Comments on: Black and White Photographs: Commuter Life

By: JOhn

JOhn — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 00:29:19 +0000

In reply to JOhn.

And apparently the FRA agrees that things are not up to par:
http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L04880

By: Lee

Lee — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 20:06:27 +0000

“You donâ€™t want to focus on it, you donâ€™t want to let it define you, but you donâ€™t want to ignore it either.”

Allow me to join the others in saying this is an excellent blog entry. Your words above put it best.

Doing the photos in b&w is very dignified and appropriate for the occasion.

By: Tom in Poughkeepsie

Tom in Poughkeepsie — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 15:59:20 +0000

:,(

Very poignant.

Very well written and photographed.

By: Hank

Hank — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 01:51:24 +0000

Thanks…memories of my father’s daily commute between Bedford Hills and GCT for 33 years until 1962 when he retired, and when I joined him while in college 1953-1957. Your sensitive and insightful essay is spot on.

By: therealguyfaux

therealguyfaux — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 00:06:59 +0000

The vantage point from which the local TV crews did their “stand-ups” is a small (and I mean very small) “vest-pocket park,” as they used to be called, named “Half-Moon Overlook.” It is actually quite a pleasant place to do “trainspotting” from, with a spectacular view of the Palisades as well. One suspects they did it from there because the roads leading into and out of the immediate Spuyten Duyvil station parking lot would have needed to be cleared for emergency vehicles, but the reporters would have needed to have some view of what was going on.

With passage of time, I am sure that, while of course the deaths and injuries from the accident will never and should never be forgotten, someone could go back there and spend a pleasant hour or so on a summer morning/afternoon, without the pall of the accident overshadowing it, and get some really good photos. (Hopefully I am not coming across as hideously oblivious to what happened, but rather, to be seeing a faint glimmer of something other than tragedy in what has transpired.)

By: Websteward

Websteward — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 23:31:20 +0000

Beautiful photos. The “Southeast” sign looks like “Southfart” due to the blanking.

By: JOhn

JOhn — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:58:50 +0000

These things aren’t supposed to happen, but they do.

By: Emily

Emily — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 19:21:26 +0000

In reply to Michael Napolitano.

Gary Waxman’s father started the newsstand in White Plains station fortyish years ago. He worked there as a young man, and took over for his father at some point. Of course White Plains station isn’t that old – the original newsstand was in the old station designed by Warren & Wetmore that got torn down in the 80s.

I had never heard of Henry Waxman before, but they do look similar! I’ll have to ask Gary if there is any relation when I see him tonight ;)

By: Michael Napolitano

Michael Napolitano — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 19:14:11 +0000

Emily, those photos capture everything perfectly, and, to my untrained eye, are professional grade worthy of “Life” magazine-type publication. In my opinion, they are light-years ahead of the color, fish-eye stuff you normally shoot.

What’s the story on Waxman’s News? The guy selling papers looks EXACTLY LIKE Cong. Henry Waxman of California.

By: Carl

Carl — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 18:58:55 +0000

Very nice presentation. A GM once told me that it takes only one Ah Shirt to wipe out 100 attaboys. It is hard for all, especially those of us in the industry, when incidents like this occur. I get more than angry listening to the media questioning any one that they can find usually asking dumb questions and getting stupid answers in return. Lets wait for the pro’s from the NTSB to wrap up their investigation.