Appreciating the MTA

Spending the summer in New York City has exposed me to the interesting life of commuting on the Subway. During rush hour, I pack myself into a Subway car, along with fellow grumpy New Yorkers, and prepare for a sweaty ride to Grand Central Station.

Since I use the Subway various times per day, I have had a fair share of encounters with odd situations: street performers using safety poles to dance, on-the-spot raps about the people on the train, people taking their pants off, and more. While some of these can be very entertaining and make commuting less painful, many occurrences on the Subway are annoying.

That’s why I have a new appreciation for the MTA. With their new advertising campaign entitled "Courtesy Counts, Manners Make a Better Ride," the MTA reminds users of public transportation what they should and should not be doing. I giggle to myself every time I see these sassy ads because they are even more entertaining than the performers I encounter on the train. According to the MTA website, the ads state the following Don'ts:

No No’s include:

• “Poles Are For Your Safety, Not Your Latest Routine”

Poles are for your saftey