M Train

Smith only ever refers to Hurricane Sandy as “Sandy.” The storm, which hit the Caribbean and the east coast of the United States and Canada in late October of 2012, killed over 200 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. It was one of the most powerful and destructive Atlantic storms in recorded history. As Smith mentions in M Train, New York City suffered extensive damage during the storm. The Metropolitan Transit Authority stated that it was the worst disaster in the subway’s history, with seven subway tunnels flooding. Coastal areas in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island were particularly hard hit, and 53 people across New York State died in the storm (“Deaths Associated With Hurricane Sandy—October-November 2012.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 May 2013).

Smith lives in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood on the lower west side of Manhattan. It is known for its connection to the arts and counterculture movements; several of the Beat poets, some prominent LGBT activists, and many other artistic and counterculture groups lived there starting in the 1960s. Greenwich Village is known for its long history of bohemian and counterculture locales, such as the Stonewall Inn, where the Stonewall Riots took place in 1969. Caffe Dante, which Smith mentions in M Train, has been frequented by artists and writers since 1915, and her favorite café, Café ‘Ino, served the neighborhood from 1998-2013.

She buys a bungalow on Rockaway Beach, an oceanside neighborhood in Queens. It occupies a thin peninsula to the south and contains the largest urban beach in the United States. Like many waterfront areas of New York City, it suffered severe damage during Hurricane Sandy. Along with damage to homes and businesses, it took six months for subway service to be restored to the Rockaways after the storm (“N.Y. MTA restores train service to Rockaways after Sandy." Metro Magazine. 30 May 2013).

The Killing is an American television show that ran from 2011 until 2014. It is a remake of the Danish crime series Forbrydelsen. The Danish version stars a detective named Sarah Lund, whose American counterpart is called Sarah Linden. The Killing was canceled twice: once after its second season and once after its third, though it was revived both times. Smith describes her experiences watching both versions of the show. After publishing M Train, Smith was offered a cameo in the show’s fourth and final season.