Jaffe

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

New York Oddity #3 - hot subway tunnels, cold subway cars

It's definitely summer here - today is supposed to top out at 92F (33C), 'feeling like 98F (37C)'. I lived in London during the record-breaking heatwave a couple of years ago, when the temperature reached 100F (38C). Taking the Tube during the heatwave was disgusting, because the London Underground isn't air conditioned. Inevitably I wound up in a hot, crowded car (carriage) standing next to someone who hadn't showered, or at least smelled like they hadn't showered.

Hot days are rare in London, so having air conditioning in the Tube is only something you think about a few days a year, but here in New York it's a necessity. The subway cars are kept as cold as you would expect here in the States (i.e., very cold), but the subway platforms are often unbearably hot. Why? Two words - design flaw. Perhaps the engineer who designed the system should have spent more time learning how an air conditioner works!

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

New York Oddity #2 - liquid nitrogen tanks

If you go for a walk in Manhattan in the spring/summer, you'll periodically come across a large metal tank that has 'Nitrogen' written on the side (although it's usually worn and barely visible). New Yorkers just walk by these large metal tanks as if it's completely normal to have them on street corners here and there, but my friends who have visited have all asked the same question - 'Why are there liquid nitrogen tanks on the street?'

The reasons given on various newsgroups range from the electric and telephone companies using liquid nitrogen to 'pressurize cables' to 'cooling transformer vaults'.

Any other ideas?

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Monday, June 18, 2007

New York Oddity #1 - 'Doggy Gyms'

There's a type of New Yorker that is obsessed with fitness, and many of you might be aware of the ridiculous fascination with dogs in this city. For the gym-obsessed, dog-loving New Yorker, I give you... Doggy Gyms.


Running Paws Athletic Club

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