Lawyer, historian, mapmaker. Transport + housing nerd. Californian living in New York. Wrote and illustrated "The Lost Subways of North America". Order the book at: http://lostsubways.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mmbxmhuu5c2jgood for the mayor. this is the low-hanging fruit. the B/Q/F trains have plenty of capacity to run more trains in outer Brooklyn, and it's much easier and faster to replace two-story townhouses with 6-story apartment buildings than it is to build new towers in the City. [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 May 2026 13:01 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbxmhuu5c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mmbx4zd2ec2jlife hack: i'm looking for a new job, and linkedin's search function is completely enshittified. you can't just search for a particular type of job and get good results. but using a 90s old-school search still works!20 May 2026 12:52 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbx4zd2ec2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mlf55ov26c2dthough if i'm honest, my personal favorite LA transit map is the one that shows the modern metro system relative to the freeways. you really get a sense of how enormous los angeles is, and how limited the metro is in comparison.09 May 2026 01:53 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlf55ov26c2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mles2wyhck2pin honor of today's opening of the D Line extension phase 1, here's my updated map of the los angeles metro.08 May 2026 22:34 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mles2wyhck2phttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mlen63dak22mtoday's cooking, a carrot salad called "morkovcha", has a fascinating history. the version i make is asian-jewish fusion cuisine - but not the way you'd think. 1/08 May 2026 21:07 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlen63dak22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3ml4f2jo2gs22This report by @yonahfreemark.com is really solid. One thing transit operators need to think about more: if you require four people to staff a commuter train, or two people to staff a subway train, it only exacerbates the labor shortage. One-man train operation has to be a part of the solution. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/building-effective-transit-workforce05 May 2026 14:20 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4f2jo2gs22https://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mkzw544hak2bNew blog post: my California/NY primary endorsements. Thread follows: 1/ #nypol #capol https://53studio.com/blogs/jakes-blog/jakes-california-and-ny-primary-election-endorsements-202604 May 2026 14:48 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzw544hak2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mk6wmwzmdc2mI'm sorry, @rpa.org, but this report is just plain bad. The assumptions that you're working from are just... what? [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Apr 2026 21:15 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6wmwzmdc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mk6d7zlgr22pwhat the japanese do better than us can be boiled down to three things: 1) better technology - automation, fewer make-work jobs, high platforms 2) better trains - lighter, faster trains that are cheaper to run 3) better financial stability - using real estate development to fund the transit system [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Apr 2026 15:28 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6d7zlgr22phttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mk44v22bs22bmy latest article for @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social: what nyc can learn from the japanese, who are the best in the world at running trains. https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/japan-rail-system-lessons-mta-nj-transit/22 Apr 2026 18:29 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk44v22bs22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mk3qcxknmc25I'm curious to see whether this would work for commercial real estate, because vacancy taxes don't work for residential. [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Apr 2026 14:44 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk3qcxknmc25https://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mjs7lthsjs2zi'm looking at a cookbook written by mrs. esther levy in 1871. it has general housekeeping advice in it. including what to do if a person catches fire.18 Apr 2026 19:51 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjs7lthsjs2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mjkrqnu7g22tanyone at meta who can help, this would be greatly appreciated. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Apr 2026 20:54 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkrqnu7g22thttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mjhlbrznhk2uToday's map: Phoenix's streetcar system, 1930. At the time, Phoenix had less than 50,000 people; residential air conditioning wasn't really a thing before World War II.14 Apr 2026 14:21 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhlbrznhk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mjgdejvjvc2tPreview from an article I'm writing based on my time in Tokyo...14 Apr 2026 02:26 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjgdejvjvc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mix633bppc24Does anyone know why Japanese buildings tend to top out at 10-12 stories? There's a huge number of what I'd consider oversized mid-rise in Tokyo and Osaka, but it's comparatively rare to have taller stuff.08 Apr 2026 01:42 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mix633bppc24https://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3miwufapaec2cBeing in Japan, you really notice how fast Japanese trains get in and out of the station, even for busy main lines. The bullet train to Kyoto stops there for two minutes and six seconds to load and unload passengers, then gets the hell out. Meanwhile, Amtrak waits at Penn Station for 15.07 Apr 2026 22:48 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3miwufapaec2chttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mis363nerc2wRule of thumb: if you haven't breathed their air or walked on the ground, you haven't been there. [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 Apr 2026 01:06 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mis363nerc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mis2sd4uz22wIn Japan, you can drop your luggage at any convenience store and receive it the next day at your destination for $15 a bag the next day. This is black magic.06 Apr 2026 01:00 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mis2sd4uz22whttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mik3weifxs2oKeio Inokashira Line commuter rail, Shibuya, Tokyo: -two tracks -286,940 passengers/weekday Grand Central Station, NYC (Metro North only): -67 tracks -175,574 passengers/weekday Japanese transit is a marvel. We need to learn from them.02 Apr 2026 20:59 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mik3weifxs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mijxo74xfk2pA collection of Japanese railway mascots (from an ad in Shibuya Station, Tokyo)02 Apr 2026 19:42 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijxo74xfk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3micondarlk2vWhen I was a kid and we moved to the 'burbs, we rented first. Mom and Dad wanted to test out whether they liked the neighborhood, and then they eventually bought a place there when the house across the street went up for sale. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Mar 2026 22:12 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3micondarlk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3micogdm5uk2v@holz-bau.bsky.social Do you know anything about the Japanese practice of single stair + fire escape? We're in Tokyo now, and it seems that Japan is all single stair, but they all have balconies with linked fire escapes.30 Mar 2026 22:08 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3micogdm5uk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mi546amsac2sI'm sure this caper makes for a sweet story. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Mar 2026 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi546amsac2shttps://bsky.app/profile/lostsubways.com/post/3mi4nwy457225You got lucky. I flew out of JFK yesterday for California, and the line was 2h 20m with pre-check. Normal security line was 4h long. ICE was also there, loaded for bear. I have no idea why they need tactical gear to stand around an airport terminal. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Mar 2026 12:44 +0000at://did:plc:mgwwdlebpa7c75ht7gudaqow/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi4nwy457225