Brooklyn Rat Olympics: Which Subway Station is Best?
Ah, rats. We're bored with restaurant rats, even though the Sixth Avenue KFC and its globally famous rats created great memories and the fallout hitting other restaurants has been interesting. Our own favorite rat sighting spots are subway stations. There are some Brooklyn stations in which you are guaranteed to see a rat if you stare at the tracks long enough. Try it, for instance, at Jay Street-Borough Hall. (Our best staring time comes on the Coney Island-bound F train platform.) Two-three minutes of looking is almost certain to produce a running rat or rats. Sometimes 15-30 seconds is long enough. At times, we've observed what we are certain was adult rats playing with little rats. On the other hand, our closest ever encounter with a subway rat came at the elevated Smith-9th Street station--the highest station in the subway system--during the summer when one practically ran over our feet, which was especially creepy because we were wearing sandals. Do you have any stations that are especially good for rat watching?
posted by rsguskind at 7:55 AM
6 Comments:
actually, the two worst i've seen have been in the city. east broadway on the F, where they never take out the garbage and you can see the bags moving because there are so many running around in them.
or worse, 181st street on the A. the rats are as big as cats. they come into the platform and walk right up to you. i was there one night when people were throwing pennies at them to keep them from walking any closer (and no, it didn't work. that's how tame they've become.)
In Manhattan, I saw a handful of rats playing a game of chase on the downtown C platform at 50th St, and I once saw a rat up by the turnstiles (!!!) on the 14th St F station. In Brooklyn, I can usually count on a sighting on the tracks at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Queens-bound G platform, which keeps us all occupied while we wait for the G.
Jay St. - hands down winner, although Broadway/Layfayette comes in as a close second. Both are spots I wait (usually in vain) for the F.
If you're at Fulton on the Queens-bound G platform, just look across the tracks at the other platform. There is a set of stairs with bars around them and on that platform rats run up and down the stairs with food in their mouths. I once saw a small rat dragging a large piece of pizza in his mouth. Another time I saw a parent rat with its rat children. You're guaranteed a rat sighting at that stop.
The metropolitan G station has provided some good rat action over the past couple of years. Usually they're just running around on the tracks, but every now and again they create some fun up on the platform, leading to some very silly reactions. Once one managed to get itself stuck in the trash can and was in the process of freaking out.
I'm a researcher/writer working on the 2nd season of the History Channel's, Monster Quest. I'm interested in hooking up with people who have seen bigger than usual rats. If you'd like to share your story please contact me directly at meredith@cmjprod.ca
Thank,
Meredith
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