BusTalk

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Today Eyewitness New (ABC-7) at 1010 WINS both reported on how bus riders could "get a break" in about 7 years-when a new "Port-of-Authority" is to open; this new facility will actually consist of different interconnected structures-and-of course-a HEFTY price tag will be attached----the news reports refer to the PABT as "antiquated"----yeah----the SHELL of the once-glittering structure dates back to 1950-----BUT----look at the current (yyeecchh!) facade on 8th-and then to walk through its "upgraded" concourses-----you'd feel as though you were in just another shopping center or airport--------the original sleek and stylish interior and snazzy storefronts are sadly long long gone---------

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

On Eyewitness News at 4-reporter NJ Burkett did an interesting report of the new PABT to built on the "footprint of the old" within the next 7 years; again-looking at the building-or walking inside-nothing "antiquated" can be seen-no recollections of the original (and stylish) 1950 facility----just like walking through a big "blah" shopping center Plans call for two phases: in the first phase-a new facility will be built to handle buses while the old building is torn down; Phase Two will feature the construction of the new building(s)------"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

A few QUITE NOSTALGIC "Port-of-Authority" photos on Eyewitness News at 6 (NJ Burkett report); two photos dating to 1950 were particularly neat----one showed PA officials cutting a ribbon on one of the approaches-with an ACF-BRILL C-44 suburban waiting in the background; the other photo had a TRAILWAYS IC-41 (signed "RALEIGH") departing the new facility in 1950 (this sleek bus-also-was the first to depart thew new station); another photo (circa-1960) showed the bustling concourse in its heyday-----the station is now decrepit and falling apart-----thanks-in-part to the low-grade quality of the rebuilding of the 1980's-----cracks in the floors-----absentee tiles in the ceilings (and-of course-quite a few "seedy" characters about)-----again-NOTHING of the original 1950 building----once hailed as the best bus station in the world----------eons ago----------- "NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

WB: Too bad you are too young to recall what the "Port-of-Authority" was like-back when Your's Truly was growing up in the 60's (we were about a quarter-hour away-courtesy of the NHBL #5-out of Union City (Old Looks- WHITES-"Pattons"-prior to Fishbowls!) During the holidays-it was truly a wonderful place to be-----large glittering decorations dangling-high school glee clubs/choral groups singing carols-----and HOARDS of folks surrounding the GREYHOUND and TRAILWAYS ticket counters-----Your's Truly is now three years shy of 70(!!) but-I'll tell you this-I would trade the recollections of what i experience back then for all the $$$$ in the world----------alas-----it t'was all too good to last--------"NYO":

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

According to news sources----price tag for the new PABT will be 10 billion Local politicians and PA "Grand High Poo-bahs" are all stressing that the present facility has "long since run its course" and "is woefully antiquated" Just WHAT is "antiquated "about the shell of a beautiful bus station that now could easily pass as a 21st century shopping center? New indoor bus storage facilities will also be built-and outdoor bus storage will then fade into history-----"NY":

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

--------and NOTHING on how the Lincoln Tunnel will handle buses-after the new facility opens; literally-you would need to build ANOTHER set on trans-Hudson tunnels near the present Lincoln Tunnels' tubes JUST to handle the bus traffic-----the gridlock at the Lincoln Tunnel nowadays (especially at rush hours) is beyond strangulation------"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The following is courtesy of "THE PORT OF NEW YORK AUTHORITY 1969 ANNUAL REPORT": "------the Port Authority Bus Station at 41st Street handles in excess of twenty-two thousand passengers each weekday; there were 1 235 000 bus departures during 1969----------this traffic consisted of 850 000 short haul and 384 000 long haul departures; these figures were slightly below 1968-due to strikes by New Jersey suburban bus operators------increased calls for station facilities expansion are growing-especially for peak-period runs to longer distance locations; gains in long-haul traffic also has contributed to the increase for expanded runs-this-in turn-also fuels further expansion of the Bus Station and its facilities-----as a result-the Port Authority is now planning and designing an extension to the present bus station-bus capacity will be increased with this new extension by 50%------" (Recall also-that-back in 1970 NJT was still quite a few years into the future-and the colorful buses of a plethora of (now defunct) New Jersey suburban operators were then still in existence)-------"NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

P.S. The Pantone colors for "En-Jay-Tee" may be PMS 158, PMS 240 and PMS 293.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

WB: When Your's Truly's dad passed in July of 1980-the reconstruction of the "Port-of-Authority" was already beginning; with the PATH tubes then out (due to a lengthy strike) Your's Truly was riding on the ex-ORANGE & BLACK's Fishbowls (and a 4104 or two!) each workday-and then heading downtown on the "Eye-En-Dee's" rush-hour only "CC's" battle-scarred R-10 "Thunderbirds" -and then-after work-heading back uptown on the "Eye-Are-Tee's" Broadway line-which then featured the ancient (and wonderfully noisy!) R-14s/R-15s----I well recall in the afternoons-going back to "Joisey"- negotiating twisting corridors of plywood sheets to reach the bus-ears assaulted by the sounds of construction (destruction)------it was NOT a pleasant experience at all--------- "NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

A few news reporters had been stating that the "Port-of-Authority" today handles bus traffic unheard of when it opened in 1950------wonder how they ended up with this "statistic"--------think of all of the long-long gone "Joisey" suburban carriers and the plethora of New York-bound routes each then operated----then-think of all the routes which were abandoned through the decades since------I wonder if these "stats" are now including "deadhead" runs into the facility? "NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Personal recollections of the "Port-of-Authority"-back in the 1960s: the huge "BENRUS" clock in the ground floor concourse-the huge "SCENICRUISER" replica adjacent to the GREYHOUND ticket counters-used as a TT dispenser-the HUGE glass enclosure (seen as your inbound bus just pulled into the building) full of cascading water (this had to be a part of the a/c units)-the entrances to the subway flanking the ground-floor concourse-the ridged black-and-white escalator handrails-----the starter's booths where the starters would dispatch loaded buses on their way------the stylish "POST & COACH" restaurant (in its original configuration)------the rows of suburban "Joisey" buses resting between rush hours beneath the approaches--------aaaahhhh-indeed they were the good ol' days for sure! "NYO"