Culture

Goodbye NYC payphones

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It had to eventually happen. The last time I used a payphone was five years ago in the airport in Rome. And, I barely figured it out. I am not unique in my non-use of public payphones. I always do a double-take when I see one. I do a triple-take when I see someone using a payphone. I asked my 11 year old son whether he knew what a payphone was. He thought about it for a few seconds and noted it was one of those outside phones people use with quarters. I was surprised he knew. But then again, the word says it all.

Apparently there are about 3,000 payphones in New York City. I just cannot believe that. Where are all these phones? Regardless of where they may be, they are finally being taken away in the next few months. I have this image on my head that the phones will be sent to some large warehouse in the middle of nowhere and one day during the apocalypse they will somehow be useful again. You never know.

They are being taken away because enough people complained about the number of unused phones taking up sidewalk space. True enough thst New York City sidewalks are crowded and we need every inch by which to speedwalk. Although, in some instances the payphones will be replaced with internet kiosks. Thus, space is not really being created. It is just that the payphone is going the way of the dodo. Question is what will be next?

Categories: Culture, current events, new york, society

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15 replies »

      • Coming off “The Bench”
        As A Shut-in for 66 Months
        From Wake to Sleep then
        With the Assessed Worst Pain Known to Humankind; the Last 33 Months of that spent as an “Avatar online”
        Likely literally saved my
        Life with Type Two Trigeminal Neuralgia
        Commonly Called
        ‘The Suicide Disease’
        That no Drug would
        Touch for relief other
        Than Sleep; the First 33 Months i virtually could
        Not do anything; i Venture
        To Guess that if more
        Folks experienced that
        They would Spend the
        Rest of their Life Dancing
        And Singing Free In Glee too; i also wonder
        Now why
        i never did
        Before AS Hell
        Is a ‘Stiff’ Price
        To Pay For Heaven;
        Hope no one else now
        Will have to do it that
        Way; Just Dance
        And Sing
        And Never
        Worry About
        Who is Watching or
        Listening as the
        Dancer
        And
        Singer
        Is the Bless
        The Real Bliss Now..:)

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  3. My cellphone battery is having problems lately – or there are just too many background software jobs running and I have no idea how to shut some of them down – but I worry. Worry that I will have no alternative but to ask a stranger to make a call for me.
    Worry that when I most need it – to rescue myself by calling Lyft as I tried to do recently – there won’t be enough battery power to do so.
    And a couple of times I’ve forgotten to turn the power strip back on in the morning, for my computer (I turn it off at night because the green lights are so bright they keep me awake).
    But then I seem to be permanently set in ‘worry mode’ lately.
    I find it hilarious that people in NYC would complain about payphones taking up space. And find it equally hilarious that they will be replaced, not removed – so the complaints will actually NOT have removed things, but led to even MORE permanent obstacles.
    Almost as if by design.

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