New York still in the past underground

It might be annoying to hear too many people talking on their cellphones in Shanghai's subway, but I became a bit desperate one day last week while riding the subway in New York, as there was no signal throughout the 40-minute ride and I wanted to inform a friend that I would be late for our meeting.

Years ago, coming from Shanghai where there is always a cellular signal available on the underground rail system, I was already puzzled why this great American city had no cellphone signal in its otherwise very efficient subway system.

In an age which people want to be connected all the time, New Yorkers seem to still live in the last century once they venture below ground.