El Paso Payphone. 2008.
El Paso, Texas. Across the street from Luby's. October, 2008
Dial 0
Dial 0. As in Zero. Null. Void. Nothing. Dial a non-number. Dial dial dial dial. Dial that 0. (Speaking of zero, speaking of death, speaking of the nothing that arises from nothing, I had some health scares the last 2-3 months. I hope you are doing better than all this. Blargh.)
Days Of Our Payphones
Canada's National Post follows a day in the life of a Toronto Payphone and makes the shocking discovery that the city's phones do get used, they just don't get used much. Nothing surprising there, but read on for some of my experiences in listening in on payphone users.
People on the Telephone
Two human beings talking on the telephone. Midtown Manhattan
Florence Hotel Phone Booths. Missoula, Montana.
Rotary dial phone booths at the Florence Hotel. Missoula, Montana.
Egg-Shaped Payphone Enclosure
Nebraska's Public Service Commission requires that every community in Nebraska have one public pay telephone. That decades-old requirement is now being challenged by the companies forced to maintain these phones at significant financial loss.
Mapping Payphone Complaints
Something existentially useless about a map showing locations of non-working payphones inspired me to create just such a map. It's a cartographical masterpiece of banal information. I am so proud.
Payphone: Neuruppin, Brandenburg, Germany. June, 2007
Picture of a payphone in Neuruppin, Brandenburg, Germany. June, 2007
The CBC Maps Ottawa Payphones
CBC Radio's "All in a Day" follows up on the developing story of a potential 100% increase in the cost of payphone calls with a map of payphones in Ottawa. Each point on the map includes a photo of the phone booth or payphone. Pretty cool.
Bell Canada’s Proposed Rate Hike Raises Hackles From The Internet
Canadians seem to take their payphones pretty seriously based on their online reactions to a proposal from Bell Canada and Bell Aliant to raise the cost of payphone calls by 100%. Watch this video from "The National", which aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
NYC Phone Booth Museum
As if stepping through a time-portal I found myself inside this hall of New York City phone booths. It was March, 2012, but it felt like the 1960s. Let's take a look.
The Way It Used To Be
Watch as I dial toll-free directory assistance on an unbelievably ancient New York City rotary dial payphone. Video from March, 2012.
Wood Phone Booth, NYC. March, 2012.
I thought sure this old wood booth would have been removed since I last saw it about 2 years ago.
Payphones and Pants, Pants and Payphones
It's a commercial for pants -- Dockers pants -- which contains some nice imagery of abandoned phone booths from around the world. I like it, even with the droll punchline at the end. Check it out.
The Phone Booths at Central Park, NYC
Rare New York City phone booths spotted in Manhattan's Central Park. March, 2012. (212) 722-9781, (212) 722-9476, (212) 722-9431 & (212) 722-9991.
Whitaker Street Saloon. Savannah, Georgia. November, 2001.
Picture of a woman using the payphone outside the former Whitaker Street Saloon in this historic district of Savannah, Georgia.
311’s Payphone Complaints
I submitted a 311 complaint about a payphone that has been out of service for years. Nothing happened. The phone still does not work. According to the Rules of the City of New York Verizon should be liable for a penalty of $2.7 million, or $2,500 a day going forward, for this consistently non-working payphone.
Ironworks Dance Club. Thonotosassa, Florida. June, 2003. (813) 986-5309
Ironworks Dance Club. Thonotosassa, Florida. June, 2003. (813) 986-5309
Right Turn Permitted On Red. February, 2012.
Red-jacketed New York City man using a Titan payphone. February, 2012.
Partially Melted Rotary Dial Payphone.
August, 2009: Picture of a partially melted telephone at Miss Lyndonville Diner, Lyndonville, Vermont.
NY Times: $51 for 2 Minutes? Not Without A Fight.
More news from the world of payphone scams. This time BBG Global is the villain, according to the New York Times and several other sources. U.S. troops accuse the company of gouging payphone users with exorbitant rates for very brief long-distance calls.
Help Catch This Philadelphia Payphone Thief
The images are grainier than the sound quality of a typical cell-phone connection, but they show the face and actions of a payphone thief in video released by the Philadelphia Police Department. This unidentified male is seen stealing a payphone by using tools to lift it off its pedestal. If you are in Philadelphia and recognize this individual call 911. The payphone is valued at $1565.00. That's grand larceny.
Was This The Last Working Rotary Dial Payphone In New York City?
A sad day in New York City payphonery has passed. About 2 weeks ago this old rotary dial payphone was replaced with a standard touch-tone device, ending decades of service as the old phone finally made way for the new. The question now is: Was this the last of its kind in the city? Was it the last fully-functional rotary dial payphone in NYC?
Another Face Where the Payphone Used To Be. February, 2012
I swear I see faces where the payphones used to be. Am I crazy? Are you crazy? Is there a definition for crazy once we start seeing faces in the payphones?
Some Los Angeles Area Payphone Numbers
213-387-5725 DPSS 2601 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles 213-387-7056 DPSS 2601 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles 213-387-7068 DPSS 2601 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles 213-387-7096 DPSS 2601 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles 213-480-8009 Court 600 Commonwealth Los Angeles 213-480-8042 DPSS 3435 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles 213-480-8210 Court 600 Commonwealth Los Angeles 213-480-8307 Court 600 Commonwealth Los Angeles 213-480-8308 Court…
Hays, Kansas. Al’s Chickenette Fried Chicken. May, 2003.
May, 2003. Hays, Kansas. Picture of a Payphone outside Al's Chickenette Fried Chicken, with links to more Kansas payphone and phone booth pictures.
Washington, D.C.: Payphones Without Representation
It looks like no one is responsible for maintaining public telephones in Washington, D.C.'s Metro. The Washington Examiner Reports on how communication breakdowns among the District, Verizon, and an un-named independent payphone provider leave the Metro with non-working payphones that may never be repaired.
Step Into the New York Public Library Phone Booths
I first shared photos of these hoary old wood phone booths at the New York Public Library in 1999, when the phone booths still had phone books. In July, 2009, these old booths were still looking pretty good. In 2012 the surviving booths still look no worse for wear.