Entrance to the Wilson Avenue L stop. — Photos by Stephanie Holmes

Recently a fellow Bushwick resident referred to my stop on the L train, Wilson Avenue, as “infamous.” The dictionary defines “infamous” as: “Having an exceedingly bad reputation; notorious.” After thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that “infamous” is perhaps too gentle a term to describe the Wilson Avenue L stop in Bushwick.

Perhaps a better word is “unique.” The Wilson stop is the first above-ground stop when you’re heading Canarsie-bound on the L train. It is the only two-level L station, with a single track on each level. The reason for the unusual set up of the tracks is because the station had to be fit between a cemetery and a rail line.

 
Waiting with the Wilson L station’s multicolored motif. Click to enlarge.

As the train emerges above ground, a huge, 20-acre, green cemetery stretches out as far as the eye can see. The Cemetery of The Evergreens is over 150 years old, and has over half a million people buried in it.

Some people might say it’s creepy, but I happen to think it’s beautiful. Some of the landscape at the Cemetery of the Evergreens was designed by Calvert Vaux, the architect that planned Central and Prospect Parks. It is most beautiful in the spring when the trees and grass are bright green, or in the fall when the leaves are changing. The small overhang above the platform protects you from precipitation and also creates a wall of rain as you look out onto the cemetery. Even I have to admit that while taking in that vista I have never minded waiting for the L (no matter how long it’s delayed).

 
The Cemetery of the Evergreens provides a spookily beautiful backdrop at the Wilson L station. Click to enlarge.

Based on my experiences, “entertaining” could also be a fitting adjective for this train station. As if the L train isn’t slow enough, one night while waiting on the Manhattan bound platform I heard this lovely announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, the train is delayed because some jackass has jumped onto the tracks. I repeat, there is a jackass on the tracks.”

Another night the Manhattan-bound platform was empty except for me, a man, and his pit bull. After a few minutes, I glanced over at the pit bull just in time to see him poop. I looked at the owner of the dog in the hope that he had brought with him the means to clean up the “mess”… he had not. The dog’s master then glanced over at me to see if I had noticed… I had. Then, he judged whether or not he thought I would say anything. He correctly guessed that I wouldn’t and walked himself and his dog over to the other end of the platform, leaving me with just my annoyance and a dog turd.

 
Evidence of unsanitary diversions past? Click to enlarge.

The Wilson Station also holds the honor of giving me my most horrifying subway station experience. About a year ago, as I walked down the stairs from the Canarsie-bound platform, I put my hand on the rail and came into contact with what I still to this day hope was spit… but there is the real possibility it was ejaculate. The second I lifted my hand and realized what had happened only one thought raced through my head: “Where do I wipe this?” I sure wasn’t going to wipe it on my clothes and I didn’t have any baby wipes or paper towels, so I rubbed it on the wall (which begs the question: How many other people had stuck their hand in the spooge and rubbed it somewhere in that station?). I walked home from the train with my hand held out in front of me as I silently wept.

So maybe the Wilson stop is “infamous,” (I’ve never personally heard any bad stories about the station, but I have experienced some) but out of all the possible terms, perhaps “underappreciated” is the best. The parts of the station that aren’t covered with jizz or dog shit have a certain aesthetic charm to them, and the cemetery that it sits above has definite historical value. I try to keep in my mind that the people who allow the station to deteriorate and the people that vandalize it probably don’t realize that just a few yards away is buried the Vaudeville legend Tony Pastor… but maybe he’s getting what he deserves for performing all those minstrel shows.

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