There are many things to love about this city. The cost of a subway token isn't among them. For years this festival has been concentrated in the theaters and buildings uptown. So the object is to station yourself nearby. In a smart move, the festival has moved to a cluster of downtown facilities. In a dumb move, I forgot. So I've been heading south on the train, which is fine, except each trip costs $3.
The fare purchasing system feels ancient. It includes dealing with old metal boxes that eat only cash and coins then drop a bunch of tiny metal tokens that love to disappear. Some machines have a $5 bill intolerance, and don't get me started about why I haven't done what you're probably thinking I should: buy a pass (only next week's are for sale). But the station agents have been helpful in telling me what my options aren't...
