Tuesday, May 5, 2009

C Train - Kingston Av.-Throop Av. (Day 10, stop #407)

Out:  I exit here at Throop, which actually appears to be the only functioning exit despite the station name.  The neighborhood still feels pretty rough here, and there are two guys in the station asking for swipes a little threateningly.  Outside the stop the streets are petty dirty, with a McDonald’s, gas stations, various mom & pop stores, and 99¢ stores.  Here it smells like fries on the street.  I see a woman and her kids in West African garb walking down the block, and pretty much everyone I see is black.  The buildings are mostly lower-slung brick apartment buildings, but there are some that are boarded up.  Off of Fulton, things look a bit nicer, with some better-maintained brick apartment buildings and some row houses in brick, along with one with castle-type accents (see photo).

In:  This station now has a brown and yellow color scheme.  The layout is two platform, four track with express bypass.  There are no columns on the platform, but there is a small yellow stripe with a tan border; it’s the same for the mosaic station name.  There is no mezzanine, just a booth one level below the street. The station is in ok condition, but maybe a little older than Rockaway Ave./Ralph Ave.