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Subway Riders Got A Mysterious Thanksgiving Feast On The L Train
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 25, 2019
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 25, 2019
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Some New Yorkers were treated/subjected to an early Thanksgiving feast aboard an L train this weekend, complete with turkey, homemade mac n' cheese, collard greens and that redolent smell of sweet holiday diesel fumes.
Photos and video of the unusual sighting—and we don't just mean a weekend L train, folks—made the rounds online Sunday night. Witnesses said the impressive tableau appeared on the Brooklyn-bound subway just before 8 p.m., and was apparently made available to all straphangers.
"Everybody get their plates, sit down and eat," one woman calls.
That’s one way to make sure your guests arrive on time for thanksgiving. from r/nyc
Wake Coulter, a Greenpoint resident, said he boarded the train at 1st Avenue and was immediately impressed by the lavish dinner. "They got all the people on the train smiling and were handing out food to everyone. Just having a great time," he told Gothamist. "I don’t know why they did it but I do know they are national heroes." (Coulter added that he didn't try any of the food, but "heard the mac n' cheese was delicious.")
Another Reddit user described the turkey as solid and the organizers as respectful, even if it seemed to be a made for an Instagram moment.
It was definitely a bit of a stunt but these guys were really respectful of space - It was a 7 PM Sunday L from union square and was not crowded at all. They said it was an inclusive gesture to emphasize no one should go without food on Thanksgiving. They were loud but not rowdy or a nuisance. They even handed out plates to everyone in the car - I got one and the turkey was a solid 7/10 and collard 8.5/10. I'm glad I got to experience something like this. Makes a great story! There were even MTA employees amongst us but no one objected.
Like all subway takeovers, the Turkey Train was not without its detractors. Some described the stunt as disruptive and annoying to riders, while others just noted that it's kind of gross to eat anything on the L train (unless you're this guy).
So where do we land on an early Thankgiving dinner on an L Train? It wasn't rush hour, for one thing, and most people on the train seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. As long as this doesn't turn out to be a guerilla marketing stunt for a mattress start-up or L-Tryptophan, it seems sweet and harmless to me, personally. Hopefully the leftovers were properly disposed of (or better yet, donated).
A spokesperson for the MTA said they were looking into this and would get back to us.
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we the commuters
l train
thanksgiving
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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