6 Train - 3 Ave.-138 St. (Day 3, 5:19 p.m., stop #145)

Out: The exit to the station is right by a housing project.  At the intersection there is also a gas station.  The people around are mostly black, with some African and Hispanic.  There is a majestic church here, with a stone rectangular tower and a green dome on top.  There are also a number of red brick apartment buildings at the corner of 138 St. & Alexander.  This is in the Mott Haven neighborhood, which was one of the first inhabited parts of the Bronx, according to a historical marker here.

In: 3 track, 2 platform layout for this express stop.  The color scheme here is dark blue and yellow.  The station is in pretty bad condition, like E. 149 and others.

6 Train - Brook Ave. (Day 3, 5:07 p.m., stop #144)

Out: Down 138 St., there are long rows of apartments in brown and red brick, with nice art deco accents.  In fact, the architecture looks pretty similar to some blocks in Harlem.  The people here seem predominatly Puerto Rican, but there are some blacks as well.  It’s possible to see some housing projects a couple of blocks from the station.

In: This station is in worse shape than the other underground stations on this part of the 6.  Some of the tiles look like they’ve been replaced, but the majority are really dirty.  The color scheme inside is yellow & blue.

6 Train - Cypress Ave. (Day 3, 4:56 p.m., stop #143)

Out: Between Cypress and Jackson, Cypress itself is tree-lined and mostly has tenements.  This excludes, though, the “Iglesia de Dios”, a low-slung, one-story church that looks like it used to be a strip club.  There is also a community center that looks welcoming.  Ethnically the neighborhood looks to be a mix of black and Hispanic.

In: The color scheme here is green and yellow, but otherwise similar to E. 143^rd.

6 Train - E.143 St.-St. Mary's St. (Day 3, 4:54 p.m., stop #142)

Out: The area here is really empty.  Just some self-storage places and factories, which may or may not still be operational.  This area is very desolate, I saw no people at all when I went above ground; that’s pretty creepy.  I definitely got back into the train pretty quickly.

In: The color scheme here is red and blue, but otherwise similar to E. 149^th St.

6 Train - E. 149 St. (Day 3, 4:46 p.m., stop #141)

Out: At intersection with Southern Blvd.  This appears to be a pretty large intersection, but there isn’t too much commercial activity right next to it.  There is an interesting 2-story, old building with a number of faces on the façade (see sketch), which now has commercial on the bottom and either offices or residential on top.  

There is some isolated lot covered with graffiti between Prospect & Southern.  There aren’t too many people around, but the neighborhood may be mostly Hispanic.

In: Some of the tiling here is ok, with a green and brown theme.  The columns by the platform edge are yellow.  The lighting is better than Longwood Ave.

6 Train - Longwood Ave. (Day 3, 4:39 p.m., stop #140)

Out: At intersection with Southern Blvd. It looks like this stop is near some type of European community. There is a over-primped blond smoking a cigarette outside the station while some a guy walked by with a confused look on his face. There are tenements down Longwood Ave., while on Southern there are mostly small retail buildings. Overall, though, it doesn’t seem to be very populated over here.

In: The station here is leaky and poorly lit. The layout is 4 track (express bypass), 2 platform facing each other. There are sea green columns near the platform edge, and the wall tiling is pretty dirty. Overall not a great station.

6 Train - Hunts Point Ave. (Day 3, 4:26 p.m., stop #139)

Out: At intersection with Bruckner Blvd.  This is an expansive intersection with “Monsignor del Valle Square” in the middle of it.  In the little plaza here it looks like there was some kind of farmer’s market today.  Also on the edge of the plaza there are a number of city/official buildings, along with apartments and retail.  Pretty surprising that there is all this stuff here.  In the opposite direction, there is the Bruckner Expressway.  It’s getting to rush hour now and there is lots of traffic and car horns honking.

In: The station here is now underground.  It has a two track, three platform layout with local and express access at peak hours.  The lighting is ok, the floors are concrete, and the wall tiles are kind of dirty but not terrible.  There is nice mosaic tiling with “H.P.” on it.

6 Train - Whitlock Ave. (Day 3, stop #138)

Out: Almost all the businesses here are auto repair shops.  The stop is next to 895 and the Amtrak tracks, and there is lots of good graffiti there.  Overall it’s pretty desolate here, without many people around.

In: The train ride over has a long bridge over the Bronx River in order to get to the station.  Inside there is a good amount of graffiti on the station walls, which I actually had not seen too much of previously.

6 Train - Elder Ave. (Day 3, stop #137)

Out: There is a little more variety here than the typical array of downscale stores, but not too much more. There is definitely quite a bit of activity on the street. There is a Chase Bank in a historic-looking building. On Elder Ave. there is a long row of 2-story brick houses, each of which has an unattractive plastic awning in red and blue. There is also a large number of 5/6-story tenements here. The population seems mostly black with some Hispanic.

In: The paint in some parts of the station looks better than St. Lawrence Ave., but not a ton better.

6 Train - Morrison-Sound View Avs. (Day 3, 4:06 p.m., stop #136)

Out: Right at the intersection, there are some ballfields and low-slung buildings, but taller buildings are also close by.  There are some old guys shooting the breeze while sitting on crates as well as some kids playing basketball.  There is a Greek diner and a nice mural on the side of an electronics store with pictures of angels.  The people seem mostly black, but there is some Hispanic and maybe some Middle Eastern presence.  I bought some strawberries from a Korean grocer over here as well.

In: This station is crappy, like St. Lawrence.  There may be some minor renovations going on here, at least.

6 Train - St. Lawrence Ave. (Day 3, stop#135)

Out: This area has a nice neighborhood feel, with lots of kids playing near the street (even if one of the kids did throw a ball recklessly across Westchester Ave., almost hitting a bunch of people as well as cars).  There is a pupeseria, taqueria, and some West Indian stuff, indicating some of the ethnic makeup, but I also some white and Asian people.  The area seems somewhat low-scale but mixed overall.

In: This station is about as bad as other crappy stations on the 6, like Zerega Ave. and Castle Hill Ave.

6 Train - Westchester Sq-E. Tremont Ave. (Day 3, 3:39 p.m., stop #134)

Out: There is some nice green space outside the station, along with a small park.  Some of the buildings include the Parks Dept. After School Program, the Bronx Country Democratic Committee Offices, a grocery store, and a coffee shop.  There’s also “Tavern by the Creek” and “Nail Design by Asia”.  Ethnically the area seems part Hispanic and part Black.  There are a lot of people here looking to catch buses.

In: On the way to the station from Middletown Rd., the train passes over the yards for the 6 train.  From the train you can also see Cavalry Hospital.  The station is in much better condition than others on this branch; or at least it has a newer coat of paint on the stairs and walls.  There are frosted glass windows at the middle of the platform, and a big window of stained glass at the entrance.  There are also newer tiles on the mezzanine.

6 Train - Middletown Rd. (Day 3, stop #133)

Out: This area outside this station is not very exciting, as it’s right next to an onramp for the Hutch.  There’s a deli, 7-11, Burger King, and some other small stores nearby.  Ethnically this neighborhood seems mixed between white and Hispanic.  The residential buildings are mostly houses and small apartment buildings.

In: This station is in pretty bad disrepair.  Some parts of the leaken wooden roof are patched with metal, but some parts are not.

6 Train - Buhre Ave. (Day 3, 3:17 p.m., stop #132)

Out: This is a quiet, residential area.  Most of the people here are white, but it’s not clear if they’re American or part of some European community.  I was kind of surprised to find this here.  “Kate Daly’s” bar is right on the corner (see photo).  Some of the other establishments include an attorney’s office, and Italian bakery, a diner, a deli, and a bank.  Overall, looks quite middle-class here; this even includes a tanning salon!  Definitely pretty different from other stops in the BX.  Most of the buildings are not tall, either single or multi-family houses.  There are a few bigger apartment buildings within a couple of blocks.

In: This station is not as run down as the other stops along this branch, but it still isn’t that great.  The paint is peeling a bit less, at least.

6 Train - Pelham Bay Park (Day 3, stop #131)

Out: At the end of the line here, the station is directly adjacent to I-95. Opposite the highway, there are some white people around, with a few standing outside a fancy-looking Italian restaurant. There’s a little row of stores here, including an Italian bakery and a deli carrying “Greek and Italian specialities”. In fact, there are even some people speaking Italian here (they look like it could have been out of some Coppola funeral scene, as they are dressed in all black). There’s also a CVS and Dunkin’ Donuts right outside the station. There is a defunct “comfort station” next to the subway station house, but now it’s just a place for a homeless guy to rest his head. There is a long walkway from the station over I-95, which presumably allows you to actually reach Pelham Bay Park itself.

In: Layout here is two track, three platform. Some parts of the station look fairly recently painted, but for the most part it looks like it’s falling apart, like the other stations on this branch of the 6 train. The tiles and stairs inside the station look relatively new, but the lighting is still bad.

6 Train - Zerega Ave. (Day 3, stop #130)

Out: This intersection is pretty minor.  The neighborhood looks a little rough, but not too terrible.  The side streets are tree-lined and have mostly row houses, some of which look more Philly-style while others are more Brownstone-esque.  Ethnically this place seems pretty mixed: Indian, Pakistani, Asian, black, Hispanic.

In: Run-down, very similar to Castle Hill Ave.

6 Train - Castle Hill Ave. (Day 3, 2:30 p.m., stop #129)

Out: Pretty typical corner here, with fast food places, a Dunkin’ Donuts, and a beauty store.  Kabir’s Bakery is also here.  The buildings here are mostly three story, giving the neighborhood a very low-slung feel.  Most of these places have ground floor commercial and two floors of residential.  Ethnically this place seems mixed between black and Hispanic.

In: This station is extremely un-renovated.  The metal backing of the platform is losing paint, the ceilings are peeling, and the staircases down to the street look like they’re about to collapse.  Overall it’s pretty ugly but at least it’s outdoors.  The layout is 3 track, with express bypass.

6 Train - Parkchester (Day 3, 2:20 p.m., stop #128)

Out: The station here is in the middle of a circular plaza, which is kind of unique.  The stores are a mix of lower- and mid-scale, but the people around look relatively professional.  There are stores attached to the station, and they are actually open and doing business.  There is an impressive old concrete Emigrant Savings Bank building.  From the outside, the station house is imposing and concrete, but this is mitigated a bit by the many flowers planted outside.

In: This station is really falling apart, and in general the paint is peeling pretty much everywhere.  There is one mural inside the station with an educational theme; this is preserved relatively well.  Otherwise, the station is dark and foul-smelling.  The station here is outdoors, and the layout is 2 platform, 4 track, with local and express access.

4/5/6 Trains - Brooklyn Bridge (Day 2, stop #98)

Out:  things over here are pretty calm, as the exit is set back from the road but closer to City Hall (above) and City Hall Park.  Nice Calder-esque sculpture next to the park.

There are lots of tourists as well as city workers around.  Close to Manhattan borough hall as well and the station's namesake, the Brooklyn Bridge, is located a bit to the east.

In:  the platform here is curved, with a stop for the 4/5 uptown across.  Overall the station is in decent condition.

6 Train - Canal St. (Day 2, stop #97)

Out:  Chinatown is still crazy!  Not too far away from stop on J train yesterday.  At this intersection, though, there is less food and more shops.  

The streets are still pretty crowded, but not quite as bad as yesterday.  There is the usual mix of Chinese, New Yorkers, and tourists.

In:  Station is in pretty good shape, with green tiling scheme.  The platform is quite narrow, with white columns by the platform edge.