Could you name the world’s highest subway station? Do you know the shape cut out of the last New York subway tokens?
These were among the questions asked at the first ever Transit Trivia night, held last week at the MTA’s transit museum in Brooklyn Heights.
The trivia night attracted more than 200 people, who formed themselves into 40 teams with names like My Fare Lady, the Court Squares, and Avenue Q.
Players were asked to identify pictures of subway stations, play a hangman-style game where colored circles matching various subway lines offered clues to the missing letters, and display their mastery of obscure subway facts. There were also rounds referencing transit-themed music, like Judy Garland’s “The Trolley Song,” and movies such as The French Connection and The Taking of Pelham 123.
Some of the players attended because of a general love of trivia, while some fancied themselves transit aficionados.
“I’ve been a transit buff for as long as I can remember,” said Jonathan Rivas, who is originally from Bensonhurst and now lives in Ditmas Park. “When I was a kid, I would study the subway map.”
The subway-specific questions came courtesy of trivia hosts Stuart Post and Chris Kelley, who specialize in themed quizzes for particular venues. The quizmaster couple has also hosted a trivia night for the Brooklyn Historical Society and a nautical-themed event at the Navy Yard’s visitors center.
The winning teams got prizes including a Transportation Alternatives bike light and a set of Long Island Rail Road shot glasses. The museum has not said when it will hold another trivia night.
Reach reporter Danielle Furfaro at dfurfaro@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2511. Follow her at twitter.com/DanielleFurfaro.
