A final reminder: Tonight is the first event of my “Problem Solvers” discussion series at the Transit Museum. The event starts at 6:30 p.m., and you can find directions to the Museum right here. If you’ve never been, it’s a great spot in the decommissioned Court St. subway stop. The event series will take an intimate look at the people who are working behind the scenes to change the face of our transit system as the subway approaches its 110th birthday. My first guest will be Sarah Kaufman, currently with NYU Wagner’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management and formerly the MTA’s open-data guru.

While with the MTA, Kaufman created a conference and online exchange between the MTA and software developers and assisted in developing the agency’s social media program. She specializes in the use of cutting-edge technologies in transportation, particularly mass transit, and the opportunities for community involvement in transportation management through interactive technologies.

Sarah and I will talk for a bit about her work and the problem of access to transit-related information she has worked to solve before we open the floor to audience questions. The program kicks off at 6:30 p.m., and doors to the museum will open at 6. Guests are invited to walk through the museum and to explore the collection of old trains as well. Light refreshments will be available as well. Hope to see you there.

Just a reminder that I’ll be hosting a Q-and-A series at the Transit Museum this year, and the first event kicks off the series on Wednesday, February 1 at 6:30 p.m. The series is entitled “Problem Solvers,” and it will take an intimate look at the people who are working behind the scenes to change the face of our transit system as the subway approaches its 110th birthday. My first guest will be Sarah Kaufman, currently with NYU Wagner’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management and formerly the MTA’s open-data guru.

While with the MTA, Kaufman created a conference and online exchange between the MTA and software developers and assisted in developing the agency’s social media program. She specializes in the use of cutting-edge technologies in transportation, particularly mass transit, and the opportunities for community involvement in transportation management through interactive technologies.

Sarah and I will talk for a bit about her work and the problems she’s trying to solve before we open the floor to audience questions. The program kicks off at 6:30 p.m., and doors to the museum will open at 6. Guests are invited to walk through the museum and to explore the collection of old trains at the former Court St. station. Light refreshments will be available as well. For the specific details, check out this post.

A final reminder! Second Ave. Sagas’ 5th Anniversary Soiree is tonight at 7 p.m. in the Vice Room at the 13th Step. For five years, I’ve charted the goings-on in the New York City transit scene, and tonight, I’ll toast my readers and another five years. Stop by for a drink, stop by for a few hours. All are welcome. Details and an RSVP form are right here. See you tonight.

We’ll have a cash bar at the party, but thanks to Roadify, the popular transit app, we’ll have some finger food as well. Roadify combines NYC’s best transit data with updates from real commuters, giving you the most up-to-date transit conditions for subways, buses and traffic in real-time. Roadify’s free iPhone app won Grand Prize at the city-sponsored NYC BigApps2.0 earlier this year and can be downloaded here. Roadify v2.0 is due in December and is set to change commuting for good.

On November 21, 2006, I wrote a brief introduction to Second Ave. Sagas, and while I didn’t really start with daily post until Fulton St. attracted my attention a week later, thus was born this website. Five years later, it’s time to celebrate, and this Thursday, I’m hosting a party. The Second Ave. Sagas 5th Anniversary Soiree is set for 7 p.m. on December 1 in the Vice Room at the 13th Step. Details and an RSVP form are right here.

We’ll have a cash bar at the party, but thanks to Roadify, the popular transit app, we’ll have some finger food as well. Roadify combines NYC’s best transit data with updates from real commuters, giving you the most up-to-date transit conditions for subways, buses and traffic in real-time. Roadify’s free iPhone app won Grand Prize at the city-sponsored NYC BigApps2.0 earlier this year and can be downloaded here. Roadify v2.0 is due in December and is set to change commuting for good.

Anyway, I hope to see you all on Thursday. This site wouldn’t be nearly as fun or successful without my readers, and having the opportunity to meet everyone in person would be a joy. See you on Thursday.

A few brief items this afternoon relating to the holidays: Transit will again be running the Holiday Special nostalgia train this year. According to the latest on Subchat, the R1/9 set will run on Saturdays this year from Nov. 26 through Dec. 24. The trains will leave Second Ave. at 9:58 a.m., 11:37 a.m., 12:57 p.m., 2:27 p.m. and 3:57 p.m. and make local stops to Queens Plaza. Planned departure times from Queens Plaza are 10:43 a.m., 12:13 p.m., 1:42 p.m., 3:13 p.m. and 4:43 p.m. Bring a camera, of course.

Meanwhile, a reminder: My Second Ave. Sagas 5th Anniversary Soiree, planned for Thursday, December 1, is fast approaching, and I’m bring aboard a sponsor. The transit app Roadify will be sponsoring a part of the party so look for them over the next few days. To RSVP, mosey on over to the Eventbrite page. You’ll find all of the details there.

Update: Due to a few circumstances, SAS has gone dark for Thanksgiving a day or so early. I’ll be back after the holidays. Have a safe Turkey Day.

I unfortunately won’t have time to get up a full post this evening. Instead, I’ll have a piece up in the early morning on Friday. In the meantime, don’t forget to RSVP to the Second Ave. Sagas 5th Anniversary Soiree. Details and such are right here.

While I’m still waiting for you all to RSVP to my party, I have another little bit of self-promotion to plug this evening. At around 7:30 p.m. tonight, I’ll be making another guest appearance on NBC New York’s news hour with Chuck Scarborough. I’ll be talking about Joseph Lhota and his expectations, Transit’s plan implement line segment shut-downs and a recent report on the successes of Select Bus Service on the East Side. Tomorrow morning at the bright hour of 7:15 a.m., I’ll be on Fox 5′s Good Day New York to discuss the line segment shut-down. If you’re around a TV, give it a watch. I’ll post the video as soon as I can.

Let’s do this again now that it’s not late on a Friday afternoon. As hard as it is to believe, this little site of mine is turning five years old at the end of the month, and what better excuse to we need to have a party. On Thursday, December 1 at 7 p.m. in the Vice Room at The 13th Step on 2nd Ave. between East 9th and 10th Sts., join in the birthday bash for Second Ave. Sagas. Everyone is invited, and admission is free. We’ll have some food, some sweets and a cash bar. Stop by for some subway schmoozing, grab a beer and say hi. It’s been a great five years because of you, my readers, and it’s time to celebrate.

For those who are going to attend — and that should be every single one of you — I have a small request: Please RSVP on the EventBrite page for this event. As I need to have a rough headcount, registration is free. Looking forward to seeing you all there. [Second Ave. Sagas Soiree]

As hard as it is to believe, this little site of mine is turning five years old at the end of the month. So let’s have a party. On Thursday, December 1, in the Vice Room at the 13th Step on 2nd Ave. between East 9th and 10th Sts., we’ll be hosting a birthday soiree for Second Ave. Sagas, and everyone is invited. We’ll have some food, some sweets and a cash bar for three hours starting at 7 p.m. Stop by for some subway schmoozing, grab a beer and say hi. It’s been a great five years because of you, my readers, and it’s time to celebrate.

For those who are going to attend — and that should be every single one of you — I have a small request: Please RSVP on the EventBrite page for this event. As I need to have a rough headcount, registration is free. Looking forward to seeing you all there. [Second Ave. Sagas Soiree]