S Train - Grand Central (Extra Days, stop #463)

Out:  See photos and description for 4/5/6 Trains - 42 St.-Grand Central.

In:  The ride over from Times Sq. is, not surprisingly, very brief.  The station on this end looks much nicer, with renovated white tiling on the walls and mosaic "Grand Central" with artwork in red and blue.  The layout is 2 platform, 3 track here, again with a terminus and big "STOP" signs for the trains.  It looks like only one platform and two tracks are actively in use, though.  Past the train terminus there is a long tunnel that leads to Grand Central Station.  The one drawback here is that it is less conveniently located to make connections to other trains; one end of the platform exits at Madison Ave., indicating how far it is from the 4/5/6 trains in particular.

S Train - Times Square (Extra Days, stop #462)

Out:  See photos and description for 1/2/3 Trains - 42 St.-Times Sq.

In:  This end of the shuttle has  a different platform layout than any one I've seen.  There is  a three platform, three track layout but they are all staggered and end at the point where the shuttle track terminates.  The platforms themselves are on the same level of the expansive Times Sq. mezzanine level (i.e. no extra stairs), between the 1/2/3 and N/Q/R/W trains, directly opposite of the featured musical performer spot (today some guy on the guitar).  It seems that only two platforms and two tracks are in use; passengers wait expectantly to find out which platform they need to rush to in order to get on the train.  There is white tiling on the very far wall but mostly there is just black tunnel to be seen.  The columns near the platform are white with burgundy trim, some wrapped in advertising (it is Times Sq., after all).  Eventually the diminuitive 3-car train pulls into the station.

S Train - Botanic Garden (Day 10, stop #412)

Out:  I exit here onto Eastern Parkway.  The road here is quite wide, with plenty of traffic, but also lots of trees.  Some of the people I see actually look a bit wealthy, but mostly it seems like a lower- to middle-class black neighborhood here.  

A block or two away from the front of the station, the buildings are mostly brick tenement style with a little architectural variety.  The station house itself here is right at street level, and isolated from the nearby housing.  There is an amusing little picnic area on a concrete platform surrounded by weeds right outside the station.  There aren’t many stores around, and it’s quite residential.

In:  This station here is indoors now, but the tracks are in the cut on both sides of the station (i.e. no longer elevated but now below grade).  There is white tiling on the walls as well as some nice mosaic tiling on a see green background with yellow interspersed for the station name.  The station looks to be in good shape overall.  Again, the platform here is very short, but there is a more typical two platform, two track setup for trains in both directions.

S Train - Park Place (Day 10, stop #411)

Out:  This stop exits at a very residential part of Prospect Heights.  There are pretty much only residential buildings near the exit, which is in the middle of a long block.  There are some small commercial establishments near the intersection down the block, but nothing out of the ordinary.  The neighborhood still looks mostly black, but I did see a couple of white people around.  The housing is a mix of small apartments and row houses, with one big apartment block nearby.  Most of the buildings look in decent condition, and this neighborhood definitely looks more pleasant than those farther east on the C line.

In:  This is the only station in the system I would describe as “cute”.  There is a tiny platform to accommodate the two-car S train here, and, amazingly, the trains actually can arrive in both directions on just the one platform.  

Definitely have not seen that anywhere else as part of regular service.  The station house looks recently renovated, and the platform has a red metal roof and no walls.  The station is only a little above street level and from the platform you basically look into the backyard of some apartment buildings.  This stop really feels integrated into the neighborhood, as there is barely any boundary between it and the other residential buildings.  On the outside there is also black metal grating with a pattern I hadn’t seen before (see photo).

S Train - Franklin Ave. (Day 10, stop #410)

Out:  See description and photos at C Train - Franklin Ave.

In:  On the booth level here is the station house, which is wide open with new concrete floors and a nice tile border on the wall in green.  There is an escalator up to the tracks.  The platform is very short, with only one track (pretty unusual, as every other last stop always has at least two tracks) and a view off the opposite side.  The side with the platform has a red metal roof with green arches, and a small wall with frosted glass windows.  The walkway to the elevator from the station house has stained glass lining the entire way.  A pleasant and interesting station, for sure.

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.

A/S Trains - Broad Channel (Day 4, stop #162)

Out: This little community on this little island is really surprising.  It is incredibly quiet, I don’t see anyone, and there are just small single family houses.  

It looks much more like a small town scene from the 70’s (this vision is also aided by the many aging cars parked on the streets).  It’s actually kind of creepy.  

I finally saw just one person, sweeping their porch.  It’s not really clear who lives here, but it definitely seems like some small town from rural America that is somehow part of NYC.

In: On the ride over from Beach 90 St., I saw kids in the car talking about “having their flags out” at Hoyt-Schermerhorn, where there are “mad Bloods”.   I didn’t know this before, but now I’ll be on the lookout for gang activity over there.  Also, the fog has lifted, so the ride over is actually really beautiful.  There is the expanse of Jamaica Bay on both sides of the train, plenty of birds, lots boats, and little houses on the waterfront.  It’s pretty hard to believe this is New York City.  The train crosses a small, reedy island and “Smith’s” Boat rental, and finally comes to a stop at the station.  The platform is at street level, with tiling at center of platform.  Otherwise, though, the outdoor portion is like any other station.  I need to crossover to the other side in order to exit.  

S Train - Beach 90 St.-Holland (Day 4, stop #161)

Out: Right next to tracks there is a new set of “luxury condominiums” being built across the street from a decrepit, falling-down building.  That is kind of funny.  There are other buildings, some even in worse condition.  However, there are a number of nice-looking stores on Rockaway Beach Blvd, just one block away.  There’s a CVS, C-Town, Rockaway Beach Inn (“RBI’s”).  Maybe a little Puerto Rican, European, and white over here.

In: Like other stations on this branch, with some more weeds growing on the track.  But there’s no bench on the platform!  Pretty bad…maybe there are ones at the other stations, but I didn’t notice.  I just really wanted to sit down right now.  This station also smells like urine…do they ever clean these stations out here?

S Train - Beach 98 St-Playland (Day 4, stop #160)

Out: On the walk towards the station, it’s clear that the houses are a little more modest over here, but in general things are still pretty built up.  I saw some white kids playing with black kids, which is always a good sign of a neighborhood.  I might have seen one of the kids’ moms speaking Russian or Ukrainian.  Some of houses have four front doors, one for each unit in the building.

In: This station is similar to Beach 105 St., with a chain link fence in addition to the railing at the east end of the platform.  I’m not exactly sure why it’s there, but maybe to prevent people hanging over the edge and graffiting up the side of the track?  There is a big group of kids being rowdy in the station, which is annoying me.  There are also a lot of gulls and other seabirds around.

S Train - Beach 105 St.-Seaside (Day 4, stop #159)

Out: On the N. side, there is some type of pumping station, and on the south there is a Key Foods and a parking lot.  There are also big apartment buildings overlooking the water.  I walked down to the beach (the Atlantic Ocean side) from this stop and then over to Beach 98 St. (the train comes so infrequently, I figured it wouldn’t be too much slower; plus I could check out the beach).  I was pleasantly surprised to find a real wooden boardwalk here, and a beach ~75 yards wide going down to the ocean.  

There is a lifeguard on duty, and the beach looks pretty decent; even on this foggy workday there are some people out enjoying it.  

I also saw a girl in Orthodox dress playing tennis against a backstop (see Photo).

In: Like other A stops on the Rockaway branch, but smells a little worse and the paint is peeling a little more.  There are big, curving arched lamps here, with some partial renovations going on.  There is no cover on the stairwell up to the station, which is a little surprising.

S Train - Beach 116 St.-Rockaway Park (Day 4, stop #158)

Out: There are plenty of white folk here, some of whom definitely look like they spend the winter in Florida.  This stop is only two blocks from the beach to both the north and south on this narrow part of the Rockaways.  The station is also very close to some kind of quaint shopping street, with a “Gift Shoppe”, steakhouse, and even a Japanese restaurant (I haven’t seen one of those in a while).  

However, there is still something a little rough around the edges here; it’s hard to define.  There are also some nearby upscale-looking condos right by the beach.

In: The station here is undergoing a pretty serious restoration.  The brick station house looks like it’s pretty impressive, mostly likely a reflection of it’s former life as a real train depot as opposed to just another subway stop.  However, it’s hard to tell its full grandeur as scaffolding and wood covers up a large portion of it.  The platform is outdoors and at street level, next to a small yard with a few side tracks for the four-car-long S train.  The awning over the platform has a white metal roof and green metal columns.  For passengers there is a single platform with two tracks.