N/Q/R/W Trains - 57 St.-7 Av. (Day 7, stop #310)

Out:  Now back to the big skyscrapers of midtown, including the Hearst Building just a block away.

It’s pretty dark outside so it’s tough to take good photos.  There are also affluent apartment buildings as well as Carnegie Hall.  There are a few quick-food places and upscaled shopping spots.  The mix of people is similar to 5 Av.

In:  The layout here is two platform, four track setup; the middle tracks are for the Q train to begin/end its run.  The floors have grey tiling, and the metal columns on the platform are painted white, but it makes the station look a little bleak.  The walls are primarily covered in white tile with some small mosaic tile bordering on the top with “57”.  There is some jazz- and classical-related artwork in the station, presumably because the stop is right next to Carnegie Hall.

B/Q Trains - Atlantic Ave. (Day 6, stop #279)

Out:  Do later on the 2/3/4/5. I give up on finishing all my planned stops for the day; I am soaking wet and miserable, plus I need to go to the lab and do a bit of work on this response for the Nature paper.  I’ll be back on Wednesday.

In:  Newly renovated, with clean small white tiles lining the walls, the station name in tile mosaic, and white square tiled columns by the platform.  There is one platform and two tracks for the B/Q here.  There is a different platform for the 2/3/4/5, transfer is available by going up the mezzanine and walking over.

B/Q Trains - 7 Ave. (Day 6, stop #278)

Out:  Now at the intersection of 7 Av. and Flatbush Ave., on the border of Park Slope and Prospect Heights.  Suddenly, there are tons of white people!  They seem to be a mix of Brooklynites and gentrifiers here.  Also there are still a good number of black people, but not a huge amount.  There are many nice brownstones and row houses on the side streets in the immediate vicinity of the station.  

Flatbush Ave. itself has lots of traffic, and on this main drag there is a coffee shop as well as the “Flatbush Pavilion” in an old movie theater.  Nearby there are also some converted factories/warehouses.  

In:  The station here is now underground.  The layout is two platform, two track facing each other.  There are white tiles on the wall and tile mosaic station name, in OK condition.  The ceilings here are surprisingly tall, and the mezzanine is fairly large.

B/Q/S Trains - Prospect Park (Day 6, stop #277)

Out:  The immediate surroundings of the stop here are pretty desolate.  There is the Phat Albert Wholesale warehouse right here.  Its previous incarnation had use of clocktower, but the entire clock face has now disappeared from the building (see photo).  

There’s a Wendy’s, a deli, and some gas stations.  The stop is also right next to Prospect Park, but not too much activity in there on a rainy day like this.  It’s also relatively close to the Botanic Garden.  Outside the station there is a large painted mural of animals and plants, as well as a nice metal façade that says “Prospect Park”.  It’s hard to tell who lives around here, as it mostly seems kind of industrial/warehouse-y near the station.  In the distance I can see some large apartment towers.  The few people I see are black, but I can’t tell if it’s more mixed or not.

In:  Here there is a five track setup, and the station is part in the cut and part covered.  There is one track reserved for the two-car Franklin Park Shuttle (S Train).  Otherwise there is the local and express access for the Q and B lines.  The station is pretty crappy, with a flat roof over green metal columns.  There partially covered part as well as the station house has peeling paint and a leaky roof.  The cement walls of the station are unpainted and growing moss.  There is surprisingly little graffiti here, though.

Q Train - Parkside Ave. (Day 6, stop #276)

Out:  The stop here is right on the edge of Prospect Park, but pretty different than 15 St. on the F, on the west side.  Here the neighborhood looks pretty rough, and there are only fast food places, cleaners, etc.  Nothing looks to be in good condition, including the tenements which form the primary type of housing here.  There is lots of graffiti covering many of the available surfaces.  Ethnically the area looks almost all black/African/Caribbean.

In:  This station is now underground, with just one platform and one track (can’t see other tracks).  The station was renovated at some point, but now has 70’s style tiles on the walls but newer-looking tile floors as well as some tile artwork depicting leaves.  The walls of the platform are partly tiled but partly only have peeling paint.  There is a window that looks down onto the tracks from a fairly large station house.  Also, there are red octagonal arches by the platform, connected by arches.

B/Q Trains - Church Ave. (Day 6, stop #275)

Out:  Directly outside the station here is a shopping strip with many discount stores (i.e. Payless Shoes, 99¢ store), bodegas, fast food, and cheap Chinese.  Ethnically this area is almost entirely black/African.  However, it doesn’t seem too rough a neighborhood, but it is kind of crowded.  The housing is mostly red brick tenements or other small apartment buildings in red brick.  Quite the contrast from Beverley Rd., only one stop away.

In:  This station has a real 70’s vibe, with off white square tiles covering the outside of the station and the walls of the mezzanine and stairwell.  The actual station is partially underground and partially in the cut.  The underground portion has only black walls and no tiling, while the outside portion has concrete walls painted off-white.  There are large circular columns on the platform, and unusual back-lit station signs in white lettering on a black background.  The layout is two platform, four track with local and express access.

Q Train - Beverly Rd. (Day 6, stop #274)

Out:  Right outside the stop are some huge, stately homes on a tree-lined street.  It’s practically like the suburbs! I had no idea this was over here, I’m really blown away.  In addition to these beautiful homes there are also some well-maintained 4-6 story brick apartment buildings.  The neighborhood is very residential, and there are no businesses near the stop.  The neighborhood seems a bit more black/African, perhaps some more Hispanic as well.  There are also a few whites around, perhaps including some gentrifiers. 

In:  The stop here is similar to Cortelyou Rd., but part of the platform still remains unrenovated, though, and there are plenty of places where the roof is leaking.  The station is still “in the cut” and the platform is very narrow.  Still two platform, four track layout with express bypass.

Q Train - Cortelyou Rd. (Day 6, stop #273)

Out:  There are some nice separated homes near the stop, with elm trees lining the side streets.  There is also one particularly large four-column house in grey brick.  On Cortelyou itself there are some great brick row houses.  Near the stop there are some small stores, a deli, a bagel place, and supermarket that’s going out of business.  

There are lots of Middle Eastern people, South Asian muslims, some blacks, some Hispanic, and few white/European.  This part of Ditmas Park looks to be a very pleasant, primarily residential, middle class neighborhood.

In:  The station is “in the cut”, but it’s actually nice! A surprising change.  There are white tiles on part of the wall nearest the exit, as well as mosaic tiling for the station name.  The station house is tiny but gorgeous, with decorated glass windows overlooking the track, glass skylights over the stairs, carved wooden benches, and new tile on the floors.  This could be the best station I’ve seen so far; maybe not as monumental as Coney Island, but impressive in its intimacy.

B/Q Trains - Newkirk Ave. (Day 6, stop #272)

Out:  The station house here is placed in the middle of a brick-paved, pedestrian shopping plaza, which is pretty unique.  In the shopping plaza there is a Mexican place, a Chinese restaurant, a Dunkin’ Donuts, a hair & nail place, a bank, etc.  There are a solid number of people perusing the stores despite the ongoing rain.  It seems like there is a decent number of black/African people over here along with some white and perhaps some Hispanic.  I also saw one sign in Russian.  There aren’t any houses right by the station so I’m not sure what the residential buildings look like.

In:  The station here is now “in the cut”, open to the air but below ground.  The layout is two platform, four track with local and express access.  Almost the entire platform is covered by roof supported by red metal columns on both sides of the platform.  The station house here is decorated and actually has skylights; it also has some 70’s-style beige tiles.

Q Train - Ave. H (Day 6, stop #271)

Out:  This area is very residential, and this part of Midwood has some nice houses directly outside the station.  The neighborhood seems quite diverse, as I see the “Flatbush Minyan”, South Asians, French-speaking Africans, Middle Eastern muslims, and some whites.  There are not too many businesses right next to the train, just a pizza pace and a laundromat.  There are a few smaller apartment buildings to go along with the houses.  The houses here are actually detached, with trees in the yard; definitely a rarity as far as I have seen.  They also look to be single-family.  Unfortunately it’s raining too much for me to risk the digital camera for some photos.

In:  The station house here actually looks like a house, with a sloping roof and black shingles, and it exists as a standalone building.  The outside also has a little porch and the inside has wooden floors.  The train here is barely above street level; it doesn’t really count as elevated.  The platform is similar to Ave. J, but the awning only covers ~1/4 of the platform closest to the station house.

Q Train - Ave. J (Day 6, stop #270)

Out:  There are many Orthodox Jews here, along with some Middle Eastern and white.  There is a falafel place, a pizza place, and a bagel place, all Kosher.  There are also the usual banks, pharmacies, etc.  The Flatbush Yeshivah is nearby, as is a division of Tuoro College.  There are many two-story houses here, and some are actually detached with trees in the yard.  There are also plenty of smaller brick apartment buildings.  It seems quite clean and safe here.

In:  Similar to Ave. U.

Q Train - Ave. M (Day 6, stop #269)

Out:  There are plenty of Orthodox Jews around here; I haven’t seen too many today until now.  There are delis, banks, grocery stores, and pizza places all with Yiddish signs.  They are all near the overpass for the train.  There is also a liquor store, plenty of bargain stores, and the “Chap-a-Nosh Chinese & American Restaurant”.  There aren’t that many Asians here and a few blacks, as well as some non-Jewish whites/Eastern Europeans.  Like Kings Highway, the houses are a mix of tenements, houses, and small apartment buildings.

In:  Similar to Ave. U.

Q Train - Kings Highway (Day 6, stop #268)

Out:  Here the Q train again cuts across a bunch of streets (instead of just running along one Avenue), so the station house exits right underneath the overpass of the tracks.  This is a busy commercial stretch here, with lots of delis and small groceries along with other retail and restaurants and the “LIBS” beauty school.  There are still some signs in Russian here, but fewer in Chinese.  However, there are still plenty of Asians around, along with some Hispanic and whites.  This neighborhood looks a bit less run-down than the neighborhood near Ave. U.  The housing is a mix of some tenements, some houses, and some small apartment buildings.  Also, it started raining harder again.  Awesome.

In:  This station has some funny pseudo-hieroglyphics painted in blue and orange on metal panels at the entrance of the station; many of the symbols seem to refer to the subway, but it’s not really clear why this artwork is at this station in particular.  There are brown square tiles in the mezzanine which are in ok condition.  The layout is two platform, four track with local and express access and no side walls.  The station is generally in decent condition.

Q Train - Ave. U (Day 6, stop #267)

Out:  Here there is a mix of signage in Russian and Chinese.  There are many small businesses, including a salon, foot doctor, bakery, deli.  The neighborhood still looks a bit run down here.  There are mostly two-story row houses in brick or siding, and some small apartment buildings in brick.  The people around are mostly Asian or white, but there are a few black and Hispanic people around as well.  It went to Kingly II Bakery and got a weird bun with corn and sour cream…it was pretty unappetizing, but I didn’t feel so bad about tossing the majority of it since it only cost 60¢.  Also after seeing so many Chinese bakeries today it’s good I finally went to one, I think.

In:  Similar to Neck Rd., except the staircases to the exit are very narrow along with the platforms.

Q Train - Neck Rd. (Day 6, stop #266)

Out:  This area is very residential-looking, but not particularly pleasant.  The people I see seem to be a mix of Chinese, Russian, white, Middle Eastern, and South Asian.  The residential parts seem to be mostly houses and low-slung apartment buildings.  The streets are kind of dirty, and there are only a few small businesses around.  Overall the surroundings here just feel a bit empty.  Only the “Anyway Café”, which looks kind of fun, adds a bit of character to the stop.

In:  The station is barely elevated above the street.  The station house is actually on the street level, and then it’s just one flight of stairs up to the platform.  The station house here looks old with off-white tiles, but the red brick on the outside looks pretty decent.  On the platform there are metal off-white ridged panels on top of flat panels of some color.  The platform is surprisingly narrow, and there are no columns by the platform edge.  There are trees growing right next to the platform.  I can’t see over the side, either, as the paneling extends the entire length of the platform.  The layout is two platform, four track with express bypass.

B/Q Trains - Sheepshead Bay (Day 6, stop #265)

Out: Outside the stop here there are still plenty of Russian shops as well as some Italian establishments; there are also some fairly upscale clothing stores.  Surprisingly, there are also some office buildings here mixed with the retail.  There are plenty of nail places and small pharmacies.  I stopped to get a slice of pizza at Gino’s, which was nothing to write home about, but it was serviceable.  There are lots of ~6 story red brick tenements around, as well as some smaller houses on the side streets.  There are some homeless people walking around, as well as people in professional attire.  The people next to stop are pretty mixed, but it might just be people getting off the bus here and do not really reflect the makeup of neighborhood.

In: This station looks pretty renovated.  The bathroom here also does not have any homeless guys in it, which is great, but there is some suspicious standing water on the floor.  The mezzanine is good-sized, a little more cramped than at Brighton Beach, but still ok.  The platform narrows toward the ends, and the awning covers ~3/4 of the platform length; it is supported by green metal columns.  The roof here is convex instead of concave as at the previous stops.  There are no walls again, so I can see of the side, but there is not really that much to see.  There are some nice lampposts with rectangular pyramidal housings for the lamps, which is kind of interesting.

B/Q Trains - Brighton Beach (Day 6, stop #264)

Out:  There are lots of signs in Russian over here, including department stores, restaurants, ect.  Plenty of Russian people as well, but near the stop here it still is a bit mixed, as I saw some Asian, South Asian, and black people on the streets.  The intersection itself is quite busy, with a lot of businesses.  The housing near the stop is mostly tenements in brick, plus some smaller buildings.  Also, the rain has almost stopped, hallelujah.

In:  Two platform, four track layout with local and express access; this is the last stop for the B train.  There is a narrow black column in the middle of the platform to support the concave sloped roof, which is also black.  Because of the layout I can again see over the side.  The mezzanine and the stairs down the street have been renovated.  When I came back in to leave, I tried to use the bathroom and was pretty disgusted to see a homeless guy sleeping on the floor of the bathroom (that was gross on multiple levels).  Needless to say, I did not use this one.

Q Train - Ocean Pkwy (Day 6, stop #263)

Out:  The eleveated train supports here are huge concrete arches that span over Ocean Parkway.  The stop is also in the middle of the expansive, red brick Brighton housing complexes.  There is a Met supermarket, Duane Reade (with the pharmacy sign in Russian), and the Gambrinus Beer Bar.  There are trees in the median of Ocean Parkway, and the large housing blocks look well-maintained.  Also the rain is finally lightening up…I really hope it stops soon.

In:  This station is elevated and outdoors.  The mezzanine is totally renovated, and is a pretty good size for an elevated station.  The platforms are being renovated, but the layout is two platform, four track with access to local and express.  The middle tracks are being worked on, though, so only the outside local tracks are in use. There are also no walls over the side there’s a good view out to the water, but the middle side of the platform is totally covered by blue wood.  Most people on the street here are white/Russian, with only a few blacks around.  The station has antique-looking blue metal lamps with large globes, which is kind of cool; however, many of the globes are currently missing, which partly spoils the effect.

Q Train - W. 8th St. (Day 6, stop #262)

Out:  Please see entry for the F train at W. 8th St.

In:  The station has already been described for the F, but the feeling of the Q platform is different as it is on the top floor of the big green box and the roof is open to the outdoors.  Again though the sides are similar with brand new green paneling.  Also from the inside it’s possible to make out the contours of the external features on the station.

N/Q/R/W Trains - 42 St.-Times Sq. (Day 5, stop #245)

Out: Times Sq. here is crowded with tourists, shoppers, and workers of all types.  Surprisingly, it is actually less packed than Herald Square, though.  

However, there is still the usual and expected Times Sq. craziness, with its overloaded mess of flashy buildings and attention-catching advertisements.

In: The platform itself is very similar to that at 34 St., but it’s slightly dirtier.  The color scheme is blue and green.  There is a very large mezzanine here at Times Square, with lots of passageways and open areas for transfers to the other trains on a couple of levels.  In one wall made of green frosted glass, there are strange little insets of tile, depicting aspects of Broadway and other Times Sq. scenes.  There is also Lichtenstein-style pop art near the escalators up to the street.