Last year’s No Pants Subway Ride
UPDATE: Just added Flushing Meadows Park as a 6th location!
All are invited to participate in the 9th Annual No Pants Subway Ride. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 10. Everything you need to know is in this post. Please read it carefully!
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION:
1) Willing to take pants off on subway
2) Able to keep a straight face about it
**THIS IS A PARTICIPATORY EVENT. DO NOT SHOW UP UNLESS YOU PLAN TO TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF.**
DETAILS
When: Sunday, January 10 at 3:00 PM, Sharp! (Over by around 5:30)
Where: Six meeting points spread out all over New York City. Details below.
Bring: A backpack and a metro card.
Wear: Normal winter clothes (hat, gloves, etc)
Facebook: You can RSVP to the Facebook Event
Complete logistics below:
HOW IT WORKS
There are six meeting points this year. Take your pick.
Astoria: Meet at Hoyt Playground – Google Map
Downtown Brooklyn: Meet at Prospect Park – Google Map
Downtown Manhattan: Meet at Foley Square – Google Map
Queens: Meet at the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Park – Google Map
Uptown Manhattan: Meet at the Great Hill in Central Park – Google Map
Williamsburg / Bushwick: Meet at Bushwick Park (AKA Maria Hernandez Park) – Google Map
Everyone should meet at their chosen meeting point at 3 PM. Please be on time. Feel free to be early.
At the meeting points, participants will be organized into groups and assigned a specific train car. Once everyone is divided up we will all head to nearby subway station[s]. Do not talk to others once you enter the subway system. No one knows each other.
Sit in the car as you normally would. Read a magazine or whatever you would normally do. Your team leader will have already divided you into smaller groups, assigning your group a specific stop where you will depants.
As soon as the doors shut at the stop before yours, stand up and take your pants off and put them in your backpack. If you’d like to use a briefcase, purse, grocery bag, or whatever instead of a backpack that’s fine too. If anyone asks you why you’ve removed your pants, tell them that they were “getting uncomfortable” (or something along those lines.)
Exit the train at your assigned stop and stand on the platform, pantless. You will wait on the platform for the next train to arrive. Stay in the exact same place on the platform so you enter the next train in the same car as you exited the last train.
When you enter, act as you normally would. You do not know any of the other pantless riders. If questioned, tell folks that you “forgot to wear pants” and yes you are “a little cold.” Insist that it is a coincidence that others also forgot their pants. Be nice and friendly and normal.
All train routes will converge on Union Square. Your exact route will be explained at the meeting point, and may involve a transfer.
You can wear fun underwear if you like, but nothing that screams out, “I wore this because I’m doing a silly stunt.” Wear two pairs of underwear if it makes you feel more comfortable. Don’t wear a thong or anything else that might offend people. Our aim is to make people laugh, not piss them off.
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to read about previous No Pants! Subway Rides.
Please leave your cameras at home and resist the temptation to snap photos with your iPhone, etc. while the event is happening. Take as many as you like before and after the event, but during the ride we really want people to enjoy the experience of participating rather than documenting. It detracts from the mission if everyone is taking photos of each other rather than keeping a straight face. Don’t worry, we have photographers assigned to every meeting point who will take great photos.
This is always a blast, and we look forward to seeing you there. You may bring along friends if you like, but make sure they get a chance to read all of these instructions.
See you on the 10th!
(Information for participating in other cities is here.)
Be aware that by participating, you recognize that Improv Everywhere is not liable in the event you are injured, arrested, or worse. By choosing to participate you are still responsible for your actions.
If this happens to coincide with laundry day, I may have to go commando.
LMAO!!!!
lmao love it!
Is anyone going to the flushing one.?
Pretty much all the cool kids are.
Who is this guy? This is SERIOUS BUSINESS!
Flushing will be the best one. We’re meeting at the UNISPHERE, fer cripes sake!
I’ll be there (and a +1). So happy, this is way easier for me to get to.
And the MTA wants to raise fares and cut service?
I just got back from doing this today! Me and my friend took the R train back home still in our boxers. Man today was cold but there were a bunch of cute girls too! nice!
I am super excited. :-) Can’t wait.
Here we go again!! See you all there!
Who’s up for No-Pants-Karaoke again?
yessssss! can’t wait to do our 3rd one together! which meeting spot should we go to?
Come to Astoria! We rule. Let the battle of best meeting point begin!
I’m going to Astoria with a few friends. It’ll be our first time. I’m super excited.!
I think Downtown Manhattan. Keeping up with tradition- shall we Brunch first?
Best way to get from Astoria to Union Square is either N or W train (only about 15 stops). That will be much shorter ride compare with the downtown Manhattan 6 train to 125th street and coming back to Union Square.
I did no pants last year with the 6 train group. Personally I think the ride was too long (about 30 train stops together, and my 6 train group was the last group reached Union Square). So I will prefer Astoria if we can arrive at Union Square before the sunset. The only problem is that I do not know how many people will be doing it in Astoria. A group that is too small will not be very interesting experience.
I vote for the Astoria meet-up spot. I’ll be there with my girlfriend at 3 pm sharp!
So. This should be hilarious. I wonder what type of hat I’ll wear on my head…
The 10th is going to be the coldest day we have so far. Be careful
are long-Johns acceptable?
yeah they said you can wear long underwear such as thermals or those skin-tight under armour leggings. but thats like cheating :)
Unfortunately that day I will be taking the train back up to Rochester, NY.
No Pants Amtrak?
Aaah. I live in NH so I won’t be able to join you all. Maybe I’ll take my pants off in the woods and scare the deer.
Have a terrific time!
Bah, I’m coming down from NH with this as the main purpose. Road trip!
It’s gonna be almost as awesome as me:) can’t wait to …
Randy C. Will be returning this year for no pants, cant wait! had a blast for 2k8
Would it kill you guys to involve Bronxites? We have plenty of trains that go straight in to union square and would love to participate if given the opportunity.
The Central Park north location is very close to the 2 train.
Be happy they even included Queens (Astoria, naturally). As far as “cool” people are concerned, NYC = Manhattan and Brooklyn only.
We should start our own. Where in the Bx are u coming from?
Oh how I wish sometimes that I lived in New York. You have too much fun. I loved the Invisible Dog Day. Thank to all of you with a sense of humor.
SO down for pantsless karaoke! Anyone going? Add me on Facebook and let’s meet up!
I am def down. Never done this and should be awesome.
this sounds like the greatest idea ever, and at the same time, the worst. I’m in.
excited, this is my first time !
there should be more pantless events :)
@ Jason and Fallon: I’m up for some No Pants Karaoke afterward.
Why?
Why not?
I love this.
May I speak for the under 21 pantless minority? I’m 17 and every year I miss out on the after pantsing festivities. Could there be an alternative to a bar this year?
There are no official after parties this year. I don’t think there is a bar or restaurant on earth that can hold all of us. So it’s up to everyone to make friends and spontaneous plans on their own in Union Square.
http://www.royal-dragon.com/contactus.htm
Cool. I’ll give them a call and see if they’re cool with 10,000 New Yorkers flying over.
I’m bringing my Sony eReader for this year’s ride.
Where are we meeting in Prospect Park? I guess we are taking the F-train into Manhattan?
Oh! What to wear? I did the suit thing last year.
I will be meeting there as well, this is my first NO pants subway ride, any suggestions?
this is going to be the best damn subway ride ever
The New York lewdness/indecency laws (below) seem to permit the no pants subway ride so long as you’re not wearing thongs (thus “private” areas), so does anyone know if anything came of the arrests in 2006 and have there been any arrests since that time? The state law carves out the ability for local ordinances to create a higher burden, so does anyone know if NYC has heightened the standard? I would love to do this but I’d rather not be arrested for it.
§ 245.00 Public lewdness: A person is guilty of public lewdness when he intentionally exposes the private or intimate parts of his body in a lewd manner or commits any other lewd act (a) in a public place, or (b) in private premises under circumstances in which he may readily be observed from either a public place or from other private premises, and with intent that he be so observed. Public lewdness is a class B misdemeanor.
§ 245.01 Exposure of a person: A person is guilty of exposure if he appears in a public place in such a manner that the private or intimate parts of his body are unclothed or exposed. For purposes of this section, the private or intimate parts of a female person shall include that portion of the breast which is below the top of the areola. This section shall not apply to the breastfeeding of infants or to any person entertaining or performing in a play, exhibition, show or entertainment. Exposure of a person is a violation. Nothing in this section shall prevent the adoption by a city, town or village of a local law prohibiting exposure of a person as herein defined in a public place, at any time, whether or not such person is entertaining or performing in a play, exhibition, show or entertainment.
All charges were dismissed in 2006. Those summonsed were charged with “disorderly conduct.” It is not illegal to be in your underwear in NYC. The Naked Cowboy does it almost every day. In fact, it’s legal for women to be topless in NYC ( http://gothamist.com/2008/08/25/you_missed_it_topless_day_in_centra.php )
That said, participate at your own risk. We can’t guarantee a police offer won’t make a mistake like one did in 2006.
That’s a good point re Naked Cowboy. I couldn’t find any case law finding that wearing underwear in public would create a “physically offensive condition” required for disorderly conduct, and I wouldn’t expect to find such. I may just have to join this one…
As mom always said, just make sure they’re clean.
Wear some long-johns then…