As we stepped off the 1 train on the way to work this morning, the thought that crossed our mind wasn’t, “Damn, that was a fun ride, too bad it’s over,” but, “Why did that old bearded man keep looking at me?” But two math geeks are apparently willing to subject themselves to at least 22 straight hours of subway riding as they seek to hit every single subway stop in the city in record time. Chris Solarz and Matt Ferrisi developed software to ascertain the most efficient routes, and after months of studying exits, platforms, and bathroom locations (wait, those exist?), they embarked on their harrowing, nerdy adventure around 1:30 this afternoon. Armed only with a few snacks, their wits, and an admirable tolerance for pain, the duo will hit a whopping 468 stations, and, if everything goes perfect, emerge victorious in the outer reaches of Brooklyn tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. Of course, throw in some of those “Due to traffic ahead of us, we are experiencing momentary delays” announcements that end up taking a half-hour to resolve, and this becomes a tragic waste of time.
Math Whizzes Shoot to Set Record for Traversing Subway System [NYDN]
