Gather round Team CT Commute and those who care about their plight. We’ve got good news and bad news to discuss. First, the good. A few years back, your right to the one thing that makes the lives of people slogging back to CT each day after what was probably a miserable twelve hours on the job worth living was threatened. Obviously I’m talking about the right to get smashed on the ride home. They wanted to take that way from you, and they tried, hard. Unfortunately they didn’t anticipate just how important Happy Hour on Wheels is to your existence, or that the proposed ban would awaken a fire no one saw coming. You fought back and you won. And all was good in the world, for a while. Then, a few months ago, it happened again. Citing the “recession,” officials said that new trains might not include a place to booze it up, claiming more seats are a bigger priority than the bar car. It was like they were trying to suck out our wills to live. Things have been tense to say the least since then, operating in a state of uncertainty, not knowing if today would be the last day you’d get to mix it up with your fellow financial services hacks while chugging a Tall Boy. This morning though, news came over the wire that should offer some relief:
It looks like the party will keep on rolling on the Metro-North Railroad’s Connecticut trains, as officials are moving forward with plans to replace out-of-date bar cars with new ones.
Having said that, the bad news is that whoever is in charge of designing these things apparently has never ridden a bar car, or he/she would understand there are some serious design flaws to the plans. Currently, the set up of the old cars facilitates situations like this:
With the new cars, there’ll be none of that. And that’s a problem.
Bar-car regulars…are worried, though, about the proposed design. It includes three rows of seats, four banquette-style tables and three round tables in the middle of the car. That will leave far less standing space than on the current set of cars. “We want to stand around and talk, and not be sitting in tiny little groups of four,” said Terri Cronin, the vice chair of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, which has been surveying passengers about the new designs.
“It’s like a big group party,” Ms. Cronin said. “You end up talking to all these people you never would have talked to if you were sitting in all these little social pods everywhere.”
Ms. Cronin and other passengers say they don’t want to get stuck in small groups at tables. They’d rather mingle. Ms. Cronin said that’s how she’s met business contacts and made good friends in the bar car.
CT, this is serious. Don’t take Ms. Cronin’s “business contacts” away from her. Fight this one hard.
“so just pull my finger, no really, just give it a little tug”
and she said “No, but that’s a really nice ski mask”
bullmoose
Nice. “Business contacts”. Made my sad, long day.
A stripper pole should be installed…officially just so people can hold onto something if the trains slows suddenly.
“Bar Car” is also Ken Lewis’ vanity plate.
“I HAD SEX WITH VERNONICA CORNINGSTONE LAST NIGHT AND NOW WE ARE IN LOVE!”
“I HAD SEX WITH VERONICA CORNINGSTONE LAST NIGHT AND NOW WE ARE IN LOVE!”
@3, which picture?
- Bullmoose connoisseur hoping you pick the wrong one so you have to drink
If I had to live in CT I’d want to be drunk all the time too.
The LIRR needs a bar car – desperately…why isn’t someone on top of this?
I would settle for some fucking air conditioning and cars that don’t smell like a vagrant spent the night crying himself to sleep while soiling himself.
That being said, the bar car is a necessity on CT bound trains.
Umm the LIRR does have a bar car, or at least the 6:33pm Babylon train does.
@9 the pic with the corningstone and finger points, what is this amateur hour?
-3
metro north to westchester has single-malt scotch and cuban cigar bar cars. we are so much richer than all you
@15 – …and they used sheets of fresh $100s to cover the seats instead of that cheap pleather.
…and you can’t pay for tickets with shares of C.
As a veteran of the CT bar car, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Ms. Cronin. In addition to being a tireless advocate for Connecticut commuters and a staunch defender of the bar car, she never, ever, wears a bra.
All I want to do is down four fingers of scotch before I get home and have to listen to my wife bitch that I don’t work for a hedge fund
CT Salaryman
If I had to live in CT, I would want to drink too
Hi, this is Nikki leave a message.
Is that the “dr.” from that rehab show chugging the bud?
Where can I buy a stripe shirt like that? How much do you think he pays to get his shirts done?
Think you get a free bowl of soup with the shirt
Caption Contest “Sure, I may have a slight weight problem now, but I’ve started drinking Michelob Ultra and should be back to 220lb any day”
Vegas has the over/under at 3 on the TOTAL number of women these jerkwads have penetrated
@25 shouldn’t you be on the Staten Island ferry already?
I’m in for the under
Veronica Corningstone
@14,3
Touche. well played. probably a 70% chance your one of my friends. Tim Shaw is that you?
-9
what about in Soviet Russia?
“And then he stepped… on the ball! Ha ha!”
Bess,
I remember back in your intern days, JC made you take a field trip in the metro north to Greenwich.
we all remember your nailpolish and MOT who wouldn’t give you a seat.
How about another trip up?
@31 I come on the reg.
@29 moose bull you?
Story in the picture:
Striped shirt guy gooses blue shirt guy.
Blue shirt is receptive and tries to get girl for devil’s threeway.
Girl is hesitant but intrigued.
That’s how they roll in the CT.
@32 Bess, you are setting yourself up with that reply…..
Bess,
Would you say your bird in hand is worth two in the bush?
@9, 28
maybe we know each other, i’ll be at the drift on saturday, when you get there, punch every bouncer in the face so i know that it’s you.
Got to love the subtle ambience and decor on the MNRR bar cars– I mean nothing makes a chick look hot like glaring flourescent lights, bright orange walls and wierd line drawings of thousand-year-old railway equipment.
@37,
Yea, your staying at my house. Im hoping to make the 5:09 but probably will be on the 5:51. Come to my building and sit by the fountain until I’m done at work. Then we can take the subway to penn together. However I will be wearing my headphones listening to “Club Can’t Handle Me Right Now” to get ready for Casey’s tonight, so we will not be speaking. You have to buy me two tall boys (like the one Christopher Shays is face chugging in the top picture) for the train ride as payment for the weekend. Also if I see you making out with anyone tonight I will dump beers on your head
btw 39 was from me, 9 and 28
@ 9, 28, 39 & 40. you’re definitely a jets fan. why dont you and 3, 14 sack up and settle this with an ol’ fashion game of tummy sticks.
@9, 28, 39, 40
i’ll be running gassers outside your apartment in my work clothes until you get there. i will also be listening to “pursuit of happiness” steve aoki remix to prepare for caseys tonight. you owe me a carton of cigs and a 6 pack of red dog tall boys for coming.
-3, 14, 37
I can’t believe all the fun I’ve been missing driving to work. The commute has been boring ever since they criminalized DWI
@42, 3,14,37
Do not go to my apartment. I’m not going home I’m going straight to penn. Meet me at Penn or my office.
@41, consider it done.
-9,28,39,40
@38 you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen the ones where they stapled cheap tiki wallpaper over everything. Classy like you wouldn’t believe
The fat chap in the middle looks like a bestbuy salesman and the gentleman on the right clearly shops for clothes at target or walmart (or perhaps at bestbuy, hence the friendship). I’ve just used this picture to fine tune the contrast on my tv.
Is that Barbara Streisand on the left or just Iggy Pop under an astute disguise?
In Soviet Russia, bar car rides in you
bullmoose
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