I wish I knew about these LinkNYC kiosks that have been around for 10 years in this city where you can make a free phone call from in case of an emergency. The security guard at the mall certainly didn't know about them the other day when I asked if by chance there was a pay phone at the mall because I'd forgotten my cell phone at home (Read: My Trip to the Mall and Sampling Fragrances at Sephora).
To find the exact location of a kiosk, I searched on the LinkNYC website using a nearby zip code but found the site hard to navigate; I wish that instead of an interactive map, there was a list of intersections where the kiosks can be found. After a quick AI search, I learned there are supposedly 2 of these kiosks in the vicinity of that mall. I'm on a new mission to know where one is in every neighborhood I visit from now on so I'm never stranded again.
So, those electronic ads I see all over Manhattan are free tablet stations that replaced the old pay phones; who knew? I guess I'm fortunate enough to not have needed one yet, but it sure would have been a relief to know such a thing existed. If a kiosk said "Emergency Phone" instead of "Super Fast Free Wi-Fi" on it, more people might pay attention to it.
there is in fact a plain text list of LinkNYC locations at https://link.nyc/link-locations.html. The only working public telephone in NYC is at the Brooklyn Public Library. There are 4 booths on the far west side but they never work, not even for 911. There are a number of indoor phones said to be in working order but they are in courthouses andopera houses, where you'd need to spend $200 on an opera ticket or be under federal indictment to access them. Not a real useful amenity for the public. Phone call quality on LinkNYC is atrocious, has been since day 1. Much of the time the party you call cannot hear you, or the other way around, and you pretty much have to scream. Really poor design. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteHi, nice to hear from you, my first comment poster on my new blog! Thank you so kindly for the link. As for the actual usefulness of these phones, I remember pay phones working unless they didn't, like many of the city's other amenities. You have a great day, too.
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