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The SEPTA Subway Smell, Explained

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Philly's Johnny Goodtimes took an out-of-town friend on a tour of SEPTA, which amply proved itself worthy of its recent award, according to his hilarious account of their adventures. And thankfully, it resolves a longstanding municipal mystery:


... We got off the bus at Broad and South (“You two have a great day, now!” said the driver as we stepped off the stairs.) We immediately headed down into the subway station. No sooner had we descended than my friend asked the inevitable question: “What’s that smell?”

“Lavender,” I answered. “They use a lavender-scented biodegradable cleansing agent to keep the walls and floors clean.”

“Well, it smells terrific!” he shouted. We went down the stairs, then headed up to the gentleman in the booth. My friend asked the man if he could sell him some tokens. The man quickly and eagerly did so. When my friend came back to me, he said, “Wow, that guy was great. I’ll be honest, for a second there I thought he’d just keep staring at his Daily News and pretend like I wasn’t there."

“Hahahahaha!” I laughed out loud (or LOL, for short). “Could you imagine!”

· Riding SEPTA Is More Luxe Than a Private Jet [PhillyPost]