I agree - a lot of the time it’s quicker to take a cab.
The 1980s called. They want their stereotype back.
I’m not saying it never happens, but if you think this is a routine occurrence on NYC Subways, i submit you haven’t spent much time in the city recently.
My thoughts exactly.
Trying to get a cab in the rain is a fools errand. Only way it happens is one lets out passengers right where you are, or if you are one of the lucky few to grab one right when it starts raining
It depends on where you’re going. If your starting and ending points are both near the same subway line, the subway will probably be faster. If not, the cab may be faster. About 20 years ago , I worked on W 31 st and 8th Ave. After work , I had classes at E 23 and Park Ave South. By train, at least a half hour and two transfers. By cab, about 10 minutes and $5.
It does depend to a certain extent. And in your example, you’re just going east a few avenues and a little south. East/West travel is the slowest kind of travel for the subway unless you’re in one of a few spots. It’s worth noting that your 10 min. cab ride is also a 10-15 min. walk. 
I take them to get to the train station late at night. Those trains are only hourly, and the subway can have a huge time variance depending on whether you get lucky. I’ve spent enough hours sitting on the floor in Grand Central Terminal to be willing to spend the $8 to get to my train on time.
Also, the cabs are wicked fast late at night. They’re pretty much the only ones on the road. It’s like NASCAR.
I’m not rich, and I don’t live in NYC, but when I was single I’d often walk to a pub that was about a mile away and stay until fairly late in the evening. Sometimes I’d take a cab home if I felt too tired to walk, or if I wanted to ride all the way to a coffeehouse that was on the other side of where I lived, though it wasn’t a safety issue necessarily. Just something which at the time was convenient enough that I would decide to spend the money.
Oh, come on. That’s so 1970s.
I love it when they hit the lights up the East Side and you can see them unfurling, red to green all the way up. A fun cruise.