Holiday shopping with the MTA

While the MTA, like many other institutions, is struggling to make ends meet these days, savvy train buffs and subway enthusiasts alike can turn to that tried and true method of boosting consumer confidence: Christmas shopping. The Transit Museum, purveyors of all things MTA, have quite the selection available at their store this holiday season. Let’s see what we can find.

To the right are some snazzy ornaments. While the Museum shop is low on Hanukkah gifts, they’ve got something for the Christmas celebrants around the city. The ornaments are available for all lines except the L, S, V and soon-to-be-extinct W. You can also decorate your tree in MetroCards, tokens or my personal favorite, Santa Claus riding the subway.

For those of us who don’t have a tree to decorate, there are many more practical gifts on sale. Are you always getting lost on the subway? Never sure what line to take? Now, you can have easy access to a subway map. The next time someone asks you for directions, just drop your pants and point them on their way with these handy subway map boxers. Nothing points to lovin’ quite like these silk undergarments.

If you find yourself metaphorically lost in the kitchen, a subway map pot holder may be the right accessory for you. This Manhattan-centric item also comes in oven mitt and apron form. The store also carries some subway hot sauce, but that’s not a connections I’d like to think too much about.

Perhaps you’re more of a snazzy dresser than a Top Chef hopeful. To that end, the $70 cufflinks made form recycled subway maps complete the best of outfits. The token charm bracelet hearkens back to a different era when swipes were unheard of. The station mosaic reproductions lend an air of authenticity and Heins & LaFarge or Squire Vickers grandeur to even the smallest of New York studios.

The Transit Museum has something for the heavy rollers too. Designed by renowned artist Boris Bally, the subway map chair is available for the low, low price of $2200 or just 1100 swipes of your pay-per-ride MetroCard. The special one-of-a-kind Times Square-themed chair checks in at the same price. Looking for something equally as, um, unique but not as pricey? Try an air gauge for just $62.50.

Finally, we end with the practical gifts. Want to know how long you’ve been standing there at Lorimer St. waiting for the G train? Well, then, get your own G train watch, guaranteed to be on time for often than the train itself. Take a few shots out of the MetroCard Shooters. With fares going up, we need all the relief we can get. And here’s to that rainy day with a subway map umbrella. For passengers watching yet another packed 7 train go by, at least you can stay dry while being reminded of the sad fact that you have no other choice of train line.

But in all seriousness, the Transit Museum Store has you covered this holiday season for all your subway-related gifts. While our fares might be going up, the Transit Museum and its stores while away the hours, reminding us of days when the subways cost 5¢ and MetroCards were but a futuristic device far off in the future. It’s a fun place to visit, and you never know what you might find lurking in the gift shop.