouser a tad to fast perhaps.

So how about this.. I won't call you a NYC-centric hipster anymore and I'll give you a beer? A nice norwegian xmas ale.. It has to be a virtual beer though, since it'll cost me an arm and a leg to actually send it across the sea.

Kinja'd!!!

Let's try to be friends yeah?

Ilike_cougars > Brian, The Life of
12/12/2013 at 13:34

Lol Yes I am that guy.. who has come forward to heal the masses of the scourge that is public transportation. The one who shall part the mighty Hudson, and lead the opponauts into a better... wait, NYC is a shitty place to drive go back..

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 13:45

No, because we have this amazing thing in flyover country.

It's called...

Kinja'd!!!

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 14:02

Guys, just admit there exists a place in the world where public transportation is effective and pleasant for certain people.

LETS RECYCLE ALL OUR CARS RIGHT NOW

Jayhawk Jake > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 14:02

Seriously?

You do realize that not everyone lives in a city with a subway?

I get it, you're trying to be funny. But here's a thought: you aren't being funny, you're just being an asshole. Opposite Lock is a forum for people who like cars. You don't have to own one, but literally no one else on this forum actively shits on driving cars like you do.

And since you asked, no I didn't ride the subway to work. We don't have one. We hardly even have busses, an no busses go anywhere close to my work. But that's not a bad thing, I take my efficient little car and drive a few miles to work. get to watch planes take off on my route, which is nice.

maximillious > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
12/12/2013 at 14:04

Hahahahah Flyover country! I love calling it that being from Wisconsin! That keeps all the shit sippin morons that actually believe that is true out! Then all you get is awesome people from other "Fly over" states coming to visit and truely enjoy all you have to offer. Including all the extra SPPPPPAAAAAACEEEEE You rock sir.

J.K. Trotter > Jayhawk Jake
12/12/2013 at 14:09

For what it’s worth, I recognize and understand and could even get behind a culture that prizes car design. Even racing—I get that. I just have a problem with the idea that urban infrastructure, and to some extent the whole of society, should be organized around car ownership. (Which is to say, for one example, that I support congestion pricing .) But I’m not totally sure whether those two are realistically segregable.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > maximillious
12/12/2013 at 14:09

I grew up outside of Chicago. I was close enough to the SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE that I knew I didn't want to live in an urban area.

maximillious > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
12/12/2013 at 14:19

Yeah I live in milwaukee now which is probably the most SPAAAAAAACIOUS city possible. End being that its so small and easy to get the hell out of there is plenty of back country to enjoy. I always become slightly suicidal once i step foot in NYC. idk if its the congestion or over exposure to smugness, it just changes me. Now chicago on the other hand is an awesome fuckin city

Jayhawk Jake > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 14:31

That's fair, but keep in mind that not every place in the world is conducive to mass transit. In fact I'd probably argue that most of the world can't support it.

For you in NY it's easy, trains go within walking distance of most businesses and residences, busses can fill the gaps. Throw in some efficient taxis and bam: you can get anywhere you want in a reasonable manner.

Here in Wichita, KS? I didn't even know the city had busses for a good 6 months after I moved here because I never saw one. The city is spread out, most people have cars and there's virtually no congestion. Busses don't go anywhere close to my office, so it's practically impossible for me get to work via public transit. Biking is an option, but with 4 seasons it's just not practical for me to rely on a bike to get to and from work.

I'm certainly not anti mass transit, but I don't appreciate that your initial comments have come across as being anti-personal vehicle. It's almost like you've demonized those of us who don't use public transit, and that bothers me because you seem to have jumped to the assumption that we all have the option to take a bus or a train but instead have chosen to be harmful and drive our own cars.

willkinton247 > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 14:48

Well how else are you supposed to get home from the bar?

willkinton247 > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 16:11

You know, I actually have a degree in Urban Planning. I like the metro a lot. I'd probably take it to work when the silver line is finished.

But taking it somewhere where it doesn't go just doesn't seem feasible to lil ol me.

Also, hooning a car and driving twisty mountain roads is righteous fun. I finally got oversteer on an offramp yesterday in my Jetta and I loved every millisecond of it.

Andre Races a Formula Vee > area man
12/12/2013 at 17:56

Yeah, I bet that's tough. Having to see people who have, like, nothing. I'm sorry you had to go through that :sadface:

area man > Andre Races a Formula Vee
12/12/2013 at 17:59

I literally gave the coat off my back to a random homeless guy last week when it first got super cold. So yeah, fuck them!

wkiernan > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 18:01

Envy. My trip to work this morning was annoying, as usual. 34 miles, of which 30 are on an Interstate highway. Legal speed limit: 50 - 70 MPH. Real-world speed limit for the first 15 miles: long stretches of 0 MPH behind three lanes of standing cars, interspersed with speed-up-to-40-MPH-oh-boy!/slow-down-to-total-stop/speed-up-again/slow-down-again/speed-up/slow-down/speed-up, etc., etc. All this requiring 100% constant attention on my part, to deal with the other drivers's 0.5% attention HEY MOTHERFUCKER STOP SLIDING INTO MY LANE, HANG UP AND DRIVE (honk! honk! honk!).

brainburst > UserNotFound
12/12/2013 at 18:39

So your area has poor public transportation options and...?

Chatham Harrison dba SPANFELLER DELENDUS EST > Jayhawk Jake
12/12/2013 at 19:53

Second (also in Wichita, also totally unserved by public transportation.) It's also important to note the concentration of quality stuff that comes with living in a major city. Here, I have to drive 20 miles round trip through town to get to a decent local Italian restaurant. My parents also live in town, 30 miles round trip. I've lived in cities with useful public transport (Dallas, Boston, Lawrence KS) and loved saving the wear and tear on my car by taking the train or the bus, but I don't have that option here. Finally, there's the political issue. If they reorganized the downtown here around pedestrian-only zones and reduced car traffic, I'd support it, but virtually every public official in this town is in the pocket of the air and oil industries, so good luck.

Jayhawk Jake > Chatham Harrison dba SPANFELLER DELENDUS EST
12/12/2013 at 20:01

I wouldn't support a pedestrian only downtown here. I want the option to come and go as I please. In a city like New York, cars are pointless. Here? I don't want to drive to downtown only to have to park far from where I'm actually going and be forced to walk or take public transit.

This is America damnit, land of the free. Don't take my freedom to drive

Chatham Harrison dba SPANFELLER DELENDUS EST > Jayhawk Jake
12/12/2013 at 20:11

I guess my point was that downtown is small enough that it wouldn't be much of a sacrifice to ward off 4 blocks or so if it meant meaningful investment in somewhere besides the Riverfront, because everyone wants to spend their day wandering around on a riverside with no amenities.

thebigbossyboss > J.K. Trotter
12/12/2013 at 21:56

I didn't why? Because, to take the bus I would have to wait in the cold, (it was -4F) ride the bus for 20 minutes, then walk 20 minutes in -4. Instead I drove. It took 7 minutes, and then I walked 10. Much better.

Nintondo-San > J.K. Trotter
12/13/2013 at 00:41

I drove to work while it was 20 degrees in the snow with all the windows down because race car, and because there was a nicely tuned WRX in front of me that had a lovely exhaust system.

But I must concede my deepest sympathiesies to you, I wouldn't want to offend you and the disease and smells you've contracted from your morning commute.

I digress.

yd5b96 > J.K. Trotter
12/13/2013 at 16:50

"I just have a problem with the idea that urban infrastructure, and to some extent the whole of society, should be organized around car ownership."

You know what's awesome? New York is organized around public transit. It's a massive fucking city with tons of opportunities. Many other cities also revolve around public transit. If you prefer public transit, live in these places. If you prefer cars, don't. To each their own.

J.K. Trotter > Jayhawk Jake
12/14/2013 at 19:08

You seem to have jumped to the assumption that we all have the option to take a bus or a train but instead have chosen to be harmful and drive our own cars.

Well, I’ve criticized two things:

1) The weird valorization of cars as instruments of freedom.

2) The premise that Wichita and similar locales are not conducive to public transportation because they are naturally spread out—that is, not dense—and thus require cars. The fact that Wichita (and St. Louis, and San Diego, and Minneapolis, and so on) are in some cases unnavigable without with a personal automobile is the result of particular, and very deliberate, policy choices—ones sanctioned by politicians under immense pressure, usually in the form of capital, from automobile manufacturers. That New York City and Chicago and San Francisco are much more dense, and thus much more served by public transportation, is also the result of equally deliberate policies.

Look: In the end, I am really, really looking forward to the reality of self-driving cars that I can command using my smartphone, so that even in cities like Milwaukee, where I grew up, it will be feasible to totally forego car ownership.

Autonomous vehicles are going to fundamentally transform every city on the planet; every parking garage, every parking lot, will eventually become useless if instead of having to find a parking space your subscription car service just drops you off and parks itself before driving itself to the next customer who requests it. The need for street parking will be obliterated. Drunk driving will be pretty much history. “Driving a car” will be reserved for special racetracks and those who can afford the penurious rates insurance companies will charge those who don’t want a computer driving them around.

Am I hard on car owners? Yes. But the reality is that cars, and car culture, radically altered the way people live, and the way society works, with enormously negative consequences. Yeah, sure, not everybody is a good driver; not every car enthusiast is a drunk driver; not every mechanic opposes great public transportation. But car culture enjoys a default status that I don’t think it deserves.

Jayhawk Jake > J.K. Trotter
12/15/2013 at 01:11

"unnavigable without with a personal automobile is the result of particular, and very deliberate, policy choices—ones sanctioned by politicians under immense pressure, usually in the form of capital, from automobile manufacturers. "

I'm sorry, but that's a crock of shit.

The reason these cities spread out is because they people have the space to do so. If given the option of a nice large plot of private land over an apartment complex, which would you choose?

And the freedom thing isn't just a valorization, it's a demonstrable truth. Having your own car gives you the freedom to come and go as you please on your own schedule. You can go wherever you want to go, but with a speed much greater than you ever could by other means. Having a car means that if I want to go stargaze at 1 am I can, if I want to go to that one hole in the wall restaurant on the other side of town for a late lunch I can, of I want to go take a drive down a scenic byway and see some waterfalls I can do it in an afternoon.

Car culture hasn't radically altered us, but instead has given us opportunities we would never have had otherwise. My utopia and yours are clearly different, but you can't say that having a little extra freedom to explore the world in your own way at your own pace isn't a good thing.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/15/2013 at 01:22

I can't help but notice that he didn't respond... I'll take his beer!

Edit...

I am trying to remember the quote out of that little F1 short film compilation.. Something to the tune of... "there are 2 things a man will never voluntarily admit. One is that he can't please a woman, the other is that he can't drive a car well." So, I think I am beginning to understand the reasoning behind his constant attack on cars. He cant drive. No reason for him to be behind the wheel, no need to face the insecurities. whatta ya think?

Agrajag > Jayhawk Jake
12/15/2013 at 01:26

Dammit. I accidentally promoted one of Trotter's posts. Well said Jayhawk.

J.K. Trotter > Agrajag
12/15/2013 at 01:44

PLEASD UNPROMOTE I HAVE PAID FOR MY SINS

Agrajag > J.K. Trotter
12/15/2013 at 02:07

Kinja'd!!!

Most cities weren't built after the invention of the car. Sure they've grown and expanded, but horses once traveled their dirt or cobblestone roads. Which were subsequently paved over.

You're looking at it as purely a way to transport people. In a city like NY, public transport is certainly more effective for that purpose. What you don't get is our emotional connection to vehicles. Some people just don't get it, you may see them solely as machines. We see their souls. Connect with them, feel their subtle changes through that sweeping turn, relish the rush from a burst of acceleration, get sad not angry when we notice that new noise that doesn't belong. There is nothing analogous I can think of. A connection with a vehicle is a unique experience.

You should go with the Jalopnik guys for a drive to some good windy roads(they must know a few nearby).

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > J.K. Trotter
12/15/2013 at 02:15

First humans wandered using their feet. Then they domesticated livestock and wandered further to larger bodies of water. Then we built ships to navigate those bodies of water. Then railroads to cross land. Then cars to wander on our own. Then airplanes. And finally space. We are a wandering people.

The beauty of cars is that they are a one step point A to B system of transit. You can, in many cases, go from door to door (and usually cheaper than a cab). Public transit can't always offer that one step with the same sense of safety, security, and personalism of a car. When you're in your own car, you don't have to deal with strangers pissing, asking for money, talking on their phone, invading your personal space etc. and you don't have to wait out in the cold of winter for your car to arrive, assuming your car is running on time. Whenever, wherever, cars take you and as much stuff or as many people as you can fit from door to door as opposed to the general vicinity of where the train or bus drops you off. That is the freedom of cars over public transit. Cars don't offer 100% freedom, and sometimes they're a pain, but I'd say they offer a hell of a lot more than public transit.

We are humans with preferences. We had a vast expanse of land and we have chosen to organize our cities as such. If we were happy with the way And given the ridiculous rent in some cities, it makes more sense financially to commute from the suburbs. Hell, people chose to leave the cities for reasons other than the cost of living. Cleanliness, school systems, pollution, space, etc.

Transportation has always effected the layout of our cities regardless if it was the car or horseback. If cars didn't alter the way we live, we might all be living in massive all-in-one complexes right now that include housing, school/library, grocery store, mall, entertainment, hospital/police/fire etc. all in one building. If it was the helicopter instead of the car, we would really be spread out and every house would have a helipad on top.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > J.K. Trotter
12/15/2013 at 02:18

Kinja'd!!!

Howdy. This was my daily commute. Tell me again about how the subway/public transport is fun please. I'd love to hear you out

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > J.K. Trotter
12/15/2013 at 02:23

Also, tell me how long you're willing to walk to and then wait at a bus stop/train station in 110F+ during our summer :)

Kinja'd!!!

J.K. Trotter > Agrajag
12/15/2013 at 11:11

Interesting, thanks. We’ll see about going for a test drive!

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits
12/15/2013 at 13:41

Be my guest, the beer is all yours.

But how come I have so many people recommend and/or answer my posts from Thursday? Did this thread migrate over to the FP?

Sam Biddle > Agrajag
12/26/2013 at 12:07

Do all machines have souls, or just expensive ones that you've burdened yourself with financially?

Agrajag > Sam Biddle
12/26/2013 at 12:39

Just the expensive ones. Soul insertion into a machine is a costly process. First you have the soul harvesting, which is incredibly dangerous, then it needs to be checked for purity(bad ones going to public transport machines), and the actual insertion process is likened to Scotch making. You have to have a knack for it, learned through years of apprenticeship. One must care and have a passion for the end product. If it was designed with an appreciation for the machine, it will show through to the ones who care.

mascaraedfiasco > Agrajag
12/26/2013 at 14:28

mascaraedfiasco > J.K. Trotter
12/26/2013 at 14:33

I'm not absolutely sure why city dwellers have this overwhelming need to condemn cars. I hate being on someone else's schedule. If I miss the bus, I'm fucked. And if I had a car and arrive 30 seconds later than I intended, then I can still get to work on time. I can store shit in my car, listen to music loudly, take trips for no fucking reason wearing whatever the hell I want without subway creepers staring at/hitting on me. I can smoke, I can sing too loudly, I can eat. I can turn up the bass, lean the seat back, make the temperature exactly as I'd like. I don't give a fuck if someone loves public transport, but people who can't see even the slightest appeal in cars are seriously missing out.

Reigntastic > J.K. Trotter
12/26/2013 at 16:52

Nah, I drove my car to work, since there isn't a rail system in BFE Texas.

rustyShackleburg0 > J.K. Trotter
12/26/2013 at 17:15

i live near LA. yet there is no useable subway that goes further than 3 miles and useable. the purple line goes from nowhere to nowhere. there is a light rail named the gold line though. i will not get on it even if you payed me. I do not want to risk my safety. the green line(very ghetto) goes from downtown and ends 4 miles from LAX. they are building 3 new lines that "Go" to LAX. they will also terminate 4 miles from LAX

rustyShackleburg0 > UserNotFound
12/26/2013 at 17:25

the bus in my area takes 1.5 hours before i see a bus(goes to the local metrolink station...you get there faster walking than taking the bus). the nearest bus stop is 1 mile away. no bus service weekends. once you get to the metrolink station, then you wait 3 hours for the metrolink train to pass. then it takes about 2 hours to get to downtown LA since the train needs to wait for the beer train(hops) and the coil train to pass. if i get in my car, i am in LA in 45 minutes. 30 if there is no highway patrol.

david_hollis > J.K. Trotter
12/27/2013 at 14:22

That's my subway! That's even my stop! That's me standing on the platform cursing the fucking J because its ALWAYS the J, and NEVER the M. Do you know what the J does? The J fucks you at the drive through. How? Because it makes 1 1/2 stops in manhattan and then turns right back around like some scared, elderly driver who has wandered into an 'ethnic' neighborhood.

But still, my stop!

david_hollis > UserNotFound
12/27/2013 at 14:28

your gif is the only viable argument for gifs. A thousand recomends upon you.

david_hollis > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/27/2013 at 14:33

Enough! we LIVE In new york. it doesn't take hipster anything to be pro subway here. Its the only way to get around that doesn't involve waiting weeks for uber and/or sitting in traffic for literally MONTHS. For MONTHS. I have missed birthdays taking a taxi anywhere in midtown.

its also a subway car, and they are dirty, broken, and full of people playing candy crush at FULL VOLUME. Imagine the dmv, if it stopped in tunnels and turned the lights out every 10 minutes.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > david_hollis
12/27/2013 at 15:30

I spent some time pondering whether or not I should reply to this, dismiss it or just let it be.
I decided to give you an answer. I never said you had to be a hipster to take the subway mate, I also appologised to J.K Trotter, not sure if you saw that part.

Now, the reason I and quite a few others were mad at him was because he made a shitty thread where he did his best to ridicule a whole sub community on gawker, then a bit later he makes this thread. Some of us didn't see the humour in that (just as you did not understand the humour in me calling him a bloody hipster) and basically told him to stuff it. Between this thread and the other one it seemed like J.K was totaly oblivious to the fact that many people live in places that doesn't HAVE public transportation.

If you read through my response to him one more time you'll see that I'm offering a hand, saying that I'm sorry for how I behaved, which is a lot more than he did after offending several hundred people. He didn't even bother to reply.

If I hurt your feelings in some way I'd like to appologise for that, but you should also get the facts straight before you attack someone.

Happy holidays, and may you have a fantastic new year.
Kind regards, an Opponaut.

Mike_Smith > Andre Races a Formula Vee
12/27/2013 at 23:18

Yeah. Really sad. Good thing none of those three homeless people weren't violent, or off medication, or both. As sometimes is the case.