It’s been widely reported that RochesterSubway.com is spending millions on a new Super Bowl TV spot this year featuring rapper and hip hop megastar 50 Cent. We’re not going to rain on the parade—maybe the ad will air during the Super Bowl, maybe it won’t. You’ll have to watch the game to find out. But you won’t have to wait to see it. Watch the spot… then read the rest of this post to find out how we got 50 to star in our Rochester Subway production…
Archive: ‘Rochester Subway’...
Rochester Subway Super Bowl Ad Featuring 50 Cent
Sunday, February 7th, 2010Tags: 50 Cent, ad, Facebook, hip hop, rapper, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, rochestersubway.com, Super Bowl, urban
Posted in Rochester Subway | 4 Comments »
Christine No Like Rochester Subway! ARR!
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Let me just preface this. Those of you who follow RochesterSubway.com know we are not trying to bring back the Subway—although if Mayor Duffy announced its re-opening tomorrow we’d promptly crown him King of Rochester. Our mission is plainly stated at the bottom of every page on this site. We support any initiative that will improve the quality of life for all Rochesterians. A bike lane here or there. Perhaps a few good grocery stores downtown, etc. etc. Our goal is to get Rochester thinking about the possibilities and to spark public dialogue.
Most of the feedback we get from our readers is very positive and we’ve had a lot of great ideas thrown our way. But for every 20 people we hear from, there’s usually one person who’s… well… a real visionary. This month’s award goes to Christine B. from Rochester. In fact, we may have to name the award after her. Christine makes the assumption that we are out to garnish her paycheck and use it to bring back the Rochester Subway. And oh boy is she P.O.’d!
A word of caution before you read her monologue… if you’re a Kodak employee, a “liberal”, unemployed, gay, or if you are homeless, some of Christine’s ideas may offend you. But if you read between the lines, I’m sure you’ll see where she’s going with this line of thought. Oh, and PLEASE share your opinions in the comments. I know Christine will appreciate your feedback…
Tags: Aids Rochester, Christine, fill, homeless, Kodak, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway
Posted in Opinion, Rochester Subway | 17 Comments »
Rochester Misses Out on a “No Pants Subway Ride”
Monday, January 11th, 2010Yet another reason to bring back the Rochester Subway… We’re missing out on No Pants Day! Hundreds of New Yorkers stripped down to their skivvies on Sunday for the ninth annual No Pants Subway Ride. The event, organized by a Guerilla group called Improv Everywhere, has grown from 7 or 8 people riding the NY Subway in 2002 to over 3,000 people taking part in 44 cities and 16 countries around the world.
Tags: Chicago, event, Facebook, Honolulu, Improv Everywhere, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, mass transit, mass transportation, New York, New York City, New York City Subway, No Pants Day, No Pants Subway Ride, NYC Subway, Pittsburg, Rochester Subway, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, uffalo
Posted in Rochester Subway, Subways Around the Globe | No Comments »
1906 Panorama and More Old Photos of Rochester, NY
Sunday, November 29th, 2009
Recently we acquired this postcard (shown above) of the Rochester subway entrance at Court Street. And while I was reading up on the history of Rochester and the Erie Canal, I came across some pretty neat photos of downtown, the old canal, and later the construction of the Rochester Subway. These images say a thousand words so I’ll just start the slide show with this incredible panorama of Rochester from 1906…
Tags: Blue Cross Arena, Broad Street, City of Rochester, Cluet-Peabody & Company, Court Street, Democrat & Chronicle, Dinosaur Bar B Que, downtown Rochester, Erie Canal, Erie Canal Aqueduct, Exchange Street, Genesee Aqueduct, Genesee River, history of Rochester, Main Street, New York, NY, old photos, photo, photography, Rochester, Rochester Business Institute, Rochester City Hall, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester panorama, Rochester Public Library, Rochester Subway, South Avenue, Statue of Mercury, Times Square Building, trolley, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Subway | 2 Comments »
Subway Confessions: Rochester’s Boys of Summer, 1952
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
Our recent article about the City’s initiative to fill the abandoned subway tunnel drew many interesting comments from our readers. I wanted to highlight one of those comments from Patrick Eagan—a native Rochesterian who has since relocated to south Florida (RochesterSubway.com receives almost as many emails from people now living outside Rochester as we get from current residents). When Patrick was a kid he used to play softball with the Kodak Park Athletic Association. And when you’re a kid what could go better with a game of softball than a ride on the Rochester Subway?
Patrick agreed to let us post his subway story here—but do check out his great blog
Tags: 19th Ward, abandoned subway tunnel, Cameos, Dewey Avenue, Emerson Street, Exchange Street, Four Corners, Jefferson High School, Kodak Park Athletic Association, KPAA Softball, New York, NY, Patrick Eagan, Rochester, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway story, Rochester's northwest quadrant, softball
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | No Comments »
A Ghastly Warning from the Abandoned Rochester Subway
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Okay so Halloween is fast approaching. I hate the stinking day myself for reasons I won’t get into. But I recognize that most people like a good ghost story so I thought I’d share this. I regularly ask people to send us personal stories and experiences from the Rochester Subway and last summer an individual named Jeffrey Smith sent us a rather blunt warning about the abandoned subway tunnel. Claiming it to be hallowed ground, Jeffrey warns, “Leave it alone, don’t mess with it. It is fine the way it is, we don’t want your stupid shops or anything like that in it. I refuse to go within 100 yards of any of the entrances because of the strong spiritual pressure I feel going there…”
Tags: abandoned tunnel, ghost subway, Halloween, haunted subway tunnel, New York, NY, paranormal, Rochester, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway story, Rochester Subway tunnel, spirits, urban explorers
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 2 Comments »
Subway Tunnel To Be Filled. This time they mean it. Probably.
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
For decades it’s been an inconvenient truth for Rochester. The abandoned Erie Canal turned ghost subway tunnel has long been considered a ticking time-bomb. It’s widely known that the city has wanted to fill at least the west end of the tunnel for many years, citing critical safety deficiencies in the structure beneath the street surface. But, with Rochester’s ongoing economic struggles and estimates into the $10’s of millions, the project has been repeatedly delayed (or swept under the rug). Until now…
Tags: abandoned subway, ADROC, Advocates for the Development of Rochester's Canal, Broad Street, Broad Street Tunnel Improvement Project, Brown Street, Chill-the-Fill, City of Rochester, Denver, downtown Rochester, Erie Canal, federal stimulus money, Main Street, New York, Nick Tahou's, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, Rochester Subway, Roger Brown, RRCDC, RRTC, satellite image, subway tunnel, Tom Grasso, Tom Hack, trolley
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News, Rochester Subway | 22 Comments »
Broad Street Tunnel Improvement Project
Friday, October 9th, 2009
Interview with Tom Hack, P.E., Project Manager
ROCHESTERSUBWAY.COM: It was recently brought to our attention that the City of Rochester is taking bids from contractors to repair and/or fill the abandoned subway tunnel under Broad Street. Can you confirm this? If so, what are the details of the job?
Tom Hack: The fill is going to take place from Brown Street to the RR portal next to Nick Tahoe’s (it involves about 1900 lf out of 4600 lf total). We are maintaining the RR portal behind Nick Tahoe’s as that will serve as a new access/maintenance road into the remaining sections of the tunnel.
ROCHESTERSUBWAY.COM: When are you hoping to start the work?
Tom Hack: We are scheduled to open bids on October 19, 2009. We hope to have “actual” construction operations underway in early December 2009, however the bulk of the tasks won’t hit their stride until April-May 2010.
ROCHESTERSUBWAY.COM: What range do you expect the bids to come in at? (in $$)
Tom Hack: We anticipate that bids for the work will be in the range of $14-16 Million (+/-).
ROCHESTERSUBWAY.COM: Is this project part of a larger initiative? i.e. Is this just Phase 1 in filling the rest of the tunnel, or maybe prep work for some larger project involving Broad Street?
Tom Hack: This project is a standalone project but obviously it does has ramifications toward other city proposed initiatives. Four issues that come into play are:
- Parking within the confines of the remaining rehabilitated sections of the Tunnel
- Phase III and IV of Rochester’s Historic Canal District Initiative does envision partial use of this space for the creation of the West end Basin, however the timing of this phase is 15-20 years out and obviously the dynamics and market conditions may dictate other uses.
- Stabilization and general enhancement of the corridor. This project does strengthen, link and unify the visual attributes of the surrounding land uses and neighborhoods. This is an overall initiative of the City and indirectly the streetscape amenities that we will be installing does add value in that regard.
- The project does advance the Rochester Heritage Trail. The Rochester Heritage trail is a designated walkway linking the City’s multitude of historic feature, dating when downtown was a port on the Erie Canal and the burgeoning center of commerce, industry and social activism. This is a self guided walk that identifies historic sites and tells the stories of Rochester’s people, places, and cultures as they impacted development of our nation. (Think Boston’s Freedom Trial)
Tags: abandoned subway, Boston's Freedom Trail, Broad Street, Brown Street, City of Rochester, downtown Rochester, Erie Canal, fill, interview, New York, Nick Tahoe's, Rochester, Rochester Heritage Trail, Rochester NY, Rochester's Historic Canal District, subway tunnel
Posted in Other, Rochester Subway | No Comments »
Rochester and Cincinnati transit maps shine in Monocle Magazine
Friday, September 18th, 2009
No it’s not for people with one eye. Monocle is a global current affairs magazine (published in the U.K.) with a sharp aesthetic and an editorial tone that suggests we can build a better world if we just think creatively about global problems. And wouldn’t you know, they took notice
Tags: abandoned subway, article, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Subway, Cincinnati Transit Map for Optimists t-shirt, Dream Machines, Monocle Magazine, New York, NY, OH, Ohio, Rochester, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway map, Rochester Subway Poster, Sasha Issenberg
Posted in Rochester News, Rochester Subway, Subway Gifts | No Comments »
Tokens of Rochester’s Past
Sunday, August 16th, 2009
We’ve been scouring the internet, libraries, archives, and antique shops all over western New York in search of anything we can get our hands on that may have had anything to do with Rochester’s subway. It’s all fair game— from old photos, postcards, tickets and passes—even stories and opinions from our readers. In our searching we’ve learned that the tiniest subway finds are usually the coolest. Case in point—tokens—at just 16mm (that’s millimeters), many of these coins are small enough to get stuck up your nose
Tags: collectible coins, Donald Byrne, history of Rochester, Jim Dierks, New York, New York Museum of Transportation, New York State Railways, NY, NYS Railways, Rochester City and Brighton Railway, Rochester history, Rochester Railway Company, Rochester Subway, Rochester Transit Corporation, rochestersubway.com, RochesterSubway.com Token T-shirt, token roll, tokens, transit tokens, trolleys
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Subway, Subway Gifts, Train/Railroad Stuff | No Comments »
Rochester Subway on StrangeMaps
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
Recently, a popular blog known as Strangemaps
Tags: article, blog, Buffalo, George Eastman, history of Rochester, New York, Nick Tahou, NY, or the Rochester Ghost Subway, Pipe Dreams, Rochester history, Rochester Subway map, Smugtown USA, Strangemaps
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Subway, Subway Gifts, Transit + Infrastructure | 4 Comments »
Subway Confessions: Simply Good Times
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Remember the movie 
?
Take it away Russ…
Tags: Broad Street, Brown Street, Charles Street, Court Street, Jay Street, memory, Nick Tahoe's, Rochester Subway tunnel, Scio Street, South Avenue, story, ticket booth
Posted in Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 1 Comment »
Shhh! Secret Offer: The 1928 Rochester Subway Poster…
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Okay, the cat’s out of the bag. Our fans have been patiently awaiting this news for nearly a year. The 1928 Rochester Subway Poster is now in production and will be available to purchase right here beginning July 1! But subscribers to our newsletter have already put their orders in. “How’s this possible” you ask? That’s because our dedicated followers received an invitation to pre-order a copy of the 1928 poster early. BUT WAIT, there’s more… not only did these lucky railfans get to pre-order, they also received a hefty discount offer. Want to find out how much they saved? Oh alright you beat it out of me… Sign up for our newsletter before July 4, 2009 and I’ll send you the very same offer! Tick, tock.
UPDATE: This offer has expired. Email me for new offers & promotions on our Rochester Subway merchandise.
Tags: light-rail, mass transit, Rochester history, Rochester Subway story, transportation, trolley, vintage
Posted in Rochester Subway, Subway Gifts | No Comments »
Subway Confessions: Pennies & Snowballs
Friday, February 20th, 2009
When I was growing up in the late 1930’s my family lived in the Winton Rd. Merchants Rd. area. One of my fonder memories is walking down Winton to East Avenue with my father and younger brother to catch the subway or trolley. The subway ran through the old Erie Canal bed (where I-490 is now), and would actually get going rather quickly. It would sway back and forth as the Conductor built up speed, and we’d hang on to the straps for dear life…
Tags: bridge, Cobbs Hill Park, conductor, cracked window, East Avenue, German American Sports Club Field, I-490, Lexington Avenue, memory, Merchants Road, Monroe Avenue, Mount Read, overpass, penny on the tracks, Rochester Subway story, Sibley's, snowball, trolley, Winton Road
Posted in Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 1 Comment »
Subway Confessions: Mr. B’s Wild Ride
Monday, February 9th, 2009
The following Subway story was submitted to us by Mr. B from Rochester…
“When I was 7 or 8, I would go to the YMCA on Monroe Avenue or the library next door after school. The Subway used to pass under the Monroe Avenue overpass heading downtown. It must have been in mid june in 1955 or 1956. We were looking out the window at the library and the Trolley was parked or stopped under the overpass…
Tags: asphalt, bridge, East Avenue, I-490, James Vick, memory, Monroe Avenue, overpass, Park Avenue, Rochester Subway story, tracks, trolley, Vick Park A, Vick Park B
Posted in Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 1 Comment »
It’s A Bit Lonely Down Here… The Rochester Subway on Facebook
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
Ever wonder what kind of person it takes to squeeze through a mangled chain-link fence and slither down into the dark, cold, urine-soaked caverns of a an abandoned subway tunnel — all for the sake of adventure and glory? Like many of life’s great mysteries, the answer may be found on Facebook
Tags: abandoned subway tunnel, Associated Rochester Subway Expeditioneers, club, explore, Facebook, group, New York, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, subway, tunnel
Posted in Rochester Subway, Transit + Infrastructure | 2 Comments »
