daredevilkink | Discussion/Off-Topic Post #1

Sorry, but as a relatively recent transplant, I'm not so useful on this one. TBH, DD has invented seemingly all the institutions that Matt interacts with, so you'd be more than justified in making stuff up. Plus, IRL Hell's Kitchen is pretty much nothing like the neighborhood portrayed in the series, so the resources available to actual schools are (hopefully????) better than what might be there in the shitstorm of DD's HK.

And I'm terribly ignorant about the laws and practices around students with disabilities. Maybe someone else can step up to the plate here.

fair enough! I thought it was a long shot but that didn't stop me asking tho. You have a good one!

There are a lot of disability services in New York city, though that doesn't mean that it isn't supremely expensive and inconvenient to have a disability. The subway system is not very accessible, particularly to people in wheelchairs, as not every station is required to have ramps/elevators. They have to rely on the bus system, which is slower. Also we all feel bad about it, but we HATE when people with wheelchairs need to get on the bus, because the bus has to come to a full stop, the driver has to get out, put out the ramp, wheel the person in, buckle them in, pull up the ramp, and then restart the bus. Easily takes 5 minutes. My friends in wheelchairs hate it too, because they're self-conscious about how long it takes and how everyone is seething at them.

I used to work on 23rd and 7th, which is Chelsea, and there was housing for the blind between my subway stop and my office, so I would have to look out for literally "not putting a stumbling block before the blind" i.e. bumping into them. The first 20 times you can't help but feel self-conscious about it.

- devilofmidtownwest

this is actually really useful thanks!

Is public transport in NYC mainly centred around the subway system? That's what I've heard.. but its a weird thought that the buses run so infrequently because in my city they're the integral part of the public transport.
In regards to cabs are they generally quite expensive & how easy to get a cab is it? are they generally considered safe to use? Also do you guys have issues with card swipe machines in cabs? (a lot of my relatives have been scammed recently cause of those machines)
(is uber a popular service to use?)

Again I really appreciate some of the insight on these things because it.. like there's a difference between reading online about public transport in NYC and the actual reality of experiencing it.

also; how big is hells kitchen? like... how long would it take you to commute from one end to the other. Can you easily walk from opposite ends of Hell's Kitchen or would u need to get transport for that?

It's very small. Easy to walk. Ridiculous not to walk, actually, because it has no subway lines running through it. It's also crazy safe. There is no reason not to walk there, except I guess if you're a woman and it's night. I've done it, but I am stupid sometimes.

devilofmidtownwest

Hell's Kitchen is less than one square mile.

The bus system is SLOW and people are pretty reliant on the subway system. Technically there's nothing wrong with the buses - they're actually very clean and reliable and way better smelling than the subway - but they just drive crazy slow and take forever at stops. When I was in Israel, the buses wouldn't even come to a full stop if the driver didn't feel like it and you had to jump on, but the buses also GOT SOMEWHERE in a reasonable amount of time.

Cabs are pretty expensive but safe and relatively clean. There's a cab driver's union and they have to go through fairly strict security checks and there's bulletproof glass between you and the driver (for your safety and theirs) and now there's an automated TV screen that plays irritating clips from news shows and talk shows and you have to disable the volume every time you get in. The cabbies can also refuse to take you somewhere if you aren't in the car with the door closed already, so very often they will drive by and roll up their windows and ask your destination, then just say "No way" and drive away if they don't want to take you. That's why a lot of us just get in the back of the cab (which is our right) and shut the door before saying the address. I've had a few cab drivers refuse me even then, but it's too much hassle to file a complaint.

We have Uber now, and people like it because they can call up for an Uber car while you have to go outside and wave for a cab (and if you're a person of color, they might not stop for you), but Uber doesn't come with the same safety guarantees as a yellow cab.

Some areas make cabs really necessary, like if you're trying to cross through Central Park (which is out of Hell's Kitchen's zone), because there's no subway lines through the park and the buses suck. Or actually if the weather is nice you can just run across the park in about the same time that a cab will take you during regular traffic hours.

Transit is heavily subway-based in Manhattan, though coverage isn't as good in the outer boroughs.

It's not so much that buses are infrequent as that they are sloooooow compared to the train. They stop every few blocks to let people on and off, and therefore take forever to get where you want to go. Trains are comparably speedy, especially if you can catch the express. I'm able-bodied and can manage all the stairs etc. of the subway system, but the only time I ever take the bus is if the train is down, if I'm going to the airport, or if I'm making a rare east-west (as opposed to north-south) trip.

I almost never take a cab because it's so pricey, but they're strictly regulated and quite safe. You have the iconic yellow medallion cabs in Manhattan, and more recently, the green boro taxis serving upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs. I think that Uber's on the rise, but I have no experience there.

As for your question about the size of HK, it might take ~30 mins max to walk from the north end at 59th to the south end at 34th, less if you're fast. Unless I had to travel the full length and was in a hurry, I'd walk it. All east/west travel would be by foot.

A single bus or train swipe is now $2.75, though people who frequently use the train get weekly/monthly passes.

I tell you what though, I would NOT want to be blind or visually impaired trying to use the subway in New York. Subways in general are crowded, but the one in New York has open-air tracks and you could potentially just be jostled right off the platform. Also, the directional signage is confusing. And it just smells, really really bad. Also, it's crowded and you're in close quarters with a lot of strange people; the last time I was in New York I walked by a woman who was literally beating up a payphone and screaming at it because it "stole" her quarter.

They're also really bad about announcing stops on the subway and they will try to slam those doors closed on you. I sprained my thumb on one once. I get lost sometimes, and I LIVE here, and have for ten years. But money is money, so we all take the subway. I've seen people with disabilities on the subway, including walkers and canes and guide dogs. If you need to get somewhere, you manage.

Discussion/Off-Topic Post #1

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