The end of an era: On Monday, the city of New York shut down its last coin-operated telephone booth, the famous “pay phone booth”, replaced in recent years by free WiFi terminals. But let Superman fans rest assured: manhattan he will keep four phone booths closed, the ones where journalist Clark Kent transforms into a superhero.
On Monday morning, New York put an end to a myth popularized in popular culture over decades of comics, photography, film and television. In front of the press, city officials and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine had the last “cabin” dismantled and placed on a truck.
It housed two telephones, which were located at the corner of 7th Avenue and 50th Street in Central New York Island, marked with the blue bell logo of the Bell System telecommunications company.
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“I was here today for a last ‘goodbye’ to the famous – or infamous? – New York public phone. I won’t miss the lack of dial tone, but I have to admit I had a pang of nostalgia watching him go.“, wrote Mark Levine on Twitter.
END OF AN ERA.
New York’s last freestanding payphones were removed this morning in Times Square. (7th Avenue and 50th Street).
No more pocket fishing for quarters.pic.twitter.com/ZtRhzWPp4G
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) May 23, 2022
The Democrat elect said he doesn’t really regret the days when these phones worked half the time, when you had to dig through your pockets for quarters (25 cents) or stand in line to call in the middle of the street in full view of passers-by. .
Wired phones started disappearing from the streets of New York in the early 2000s with the emergence of cell phones, and then in the 2010s with the explosion of smartphones.
As of 2015, Manhattan has fast-tracked the rollout of thousands of LinkNYC hotspots offering free Wi-Fi and free local calls. These new kiosks are expected to be gradually connected to the 5G network.
“It really is the end of an era, but also hopefully the beginning of a new era with more equal access to technology.“, boasted Mr. Levine, referring to the northern neighborhoods of Manhattan, Harlem in particular, less covered by telephone networks and the Internet.
According to local press, Manhattan will keep four old-fashioned phone booths (with or without swing doors) on the more exclusive Upper West Side, on West End Avenue between 66th, 90th, 100th and 101st Streets.
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