From: tls@panix.com   
      
   In article , Ed Ravin  wrote:   
   >From somewhere in cyberspace, jmelsna@verizon.net said:   
   >>One of those odd things that comes up in conversation. I know that more   
   >>and more subway stations have elevators to enable access for those with   
   >>mobility issues. How many stations, though, have elevators because of   
   >>the sheer *distance* from the station to the street?   
   >   
   >A few Washington Heights subway station have elevators for exactly   
   >those reasons - 168th St, & 181st St on the 1 line in particular,   
   >which are only accessible via elevator under normal circumstances   
   >(there should still be an emergency staircase somewhere).   
   >   
   >The 1 and A stations at 191st St and 190th St respectively also   
   >have elevators for that reason, although with those stations it   
   >is only for the "upper" entrance to the station (at the top of a   
   >steep hill). At both stations there is also a non-elevator entrance   
   >that can be reached at the bottom of the hill on a neighboring street   
   >through a ground-level passage.   
      
   181st and 190th.  190th is a little different, though.  The passage   
   to the "neighboring street" goes more than a full city block   
   sideways -- it's not really a matter of the station being built into   
   the slope of a hill like 181st is.  There is a similar (3rd)   
   entrance to 181st but it is much, much shorter than the 190th passage.   
      
   A cool breeze blows out of the passage at 190th and Broadway  all   
   the time and it has a smooth floor and a gentle slope -- they have a   
   heck of a time keeping kids on bikes and skateboards out of there during   
   the hot months. :-)  Our other similar neighborhood sport is to take   
   the elevator at the 181st "A" stop up with one's bike, ride it down   
   Overlook Terrace to one of the downhill entrances, ride the elevator   
   up, repeat until the sun falls in the sky.  The kids keep that a little   
   more low-key and nobody really seems to mind.   
      
   The 190th street side passage was originally used for the removal of   
   excavated material during construction and was the site of a very   
   bad construction accident when it collapsed on a work crew.  There   
   is a point in that tunnel where it goes from raw rock to very obviously   
   concrete lined, and I *think* that's where the accident was.  There is   
   a plaque somewhere around the station.   
      
   --   
     Thor Lancelot Simon	                                     tls@panix.com   
      
       "The dirtiest word in art is the C-word.  I can't even say 'craft'   
        without feeling dirty."	-Chuck Close   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)