End of an era: New York City fired its last coin-operated phone booth on Monday, the popular “public phone booth,” which for a few years has been replaced by free Wi-Fi terminals.
But let Superman fans rest assured: Manhattan will keep four shuttered phone booths, the one where journalist Clark Kent transforms into a superhero.
New York, Monday morning, put an end to a myth that has permeated in popular culture over decades of comics, photography, film and television.
In front of the press, the last “booth” of two disassembled phones was dismantled and placed on a truck, erected at the corner of 7th Avenue and 50th Street in the center of New York Island, and the blue bell emblem of the communications company Bell System affixed.
France Press agency
“I was here today for one last ‘farewell’ to the famous – or infamous? – NYC payphone. I won’t miss the lack of tone of dialing, but I must admit I felt a little nostalgic to see him go,” Mark Levine wrote on Twitter.
The Democrat-elect said he doesn’t really regret the days when those phones worked half the time, when you had to rummage through your pockets to find a quarter coin (25 cents) or queue to call in the middle of the street in full view of passersby.
France Press agency
Wired payphones began disappearing from the streets of New York in the early 2000s when cell phones appeared, and then in the 2000s with the explosion of smartphones.
Starting in 2015, Manhattan quickly installed thousands of LinkNYC hotspots that offer free WiFi and local calls. These new kiosks should 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,” said Mr. Levine, referring to the northern neighborhoods of Manhattan, and Harlem in particular, which are not well-covered by networks. phone and internet.
According to the local press, Manhattan will retain four vintage phone booths (with or without hinged doors) on the more upscale Upper West Side, on the West End Street at 66, 90, 100, and 101st Streets.
“Total coffee aficionado. Travel buff. Music ninja. Bacon nerd. Beeraholic.”
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