It was a subway car named desire.
In July 2005, Christopher Archer and his friend boarded a crowded train to Coney Island to watch the Mermaid Parade.
Jirina Ribbens boarded the same train to spend a day on the beach alone with a good book.
They struck up a conversation about how the trains were late and running on different tracks.
“It was one of those shared New York experiences, kind of where everyone is in on the same joke,” recalled Archer, a 52-year-old special education teacher.
Archer and his friend invited Ribbens, a 50-year-old ice dancing director, to join them at the parade. She did, and the two started seeing each other. The following weekend they took a ride together on the Staten Island ferry.
A year later, he proposed.
“You have to be open to wanting to meet someone – it might be somebody really wonderful,” Ribbens said.
Their minister even mentioned the MTA during the nuptials, telling the bride and groom that there are lessons to be learned from the modes of transportation that got them to the altar:
“The MTA: expect delays and disruptions; the LIRR: it can take a while to reach a beautiful destination but the trip is worth it; and the Staten Island ferry: the best things in life are free.”
Now the MTA is asking New Yorkers to share their stories of falling in love on a subway, train or bus.
They’ll post them on the New York Transit Museum Web site on Valentine’s Day.
“It isn’t surprising that people find love on the subways,” said museum spokeswoman Roxanne Robertson, adding that the MTA provides 2.6 billion trips each year on its subways, buses and railroads.
And many New Yorkers agree it’s a great place to hook up.
“I usually don’t approach girls like that, but if I saw someone I wanted to talk to, I definitely would,” said Anthony Faulhaber, a 29-year-old salesman from Howard Beach, Queens.
“I believe that love can be found in the most weirdest places,” said Annie James, 40, a retired commodities trader from Canarsie, Brooklyn. “You just need to be at the right place at the right time.”
To share your story, visit www.transitmuseumstore.com/subwaystories.
