Red Light, Green Light, GO!

Red Light, Green Light, GO! 


The pulse of New York City lies within the Subway system. 

Like the veins of this concrete, steel, and glass commune the miles rushed with constant abandon 24/7. 

New York, ‘the City that never sleeps.’

Color coded and calculated over 800 miles of tracks, trains churning, intrepid, pushing the system to capacity. 

Uptown, Downtown, yes, ‘all around the town’ like life’s blood goes local and express. 

Twenty-four hours out of each day, everyday, the Subway system flows. 

The soul of the system organized by colors, numbers, letters a language of its own. 

Red Light, Green Light, GO! 

With all of its complexities it is very simple to learn. 

First things first, entrances with a green globes constant, inviting in the day and in the night. 


Red globes shine in the darkness, gated for your safety and salvation, Yo,

check around the corner you will find a green light.

Tank You Very Much

A question on my tour, “the purpose of the cisterns atop so many buildings?” 

My response, “Water does not naturally run up.” They are meant to equalize the water pressure for building six floors or more so that one can flush ones toilet. This is just one of their purposes.  

Peppered along the skyline throughout The City, these rustic water tanks or cisterns seem a thing of the past but this is not the case. Started by a barrel maker in the 1800s, as building were getting taller, they continue to be manufactured today. 

Built like a barrel, the wood is a natural insulator and fitted together in a tongue and grove fashion so that no nails are used to puncture the shell. Instead, metal tape or cables wraps the exterior, tightly wound at the bottom to top creating a compression system. Water fills the wooden structure making the wood panels swell naturally becoming watertight. 

To me, I find them to be an urban, romantic element of the place I call home and sometimes, when something is technologically sound, change is not necessary. As they say, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” If it leaks, time for a new one. 

Two companies continue to manufacture and maintain over 10,000 to 15,000 tanks throughout the city, Rosenwach Tanks and Isseks Brothers. 

The Name

When starting a business, the name is very important. It is the first clue into understanding the reality of the business. I expected to use my name because it is the most common acknowledgement with every group. I planned to call this business, “Sean Sellers Tours.”
Within this world wide with the web, in 2003 I Googled my name. I shared what I discovered with a friend and my friend said, “use your middle initial.”
First of all, no one knows my middle name and therefore, just putting a ‘W’ in the middle dose not help when searching the world wide web in order to find me.
When I Googled my name, I found a Satin worshiper from Colorado, who robbed a convenience store, and killed his parents.
I am from Alabama and for five Google pages I found that Sean R. Sellers, a fugitive in 1984, was one of the individuals to be ‘wanted’ on the first episode of the nationally syndicated TV show “America’s Most Wanted.”
This guy is a celebrity on the internet.
Trying to make sure that I am conducting business as an upstanding member of the community, I had to come up with the name.
No, I did not change my name, I brainstormed.
New York City in 2003, this city was overwhelmed. The Subway system was transitioning from the ‘coin,’ token to this thing called the MetroCard.
We were not accepting the change.
Riding the Subway, we always needed one token to get through the turnstile so we could get anywhere in town. All it ever took at that time was one token and you could experience everything this city had to offer.
I continued to brainstorm and New York City was in transition. Change is difficult. We were fighting this whole reality that a card will replace heavy pockets full of coins, tokens, that can only be used to enter the Subway.
Really, a card? I was buying tokens like a dime bag on the streets.
It happened, the MTA changed all of the turnstiles so that no longer do we insert one token to get anywhere in New York, we swipe a card. No longer could we fight it, this MetroCard becomes the standard. I don’t want the history to be lost so I named this company, “One Token Tours.”

We make NYC as easy as the Subway system, A, B, C and 1, 2, 3.

Favorite Photos

Going Green

Pros vs. Cons? Seems like we have a lot of issues regarding public programs these days...

New York is going green, well as green as a city of this size can. This past Memorial weekend 2013 a bike share program was initiated. Join the program, get a key, and on your way. 

Public programs are always met with resistance and this one is no different particularly here. If you have experienced the streets of New York, the gridlock, the crowded sidewalks, the masses, it is important to see a government program try to bring relief. It is too early to tell if it is going to be successful because the streets here can be unforgiving. 

I like living here for the simple reason that I don’t need a car. I haven’t had a car in over 22 years. I don’t have to deal with parking, oil changes, and my only concern about the price of gas is regarding the toll it is taking on our society and earthly resources. Therefore, giving it a chance is my attitude. 

A walking tour is a specialty at One Token Tours. 

The Food Experience no. 3

Tomato & Lentil Soup w/ Samosas 

        When I first moved to New York, my mother said to me, she said, “Sean, I know that you will talk to a brick wall, I want you to go to dinner with a college classmate of mine that lives up there.” I said, “OK.” 

We made it a date. Being so new to ‘the city’ I said, “you choose,” thinking she would pick a burger joint or something simple until we were standing in the doorway of an Indian Restaurant. I was a little overwhelmed. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

We were seated immediately and I was handed a menu that I could not understand. It was at this moment that I had to have a little conversation with my 25 year old self and in my head, I said, “Sean, you are an adult now and you have to eat what is put before you.” 

Rebecca, my mothers classmate noticed that I was unfamiliar with the food. I said, “you’re going to have to order for me because I don’t know what this is and she said, “what do you like?” In a heavy southern accent I said, “chicken.” My Mom’s friend ordered everything with chicken; however, lamb is the protein for this cultural cuisine. 

Today, my neighbor Helga and I wondered into Little India not far from our apartment building here in the East Village because I had a craving for some Chicken Tikka Masala. It brought me back to that lovely moment and I remember those first dishes, they looked strange but my goodness were they good!

We enjoyed the lunch special that offered appetizers of Samosa, no not the champagne drink, Mimosa. A Samosa is a pastry filled with a light curry blend of vegetables or beef. The soup was a delicious surprise, a mildly spiced tomato, lentil puree. 

I think it is true that one must be brave to try new things and I thank my friend Rebecca for helping me along the way and my Mom too. Thanks Mom! 

Now, lets talk about the Chicken Tikka Masala, yum! It is a plate of velvet and Basmati rice. The cubes of chicken marinates in yogurt before being combined with tomato and exotic spices, the orange color is so intense. It is creamy heaven. If you like spicy go with a Vindaloo. Don’t discredit the Sag or Saag, depends on the region, it doesn’t look pretty but it sure is tasty. 

I love Indian Food and let me share with you they eat with there hands and they know how to sop it up, the breads are an integral part of each meal. Naan or poori two different breads that will not disappoint. 

Join me at One Token Tours and let’s try something new.  

New York is for Lovers