I’ve Never Seen Anyone But Me Use This Payphone

I spotted this dude today taking advantage of some of the last dial tone you’ll find find in Long Island City. On 21st Street near 44th Avenue, outside the LIC Hotel and across from the Elevator History Museum, I spotted this person using a phone I’ve never seen used by anyone but myself.

This is some of the last dial tone you’ll find find in Long Island City. Nearby on 44th Drive outside the Palace Chicken & Grill are two phones in a row, both with dial tone, but one with a twist. As discussed last month, all calls attempted from that phone go to a recorded message saying that your U.S. Mobile account had run out of credits. Very strange.

Two other phones across the street, outside the Key Food, have not had dial tone for at least a year. In the opposite direction, on 21st Street near 43rd Avenue, stands one phone that has not had dial tone for at least a year.

So the man in the above picture either knew that phone to be one of the only ones around that still works, or he just got lucky when he really needed to make a phone call.

When the phones along this corridor get axed this person will be out of luck.

Elsewhere in this area, in a place accessed via my Exorcist Staircase, a working phone still stands at Borden Avenue under the Pulaski Bridge, across from an entrance to the Queens/Midtown Tunnel. Hard to imagine that phone gets much use but it does still have dial tone. It happens to be around the corner from LinkNYC’s manufacturing plant, on 53rd Avenue.

As for this phone at 21st Street and 44th Avenue, it was good to see it get some real-world use. When these phones are gone, they’re gone, and folks like this will not be able to reach you.

And also, Drew Barrymore on the side of a bus. What?