Phone Books for Phantom Phone Booths
One of the weird vagaries lingering among NYC's numerous abandoned phone booth locations is the fact that telephone directories still get delivered to them.
She was all alone and stranded in a strange city
"Patricia was crying softly. Heavy snow had slowed her bus so that she missed the last connection back to college. She was cold, lonely and stranded in a big city where she knew no one." Where would she go? What would she do?
Seattle: This Payphone Is Probably Doomed
Val Vashon writes from Seatlle, Washington, with a brief narrative history of a Qwest/Centurylink payphone that will likely disappear soon.
Fargo, North Dakota
A friend from Fargo, North Dakota, sends in a few current pictures of payphones in that city today.
Rogue Payphone Sighting
You don't see too many rogue payphones in New York. When you do you might want to move on to another payphone.
Underdog Communications: The Fine Print
Dialing instructions and other unreadable text matter fine print from a defunct payphone once owned by Underdog Communications .
NYTEL Payphone: The Fine Print
Dialing Instructions and other text matter from an NYTEL payphone, abandoned years ago.
1971: Why the street corner phone is no longer in danger of becoming extinct.
1971 advertisement promoting Western Electric's "armored pay phone".
New Payphone Sounds
Sound samples from payphones, including a brass band as heard through a payphone call, and a variety of messages announcing that calls to toll-free numbers are not allowed from payphones.
Reliatel International Inc.: The Fine Print
Dialing instructions and other text matter from a Reliatel International Inc. pay telephone. Reliatel is now defunct.
BAS Communications: The Fine Print
Dialing instructions and other text matter from a BAS Communications public telephone.
Recalling Calling “Recalling 1993”
"Recalling 1993" is a payphone-based art project produced by the Droga5 ad agency and the New Museum. I put the project through its paces, calling in from dozens of Manhattan payphones and listening to recorded programs in which selected notables described New York City as it was in 1993. Read (and listen).
Coin Slot
What
NYC: Hot Blondes Still Use Payphones.
If you think no one uses payphones any more than you simply need to open your eyes. I'll do it for you.
Old School NYNEX Public Phone Signage. April, 2013.
I spotted this old school NYNEX Public Phone sign lurking over a Queens subway station.
Paca-Tel Payphones: The Fine Print
Dialing instructions and other hard-to-read minutiæ found on a Paca-Tel payphone.
Talking on the Titan. April, 2013.
The American Public Communications Council says that 750 million calls are made from payphones every year. 27 million payphone calls were made from New York City in 2011. Here is a picture of one call made from a curbside payphone in April, 2013.
Coastal Communications: The Fine Print
Dialing instructions and other hard-to-read minutiæ found on a Coastal Communications payphone.
Another Abandoned PTS Payphone
Most of New York City's subway stations are littered with useless hulks of payphones abandoned by Pacific Telemanagement Services (PTS). Since PTS acquired most of Verizon's payphones devices like this one at the 53rd Street/Lexington Avenue stop have been left to rot. It is virtually impossible to find a working payphone in most of New York City's subways.
Abandoned Phone Box: Aldershot, Hampshire, England
This phone box was obviously put in place back when the surrounding houses were built back in the 1930's to service the residents. Being on a quiet road it is not surprising that BT decided to withdraw service over a year ago. But the phone box is still there with a dead telephone inside it! It's a home for spiders now.
Titan: The Fine Print
Dialing Instruction found on a Titan Payphone.
A Sinner’s Prayer
I spotted this poem stuck under the handset of a midtown Manhattan payphone. I did what I sometimes do. I picked up the phone and called it in.
Payphones of the Future, Y2K Style
The payphone of the future has been around for a long time. Look at these examples from 2000 of hybrid devices combining public telephones with data services and fax machines.
Rockefeller Center’s “Communications” Portal
A curious bit of signage hovers over a semi-circular staircase at Rockefeller Center. I think it is payphone-related.
E.H.U.C.: The Fine Print
East Harlem Unity Communications (EHUC) is the best payphone service provider in New York City. I use payphones almost every day and can say with confidence that East Harlem's street phones are the best in town.
Bangkok: Phone Booth Graveyard
It's a picture of vacated payphone enclosures and phone booths owned by the Telephone Organisation of Thailand.
Telebeam: The Fine Print
Even the most intrepid payphone user is unlikely to read the fine print found on most public telephones. The text matter is teeny-tiny and frequently obscured by filth. I transcribed the text found on this Telebeam payphone in midtown Manhattan.
Tennessee State Payphone Locator, 2009 Data
Tennessee's 2009 "Request For Proposals for Payphone Service" included a gem that passed me by: A list of all known Tennessee State-managed payphones locations with phone numbers and revenues for the previous year.