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marcsmart t1_jc4aedb wrote

Trains just aren’t what they used to be. I could sleep from brooklyn to bronx on D train and set an alarm on my phone but now i gotta keep both eyes open

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B1LLSMAFIA t1_jc4dizq wrote

Bittersweet to see that I’m not just going crazy feeling this way too

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Man--__--Down17 t1_jc4nskf wrote

I used to skip school by riding the NYC subway lines with 0 problems

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Dont_mute_me_bro t1_jc6dlfb wrote

I rode the train to Manhattan in the 80s. Unless it was rush hour, we never rode alone. There were designated cars where all the kids staying after school for sports, clubs, etc would know to ride for safety in numbers. I made friends with guys I didn't like because they lived near me and we'd see each other a few times a week for years.

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runeiitalk t1_jc6pr36 wrote

Yep, when I was going to college pre Covid (well about 10 yes ago) I used to ride it alone after midnight and never thought twice about it. definitely not now.

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Dont_mute_me_bro t1_jc6deml wrote

You didn't ride them in the 80s....they'd steal your sneakers, slice your pockets and empty...wild.

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lupuscapabilis t1_jc7iqy2 wrote

Seriously. I started taking the subway from Queens to Manhattan for high school in '89 and those were some crazy days. Friends got stabbed one day, i got robbed what seems like every other day. People still laugh at my skittles story - 14 year old me just wanted to eat some skittles on my ride home and some kids even tried taking THOSE from me.

Pretty sure my crime was eating candy while white.

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marcsmart t1_jc7cusl wrote

Ok well I rode since 2000 which is still 20 years ago now. So get over your 80s they sucked and it sucks now who gives a shit gramps. The point is your 80s are back.

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ER301 t1_jc7tcc1 wrote

We’re nowhere near 80s levels of crime…

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ThreeLittlePuigs t1_jc7o45v wrote

Used to get on the 2 train at New Lots and sleep til at least 42nd street….. I was not a smart man.

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ER301 t1_jc7tn4e wrote

I’m pretty sure back when you were sleeping on trains, stuff like this was still happening. You just may not have known about it, because we just weren’t as hyper aware of everything back then.

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BenHogan1971 t1_jc91fb8 wrote

this is an underappreciated part of commenting on crime in the current age. if you look at the crime numbers in the 80's and 90's it's like comparing apples and....cumquats. the difference is that in 2023, we have Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc, ad infinitum. anyway, this story is sad, and I feel for the kid

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Rottimer t1_jc5e2hs wrote

When we’re you able to do that?

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mangolipgloss t1_jc6fj52 wrote

For at least a decade in the 2010s before covid. Fall asleep, headphones in. Any train, anywhere, any time of day. I used to work nights in the village and would doze off at midnight on empty trains going to Brooklyn. With a designer purse full of cash, no less. Used to go home after raves at 4am wearing fishnet bodysuits and booty shorts. Rode trains during rush hour all of high school and college. No issues. Crime and theft definitely happened, but you could generally expect to ride the train in peace without having to worry about falling asleep, having visible electronics or decent clothes.

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Rottimer t1_jc6ip4w wrote

Yeah, I’ve lived here just about all my life, with exceptions for college and the military. The only time I’ve felt comfortable falling asleep on a train is during rush hour when the train was packed. I promise you that a young woman taking the train at night in the 2010’s wasn’t going to be falling asleep. Shit happens. And I think people are more concerned with the perception of safety on the subway than actual safety.

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thismustbethe t1_jc75yr0 wrote

I'm sorry but you just got insanely lucky. I've personally witnessed sleeping people getting pickpocketed on the train during the time period you mentioned, multiple times.

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