Notes from the Underground Travel Essays on World Subways

Notes from the Underground explores the many ways in which each city's subway is emblematic of its urban character, demonstrating how the passenger experience provides a deepened insight into the city's "brand identity". Think of how closely our perception of London, Paris, and New York is associated with their tube, metro and subway. The book's orientation is neither technical nor historical, but rather visual, allowing the general reader to see the subway through the whimsical and affectionate design lens of a "transit tourist." Notes from the Underground shows that subways are not just a means of transport—they are an indelible part of a city's DNA, and to understand a city, you really need to understand its subway. At the end of each chapter, the author "grades" each subway from one to four tokens based on its convenience, ease of use, design quality, and personality. Not just a book for "trolley jollies," this book should appeal to urbanists, design aficionados, and armchair travelers everywhere.

David Seltzer has worked as an investment banker and municipal financial advisor since 1976, advising state and local government agencies — including some of the nation's largest transit systems — in raising capital for major infrastructure projects and programs. He has had a lifelong interest in subways, possesses a library of over 450 books on the subject, and has toured 45 systems around the world (only 153 left to go). A lifelong Philadelphian, David is very active in civic affairs, serving on the boards of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, CraftNOW Philadelphia (which he co-founded), and the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative. He previously chaired Philadelphia Gas Works (the nation's largest municipally-owned gas company) and The Philadelphia History Museum.