Throwawayhelp111521

Throwawayhelp111521 t1_je9w7j5 wrote

Why do some people insist on their right to be wrong? Most of us probably grew up thinking that cobblestones and Belgian Blocks (stetts) were the same until the difference was explained to us. Now we use the correct terms. Cobblestones are much more uncomfortable to walk on.

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Throwawayhelp111521 t1_je6m5fm wrote

They're not.

"Setts are often referred to as "cobblestones", although a sett is distinct from a cobblestone in that it is quarried or worked to a regular shape, whereas the latter is generally a small, naturally-rounded rock. Setts are usually made of granite."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sett_(paving)

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Throwawayhelp111521 t1_j7hy6pp wrote

Reply to comment by cocktails5 in Late for the train. by brooklynlad

The only way to get lost on the Red Line or the Orange Line in Boston is to take it in the wrong direction. They are single lines. There are multiple ways to get lost in NYC if you have no more info about the subway line than the color.

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Throwawayhelp111521 t1_j7hwil8 wrote

Reply to comment by RyzinEnagy in Late for the train. by brooklynlad

People who are New Yorkers and live in Manhattan use the numbers and letters. I live well above Midtown. If someone had to go to South Ferry, I'd never say, "Hop on the red line.: I'd tell them to take the No. 1 Local to the first express stop, and then to take the 2 or 3 Express to Chambers Street and then to switch back to the No. 1. If you took the No. 1 all the way down the trip would take an hour. If you took only the 2 or the 3 you'd have an unnecessary walk to South Ferry, assuming you knew which stop to get off at before you landed in Brooklyn.

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Throwawayhelp111521 t1_j7hvo5k wrote

Reply to comment by TREYMANIII in Late for the train. by brooklynlad

The colors are not without meaning: for example, silver gray represents a shuttle line. The NYC subway has more than one shuttle. I'm not sure they're being used right now, but the shape of a symbol also matters. The default shield shape is a circle but a diagonal indicates a different route. They all convey info but as you said, they're imprecise.

In Boston, colors are used. If you say the Red Line or the Orange Line, first, that's what they're officially called, but there's also no chance of confusion, they're one line with a couple of short spurs.

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Throwawayhelp111521 t1_j7huoy3 wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Late for the train. by brooklynlad

I grew up in an Outerborough, although my parents were raised in Manhattan and I visited often. We always used the numbers or sometimes the old name of the train company, like the IRT. In the musical Hair, one song goes:

LBJ took the IRT/And found the youth of America/ on LSD.

LBJ didn't take the Red Line because that doesn't exist in New York City.

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