What’s to Become of the L?

Last week, the MTA held its first community meeting to discuss two proposed plans for the Canarsie Tunnel renovation, the final step in the MTA’s Sandy Recovery Work plan and a major concern for those countless New Yorkers who use the L train on a daily basis.  The first plan, which all officials seemed to favor, proposes an 18-month turnaround with work starting in January 2019 and ending in July 2020 and requiring a complete shutdown of the L train from 8th Ave to Bedford Ave.  The train would run as normal from Bedford Ave to Rockaway Parkway.  This would give the agency more flexibility with contractors, who would get the work done quicker.

The second plan, which would take three years, would leave one tunnel open to allow the train to run at 12-to-15 minute intervals from 8th Ave to Bedford Ave, about 20% of the current level of service.  There wouldn’t be any train service between Bedford and Lorimer, although service would run as normal between Lorimer and Rockaway.  The main concern here is safety; pressure prevents two L trains from being in a tunnel at the same time.  Many of the tunnel parts have also been badly damaged; Sandy flooded the Canarsie Tunnel with some 7 million gallons of water, a major challenge to safety.  Plans have been in works for years; the MTA has recognized that these would be the two best options since 2014, yet they’ve recognized that there’s still so much work to be done, one of the main reasons they’ve withheld these plans from the public for so long.  

At the meeting, the MTA presented a short video giving an overview of the damage done to the tunnel, work that’s already been completed and proposed plans.  Many were satisfied with the video, yet there are still concerns that weren’t addressed, such as the state of the J train, the capacity of the E/M platform at Court Square and the plan for the notoriously unreliable G train.  Others were more concerned about the 18-month plan than the three-year plan, which wouldn’t allow the chance to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn on the L.  This could seriously damage a large number of businesses, although some recognize it as a chance to undo (or at least slow down) some of the rapid gentrification that’s occurred in Williamsburg and Bushwick.  But while you can talk about Williamsburg losing its “edge” all you want, but for those Brooklynites who commute to Manhattan, they’d much rather lose the “edge” than a more efficient commute.

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The New Age of Theaters

In the age of Netflix, more and more people have been watching movies from their computer.  Yet there’s a magic to going to the movies that neither Netflix, Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus can replicate: sitting in a theater, getting your popcorn, watching the movie from the big screen.  In the movie theater, action movies become more thrilling, comedies are suddenly funnier, dramas are more heart-wrenching.  While New York is lucky to have those smaller theaters that stand the test of time, such as the IFC, Film Forum and the Angelika and Anthology Film Archives, the number of movie theaters has been declining significantly due to the rise of television, multiplexes and streaming services.

However, there’s another wave of indie theaters that’s getting us out of our couches on lazy Friday nights.  Inspired curation, the social component of midnight showings of cult classics and the chance to see works of art in their intended form have all led to a golden era of theaters, aimed at making the experience of watching movies completely immersive.  In New York City, theaters like Metrograph, Syndicated, Nitehawk and the soon-to-be-opening Alamo Drafthouse branch in downtown Brooklyn have all been spearheading this movement.  Matthew Viragh, owner of the Nitehawk in Williamsburg, believed so strongly in this movement that he lobbied the New York State legislature to pass a bill allowing alcohol in movie theaters, one of the major draws of his theater.

The fun novelty of ordering a drink and a burger while watching a cult film from the 80s has evolved into a wide variety of cinema experiences.  While the experience of eating overpriced popcorn and watching the newest Iron Man flick is the same at every multiplex from New York to Nebraska, at the smaller theaters each experience is unique.  The Sunshine in the Lower East Side offers midnight showings of cult classics, most notably “The Room”.  Syndicated in Bushwick only has 50 seats, but if you’re quick enough to snag a $3 ticket you get access to its cushy chairs and an extensive bar and menu.  Metrograph in the Lower East Side pays homage to the classic arthouse cinemas of old New York with an eclectic mix that will keep you off your ex-boyfriend’s Netflix account for weeks.  

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