Happy Payphone, Sad Payphone
Someone spray-painted happy and sad faces on two adjacent payphones. This is your chance to see them. Hero, I am.
The “WE NEED MORE PAY PHONES” Vandal(s) Never Stop(s)
Whatever I might think of the means I have to respect the determination and hand-crafted work of whoever keeps placing "WE NEED MORE PAY PHONES" stickers on NYC's payphones hither and yon.
Rogue-Looking Payphone in a Sketchy Part of Town
With its placards missing I thought this payphone had gone rogue. But despite its sketchy appearance it appears this phone lies under the stewardship of CityBridge, the company with a monopoly franchise on New York's curbside payphones.
Reflections in a Non-Working LinkNYC Kiosk
I don't see as many non-working LinkNYC tablet screens as I used to. But when I do I will, if time permits, let my camera's burst mode do its thing and capture hundreds of images, from which I pick a few winners.
Living on the Links
Summer weather has finally arrived in New York, bringing LinkNYC's loiterers back to the curb in what appear to be ever-increasing numbers.
Payphone Room at NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital
The payphone room at NYU Langone's Tisch Hospital today functions as more of a broom closet than a place to make a phone call. Not only did one of these phones actually work, but its volume control button did as well. That's rare.
LinkNYC’s Most Unicorn-Like Content: The Time of Day
I've only been able to capture it twice, having seen it 5 or 6 times. Did you know that LinkNYC's arsenal of useful content includes the time of day?
A Cristol-Tel Payphone at the Silver Star Restaurant
According to Payphone Project data there used to be 2 payphones at this Manhattan restaurant. One phone remains, in non-working order. I was surprised but satisfied to find that its now-disconnected phone number appears in this website's payphone location data museum.
Payphones at the Union Square Job Center
Conducting a guided tour of payphones around Union Square was not exactly in my comfort zone. But I did it anyway, and while the tour was in progress I just happened to spot a couple of new-to-me payphones inside a government building.
IRC via LinkNYC? Try irc.blitzed.org.
Connecting to IRC (Internet Relay Chat) via LinkNYC's tablet is not easy. Trust me, though. It is not worth the effort anyway.
Last Month’s LinkNYC Brick-Throwing Rampage Had Precedent
Is it possible Juan Rodriguez had done some warming up before his LinkNYC rampage last month? I captured images of at least one instance where the damage looked mighty similar to some of what Rodriguez did.
Three Working Payphones at the Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn
Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn retains three working payphones, down from the dozens upon dozens that formerly inhabited the place.
Covering Up LinkNYC Cameras? Do It With a Smile.
If you are going to cover a LinkNYC camera you might as well do it with a smile. What was this tablet-top camera's intended purpose, and what better use could it serve?
Intersection’s Other Not-So-Glamorous Headquarters
This is not 10 Hudson Yards. Intersection's LinkNYC manufacturing facility sits in a strip of land that hearkens back to what most of Long Island City used to look like. But it also has me asking why the rollout of LinkNYC kiosks has remained stalled for so many months, and if new machines are being manufactured at all.
Dude Using My Payphone at Grand Central Today
100% of Grand Central Terminal's payphones work. Hooray for the brave old world. Unfortunately for me this dude happened to be using one of the phones I planned to use. I later made the call from Penn Station.
To Whoever Gets the Job of Franchise Inspector at DoITT
In my never-ending quest for new ways to be ignored I have applied for the job of Franchise Inspector at DoITT, the City agency that administers LinkNYC and the old payphones. I don't think I have a chance, but here are some tips for whoever gets what should be my job.
One Last Thing About LinkNYC’s Bus Arrival Screens…
I don't think very many of LinkNYC's billions and billions of users give a hoot about the bus arrival content on the big screens or on the tablets. But here's my last rant about that, for now.
Steppingstone Park Phone Booth
I made a small pilgrimage out to Great Neck, Long Island on Saturday, to check in on the phone booth at Steppingstone Park. Admission to Steppingstone requires a park card. I had no such card but the woman at the front entrance was nice enough to let me in "this one time".
This LinkNYC Kiosk That Did Not Work For 3 Weeks, Now Looks Like It Is On a 1970s anti-Schwarma Wi-Fi-Based Acid Trip
Something Else LinkNYC Got Wrong Recently
LinkNYC's geo-targeted advertising did not work this time. On 33rd Street in Queens an ad appeared suggesting the nearest theater where I could see the Avengers: Endgame was on 34th Street in Manhattan.
Lost a Coin to a New York City Payphone? That’s Too Bad.
Now I know what happens when you a New York City payphone swallows your quarter. It keeps it. Or rather CityBridge, the owner of all outdoor payphones in the city, Keeps the change. It cannot be much of a cash cow but it seems fair to ask where that free money goes.
Has Anyone Tried Using LinkNYC’s “Local Bus Arrivals” Screen Lately? Or Ever?
All roads lead to Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue, according to LinkNYC. The "Local Bus Arrivals" on these kiosks have been glitched out for nearly two weeks. This raises what is, for me, an honest question: Even when these screens work as intended does anyone out there find them useful?
The MTA Probably Does Not Want Phreaky Types Seeing Stuff Like This.
Some of the MTA's Intersection-produced "On the Go Travel Station's this weekend and into Monday displayed a tantalizing bottom window that looked like a portal to the open Internet. It probably was not that but I had fun poking at it.
Just a Cool Payphone Ad Placement. That Is All.
Seems Like A Lot Of People Don’t Get NYC’s Ban On Alcohol Advertising
Contrary to numerous reports it appears Citybridge is free to ignore the City's recent Executive Order banning advertisements for alcohol on city property.
What To Do With a Two-Heads-Missing Print of Jim Munroe’s 1959 Phone Booth Stuffing Photo?
I own a two-heads-missing print of Jim Munroe's famous phone booth stuffing photo from 1959. My friend Chad Dickerson and I knew exactly what to do with it one night at the Time & Life Building in September, 2000.
Interesting Day on the Payphones
A couple of unrelated encounters on a Sunday afternoon proved once again (not that it was ever lost on me) that people other than me still use payphones.
Alcohol Ads Banned From LinkNYC Kiosks And On All City Property
I never appreciated the ads for hard alcohol and beer on the LinkNYC machines. As it turns out, neither did NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.