I said Harlem - I meant Washington Heights - they are the deepest part of the system (3-4 stops there), and are the exception that proves the rule. That said, I still hold that "Moist towelettes" are useless except for getting shmutz off your hands

Of course, this is from a guy who, when he used to travel by subway usually had 50+ lbs of gear with him

I just think the kit the guy was selling wasn't great, but not horrible. A better kit would be a N-95, a flashlight, a Multitool, maybe a cylume stick, and a bottle of water

...and an iPhone. Maybe then it would sell.

This is absolutely, 100% true. New York is a city of here and now, and not if or when. In my experience, the city has been incredibly resilient and able to deal with bad things better than anywhere I've ever been.

Less than 20 feet down? The last time I exited a station in Manhattan I climbed in excess of 70 steps. Given a conservative 7" rise that puts the depth at over 40'. The only one I was on that was 20' or less was the one at Yankee Stadium, Which is, as we know, an elevated rail.

The anal comment was just one guy. While he may be saying what many people across the country are thinking, he far from represents New York. I'm a New Yorker and my kits basically matches Martin's. :p So let's not lump everybody together....

I also think the failure of this kit has more to do with the kit itself. Cheapie flashlight, dust mask, whistle and a pack of wipes can all be had for less than he's asking. And seriously, how would you use the crowbar in a subway emergency?

The people that care probably already have a kit made up, so they don't need to buy one.

The people that don't care...well...just don't care. So, chances are, they aren't buying one either.

That's probably why they aren't selling.

Well that gets back to market research which was mentioned way early in this thread. That said, I agree. It would like someone selling "earthquake survival kits" in CA. The folks who are concerned already have gear set aside. The folks who live on the major faults and don't care? Darwin had something to say about these folks. Why ask why?

I got a lot of laughs at NYC residents expense during the 5 state power outage a few years back. People hiking up 34+ floors with buckets of water...minimal stored food, no stored water, no flashlights.
Of course, the news probably wouldn't show too many people that are prepared. That's not sensational so why report it !
Did see one 4 story co-op bldg that had power the whole time ... they had installed their own backup diesel generator with plenty of fuel .. so they were set.
So, I know there are some New Yorkers that do prepare....BUT like many places...those that are prepared are truly in the minority.
I always thought a return visit to interview those that were shown on TV unprepared then, to see if they are more prepared now would be a neat show. Maybe part of a program on preparedness in general ...in light of tornados, earthquakes etc that seem to occur frequently enough somewhere in the world. But hey... TV usually doesn't spend much time educating the masses.
I know that watching them on TV convinced me to never to live in a bldg taller than a few stories. ....and while I hate big cities, it gave me even more support for desire to never move ot one ever. BUT, I might find myself in one while traveling or on business, so I always try to by prepared more when I do that. Just in case.

I worked with the Red Cross (I was one of their Hams - NYC ARES) during the blackout.

The big need, the 1st night, was getting water to those walking home! Some building ownwers were nice enough to turn on their sillcocks to a snice steady stream so folks could fill their water bottles (part way into the trip, almost everyone had one - they went to the local deli and bought a bottle of water)

By about Midnight, all was quiet, and the next AM, the power started coming back on. I got called out to Brooklyn for a building with no water (remember folks, in NYC, basically, if you are above the 6th floor (lower if your in say, Washington Heights), your water is pumped by YOUR building - the water doesn't "Just flow"), but by the time we got there, the water was on

If the folks who LIVED in those 34 story buildings used their brains, there would be no problem - there is a VERY large water tank on the roof - if people didn't waste it, and only used it for drinking... I'll BET you, when the power first went off, lots of folks still showered etc - all the water on the roof went down the drain

In a "mid to high" end building, I would expect them to have a backup generator - but I know most don't (hey, why plan for a once every 20 year thing) and I KNOW a lot of the projects are lucky to have anything that works - even if the city did budget for a generator

Oh well - anyway, by Noon the next day, we were sitting around, with CASES of Gatoraide and Water, trying to give them to passers by, who looked at us and said "Dudes, the Blackout's been over for hours" - The team I was with at that time Was from Binghamton - they handed me a bag of Gatoraide powder to "put in the ARES supplies", and they took off for home - I waited for the re-supply truck to show, and told him to return the truck full of water bottles back to Central Stores - and I went home for a well deserved sleep (I did get about 3 hours at about 5am, but that was it)