Walking down the stairs of the New York City subway stations used to be like walking into a black hole.
Emails would file away into draft boxes without sending and you’d sometimes even get that unresolvable, sneaking suspicion that you might have just gotten on the wrong train.
Losing service in on the subway platform haunts thousands of innocent New Yorkers on any given day. Well, no more!
Transit Wireless has finally brought their talents to the New York City's subway system.
That's right, Wi-Fi is officially in the building-- well, specifically in about 100 underground subway stations (and counting) in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.
1. Get the word out about subway talent-- immediately
Sure, sometimes they’re invasive.
You always brace yourself for the worst because let’s face it: flipping near poles, near people with coffee, and bags, and phones, and hands on a car in motion just sounds like a terrifyingly mixed bag of endless possible calamities.
[metrocard]
And you can always record video of legitimately good subway performers as long as you have the functionality of a camera, but how much time before you can actually upload it to Instagram?
You have to wait until you get off the subway, walk back up the stairs out of the station, and then remember that you were even going to do that in the first place-- not to mention the dangers of focusing all of your attention on your phone while you’re walking through NYC. See? You almost died.
Oh, and forget about Snapchat without Wi-Fi, too.
2. Never lose your page again
You’re reading something compelling on your phone. It’s rich, it’s evocative; you connect with it on a highly personal level. Hell, maybe it’s your daily dose of spoiled nyc.
Or maybe you’re catching up on West Coast NBA playoff games from the night before because it feels like Lebron James is still at the free throw line by the time you wake up, and who has time for that noise?
All of a sudden, you’re in the black hole of the underground subway station, and your page is gone. You’ve lost your place mid-sentence, and it’s over and done with until you can get out of the depths of this murky, garbage storm of the rails, and back into the bright lights of the city.
With Transit Wireless, you won’t lose your page. Just select the “Transit Wireless Wi-Fi” SSID on your smartphone or tablet device, and you’re good to go for an hour until you have to log back in again.
See that? No more black holes.
3. Find yourself. Literally
Ever go uptown when you need to be downtown? Check.
How about getting on a local train when an express was right behind it? Check plus! You’re winning!
The solution used to be getting off the train and heading back up to the surface to find the correct route, which meant that you’d have to come back down, re-swipe (or wait 15 minutes if you’re rocking the unlimited), and wait for the train.
Thanks to free Wi-Fi, the solution is simple: just get off at the next station that has connectivity and find your way from there. Having Wi-Fi might have just spared your time, money, and patience, but then again, maybe you should have a better plan moving forward.
Wi-Fi can’t always save you from yourself, but it can help you when you make that misstep.
4. "No, I am not dead!"
“Are you alive?” Mom/significant other/friends waiting for you/boss all want to know. Seemingly at the same exact time.
You read the text message, and you need to reply. But there’s no service. You’re beginning to think they’re beginning to think the worst. The solution should be so simple.
“No mom, I’m not dead.”
“Yes, I actually am late because of subway traffic.”
“No! For the love of God, I’m not dead!”
See how simple that should be? Now you can actually send people these messages. Why? Free subway Wi-Fi.
,5. Complete control of your streaming music
Sometimes you think you have the perfect playlist to get you through your day.
But then sometimes you have more than one thought, and that perfect playlist is suddenly driving you insane. Thanks, Sam Smith.
[metrocard]
Look, you just remedied that by downloading new songs from Spotify while you waited for the subway.
Thanks, free subway Wi-Fi. You’re the best.
6. Where's your food?
A day can get the better of you, but at the end of it, there’s still food to look forward to.
How, when, and where is completely up to how you harness the greatest powers of the internet.
Need a reservation? Hello, Opentable while you wait for the subway.
Need food delivered to your final destination? Pow! Done and done.
7. Peace of mind
It’s late on a Friday night. You’re one of maybe a handful of people sitting in the subway car waiting for it to get out of the station. A couple of people are sleeping.
There’s the dude muttering to himself.
Then there’s another dude cackling to himself.
There’s even another dude singing to himself. They’re shooting glances towards you, but you’re just trying to keep to yourself. You don’t want to engage with these people on any level.
We all have these thoughts at some point. Some people are creepy, and some of them thrive on making us feel uncomfortable. Sometimes the subway is a strange, sketchy place.
Don’t you feel better knowing that even if the worst happens, you’ll have some way to reach out at the next station; that even if you’re uncomfortable on the ride, you can reach out and have someone meet you wherever you’re actually going?
Free Wi-Fi makes that (and a whole lot more) possible.
Check out 15 Glorious Things NYC Doesn't Have But Desperately Needs.