There is an Amazing Instagram Page Dedicated Solely to New England Payphones
Gather round children and we will tell you of a time before smartphones, a time when payphones were necessary.
Back in the day, if you broke down on the side of the road, you'd need to find and use a payphone to call for help and that was one of many things we'd use payphones for in a land before time.
It's extremely rare to spot a payphone in 2022, but they are out there. In fact, there is an entire Instagram account dedicated solely to New England payphones called @newenglandpayphones.
Once I found the page, it's all I could look at and one of the newer photos caught my eye because it had a hashtag that read "danbury." Furthermore, I recognized the specific person who was credited with taking the photo. Her name is Michelle Tuosto or @m_t_box_designs on Instagram.
Michelle just happens to be a listener of my radio show (The Ethan & Lou Show on I-95) and interacts often with our Instagram account (@i95rock). Once I saw she was behind the original photo I reached out to get more information because I live in Danbury and I don't remember seeing one anywhere.
Michelle informed me that it was tagged wrong, she actually took the picture in Bedford, NY. Mistakes happen and Bedford isn't not all that far from Danbury, meaning we know where it is. Michelle is a photographer, digital marketing manager, web designer and graphic designer.
I love my listeners, many are very artistic, intelligent people who work really hard. Even though there was a bit of a mix up with the location of that photo, this Instagram page is one of my new favorites, I'm a nostalgia sucker and I have a real special place in my heart for defunct tech so a whole page about payphones is right up my alley. Below are some of my favorite from @newenglandpayphones
This one is from New Hampshire and if you were in trouble on this road back in the day, you were probably shocked to find this lifeline in the middle of nowhere.
This phone on from I-95 has seen better days and become a billboard for bands with no ad budget.
I'd love to take my dad up to Ayer, MA to use this payphone. He's a loud talker so I could do an experiment to see if he could wake the dead.
What is better than a payphone? A complete phone booth like this beauty from Ispwich, MA.
This one is from our beloved Nutmeg State, North Haven, CT to be specific.
This pic is from Bread Loaf, VT and is where I'd shoot my next music video, if only I were a musician.
This payphone sits outside the famous Ding Ho Restaurant in Boston, MA. The Ding Ho is where many famous comedians got there start. Comedians like Lenny Clarke, Stephen Wright and Denis Leary spent many nights on stage at the Ding Ho before they were household names.
Big shout out to the person or persons behind this Instagram account. If you ever find an offbeat social media account that focuses on people or places from CT & NY, that you think I should see, don't hesitate to reach out to me.
The easiest way to get in touch is to use the "chat" feature on the I-95 Rock Mobile app which is free to download at Google Play or the App store.
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