What) For those of you who have used the subway in New York, the sight of rats must be quite common. Those pesky rodents are spotted quite frequently on subway tracks and platforms. Apparently, subway workers have had enough of this and want their workplace to be completely free of rats. And they’ve come up with a totally unique idea to accomplish this - a rat photo contest.

    New York subway workers are holding a photo contest - for the “nastiest” shot of a rodent. Subway commuters are being urged to click pictures of the rats they see every day and upload them to the website www.ratfreesubways.com. The grand prize is a monthly transit pass. The site was created by the largest union in the city, the Transport Workers Union Local 100. The winning photograph is to be selected by popular opinion. Visitors to the website are able to vote for the most repulsive picture on the ‘Rate my Rat’ section. They have five options to choose from - Handsome, Cute, Plain, Ugly and Beastly. Most of the rat-pictures have been rated between Plain and Beastly, while a few actually have been called Cute. (1)

    Where) Start at the Best Western Jamaica Inn (8707 Van Wyck Expressway, Briarwood) and walk 6 minutes to the Jamaica and Van Wick subway station. Stay on the subway for 8 stops and get off at the 7th Avenue/53 Street station. Walk 2 minutes to the Park Central Hotel (870 7th Avenue at West 55th Street).

    Why) After I told my mother about a few of the upcoming Buckys on this trip, this was the one that interested her the most.  She has asked me a few times since then if I managed to capture a rat with the camera.  Personally, I only put this one the list because we were going to be taking the subway anyway and I like to think that I am observant enough to see a rat if it is there.

























Although I didn't go down into the subway expecting to see anything like this, I did think there might be a chance.  Instead, ... (2)






... I found myself taking photographs of various advertisements.






My father is in a wheelchair so I find myself noticing them but not usually in ads for upcoming TV shows.






I only hope that I get the chance to notice this building in real life.  At the moment it is just an ad but you can click here to see a nicer image.






The Transport Workers Union announced Thursday (March 29) the winner of its second "Most Distinctive Subway Rat" photo contest. The winning photo was taken by 29-year-old computer technician Michael Savarino and shows two rats sharing a bag of chips at the Bedford Avenue stop on the L train in Brooklyn. Savarino won a 30-day unlimited MetroCard and a $500 gift certificate to a camera store. (3) (4)