Extreme Makeover: Subway Edition

museum.jpg It was with some surprise that Toronto’s transit system made it in Metro Arts’s top 40 prettiest subways, although frankly I don’t think we hold a candle to Moscow or Athens or even Portland.

On that note, it’s reported that the TTC is considering jazzing up three of their subway stations for the tourists, starting with Museum, and tentatively Osgoode and St. Patrick. As you can see, Museum gets faux mummies – which doesn’t look bad on paper, although it’s quite the departure from your typical abstract, low-key tile artwork the TTC is famous for. Opinions are mixed, with avid fans of the Vitrolite tiling disapproving the proposed renovations.

For the record, I don’t really mind the proposals, although I’m a traditionalist when it comes to St. Patrick’s: it’s gotta stay green.

But why Museum, and why not the cramped and dark confines of Union? Or Yorkdale, whose greenhouse roof leaks every time it rains? I figure it’s because the downtown University-Spadina line needs to attract more riders. In addition, this may mean less vandalism: Museum supposedly has the least crime of all the subway stops. How long are you willing to bet until someone sticks their Bubble-licious in King Tut’s eye?