Josh's Super-Duper Subway Adventures

I chose the Delancey St. station as my focus. The FJMZ all travel through this station, allowing one to travel uptown, downtown, and to Brooklyn and Queens. Located in the lower east side, I find that it contains some beautiful artwork. This particular station contains a lot of scenes depicting nature (including something of an obsession with rainbow trout)! The surrounding neighborhood is a bit shabby, but lively. All in all, it is a pleasant station to pass through, and I look forward to visiting it often for this class.
I am currently living in Loeb, which is on E. 12th street, between 3rd and 4th avenues. To get to Delancey, I take the L train from Union Square to 6th ave., and transfer to the F, heading downtown. The whole ride is only about 15 minutes, maybe a bit more. The first thing I notice when getting off the train today was the large quantity of mosaic fish.

I find this a bit strange, yet intriguing. I like it. There is also a large mosaic of a forest, and then a smaller mosaic (about 9 sq. tiles) of two cherries. They really add a lot of character. I have not found out yet who the artist is, but I am sure i can in the future. When I do, I will post it. There is a lot of space devoted to these mosaics. While most stations are generally dreary and boring, the Delancey Street station is colorful and somewhat uplifting. It is a welcome change of scenery after emerging from the crowded train.

The surrounding neighborhood is somewhat rundown. Being just below the village, you still have that same undefineable feeling while walking around. The streets are busy, with many vendors and small shops selling just about anything. There are also a large number of small cafes. The Rivington Hotel is just around the corner, drawing a lot of tourists to the area. It seems that the neighborhood is being built up.

All in all, I am really glad I am choosing the Delancey St. station as my current focus. I look forward to exploring it more and finding more out about the neighborhood and its culture. I will post more as I learn. This particular station is really a beautiful site, and I hope you all get a chance to visit it soon.