Metro Card

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, ca. 2019

Polyester, plastic

5.08 x 3.81 cm

Gift of Madelaine Mcdonagh to Cooper Blanchette

Personal collection

In 1992, the Metropolitan Transit Authority train and subway system improved upon its fare technology, switching from their token-based system to the current version of a wallet-sized, swipe-able Metro Card. Transit has been an integral element of New York City’s identity since the first subway line opened in 1904. The city continues to innovate and improve upon the convenience of public transit, and plans to eliminate the metro card by 2023 – moving to a contactless pay system.

This piece became a part of my personal collection in June of 2019. My girlfriend, a frequent visitor of New York, and I decided to travel to the city for a week following our third year of study. This particular card was owned by her, and then given to me on the day we arrived.  Among other articles of clothing and objects I had brought home from our trip, this metro card serves as a key memory of our first significant trip together. This object represents just a fraction of one of the most iconic items circulating for public use in modern history. The New York transit system contains rich cultural significance, surviving historical, economic, and social change for over a hundred years.

We had planned to visit the city once again in May of 2020 for the MET Gala, and to tour several areas of Brooklyn with the prospect of moving permanently for developing work opportunities in a year’s time. Given current travel restrictions, and the degree to which the global pandemic has effected New York City, our plans have been delayed. The object remains functional, but it is no longer of use to me, as it will expire early this summer. With the soonest prospective travel this fall. Its meaning simply represents a point in time, and a significant moment in my life and relationship. Although no longer functional, as it is the tool that allowed me to create so many fond memories with my significant other, Although a small token of remembrance from a single trip, it is also an integral part of what allows many to explore one of the greatest cities in the world, and create distinct memories using an identical object of their own. 

Cooper Blanchette