Hamptons Subway: Week of February 21–27, 2019

By Dan Rattiner

4 minute 02/25/2019

Hamptons Subway graffiti mural — Photo: Greta Gabaglio/123RF

Week of February 21–27, 2019
Riders this past week: 38,513
Rider miles this past week: 103,412

DOWN IN THE TUBE
Actor Bob Balaban was seen reading a script while traveling from Sag Harbor to Noyac last Wednesday afternoon.

NEW TSA RULE
Most subway riders have gotten used to the TSA checkpoints you have to go through before getting to the turnstiles. It’s a bit inconvenient, but if we want to capture the drug lords, this is how we do it. Now, in addition to the no firearms, liquids in containers over 6 ounces, knives and scissors, we add chocolate. The drug-sniffing dogs, as it happens, were trained to zone in on chocolate. Because it takes more time for the agents to separate the chocolate from the hash, beginning March 1, all chocolate must be placed in the trash bins with the water bottles before you go through security.

ALERT
On Friday from 9 p.m. to midnight, straphangers who usually take the westbound J Train and transfer at Water Mill to the P Train will have to make a different connection to get where they are going. Because the K Train will be undergoing track repair during those hours, the P Train will have to be shut too. To get to Shinnecock, it will at this time be necessary to take the N Train northbound to the Sebonack transfer platform, transfer to the R Train for two stops to Calverton and take either the I or B Train three stops eastbound to link up to the M Train westbound which will continue two stops to Shinnecock.

MECOX GRAFFITI
Straphangers awoke Sunday morning to see four large full-color murals painted on opposite walls at the platforms of Bridgehampton and Water Mill. Floor-to-ceiling high and 20 feet wide they included great colorful renderings of The Parrish Art Museum and Mecox Pond. This effort, beautiful as it was, was just part of the longtime attempt to persuade Hamptons Subway management to open a stop between those two places. Hamptons Subway management is unmoved, however. A study done last year concluded that only 10% of the ridership going eastbound between the two towns would get off at Mecox if we had a station there. And only 7% said they would if they were going the other way. Tough times for the Mecoxians.

SHUTDOWN
Commissioner Aspinall is looking into whether or not he has the ability to shut the entire Hamptons Subway by declaring “a state of emergency.” He has no particular emergencies in mind, but he has asked staff to suggest a few in descending order by Monday.

CELEBRITY WATCH
The two men both claiming to be the President of Venezuela took the subway from Amagansett to Montauk and Montauk to Amagansett. It was arranged by those hoping for a peaceful resolution of this problem that the two could be passing each other from opposite directions in Napeague so they can have a chance to smile and wave to each other. Good might come of it.

COMMISSIONER ASPINALL’S MESSAGE
Well here we are at the bottom of the winter, and so it will be all going back up to warmer temperatures in the months that come, but slightly higher temperatures than in prior years, we are told.