Back after a long while (and looking at photos of the subway)

 I'm not very keen on the Metropolitan Transit Authority of late, but one of my points of local pride is the New York City subway system.  It's eco-friendly, (relatively) economical (though the MTA is working to make that less the case), and a perfect illustration of the "melting pot" concept.

Really, I think that one of the things people from outside NYC or any other urban area need to understand about us is that the average outer-borough New Yorker spends at least an hour a day sitting next to strangers as part of a daily commute (on a sidenote, it's really weird for me to realize that, due to FINALLY GETTING A TEACHING JOB AND IT'S EVEN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD as detailed below, an unlimited Metrocard would be a waste of money for me for the first time since they were introduced).


Allora (that's "anyhoo" in italiano), here's a link to a gallery of New York Times photos from the NYC subway system over the past hundred years.  Around the late 50s, you start getting archtypal "Grey Lady" images; they're a nice reminder of the old aesthetic for photos at the Times.  I must admit, it took me a while to warm up to their color photography, but by now I can't imagine the paper of the last decade without its incredible color photojournalism.

In other news:

• RIP Ari Up of the Slits (1962-2010) and General Johnson of the Chairmen of the Board (1943-2010).  I'm sure that everyone who comes to this blog shares my love of scratchy post-punk and Carolina beach music, as well as art-education and site-specific artwork.
  
• Yes, this time I actually assumed that there ARE people who come here.  Apparently, this blog now has two followers!  And I don't even know you folks!  
• I promise to get back into art-ed ramblings soon -- I just got hired as an art teacher at a middle school in the outer boroughs (!!!!), and need to find my footing with that age.  If my principal is okay with it, I'll certainly post some images from projects as they develop, though I probably won't post the school's name or the kids' faces.  Further reports as events warrant.