# The New York subway system **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 27, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098 "2013-03-27T13:55:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/61 "2013-03-28T19:17:38Z")
[This](http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/192483/32-raw-gritty-pictures-of-the-nyc-subway-in-the-late-70s-and-early-80s/) is a small sample of what the subway cars looked like in the 1970’s. It’s come a long way. Still, the stations you see in the most visited parts of Manhattan are a far cry from some of the more remote stations in the other boroughs. There are still a lot of dark, dirty, graffiti covered dumps in the system. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/62 "2013-03-28T19:17:57Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Yeah, I get the impression that the 70s were pretty bad, though I qualify that by saying I have no actual experience of it. But I readily agree that, as a tourist at least, I can walk around Manhattan without feeling fear today - including walking through Central Park. I’ve lived in NY all my life, except for a few years. Yes, it was really bad here in the 70s and 80s. It was horrible. But it’s nothing like that now. It really is safe, except for some rough neighborhoods that are really pretty much off the beaten path (unless you’re unfortunate enough to be poor in NYC, and live there, which really, really sucks). You can walk through the park. You can walk all over the city. I’ve walked all over town (and not just in Manhattan) with my out-of-town nieces and nephews without ever worrying about their safey (although it was a lot of work to convince their mother that it was OK). ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/63 "2013-03-28T19:19:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I have to say the wife and I loved the NYC subway system when we rode it last year. We never had any problems riding it over a period of eight or nine days. I have to say how impressed I was with the Bangkok subway (and skytrain) when I spent a couple of months there a few years ago. It was clean and quiet and safe, and at least when I was there, always worked and ran on time. I liked the buses, too. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/64 "2013-03-28T19:53:28Z")
Seriously, other than 34th St’s function as my Escherian nemesis and the environmental conditions underground in mid/late Summer, the NY Subway reliably and safely takes me where I need to go when I need to go there and now and then throws in something just to keep us alert. And it’s fascinating that the dystopian vision of NYC has been so memorable even a quarter century into the course correction. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/65 "2013-03-28T20:02:08Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > And it’s fascinating that the dystopian vision of NYC has been so memorable even a quarter century into the course correction. I think it is because it has worked its way so memorably into movies and magazines of the time. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/66 "2013-03-28T22:18:09Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > (I thought this pit was going to be about that idiot last night who tried to _walk across_ the subway tracks and got killed by an uptown 2 train, shutting down service to the Upper West Side for several hours.) My co-worker was a witness to that. I moved to New York from the DC area and found the trains very easy to figure out. I have been tripped up by the N and the R, but it was my own fault for not making sure I knew where I was going. I think the stations are pretty clearly marked as are the exits (NW, SW, etc.) In some stations (the stop for the 1 at 137th St for example) the map is on the actual platform, but they’re usually outside where the metro card machines are. As others have mentioned, nothing wrong with checking a map. I look at maps sometimes and I’ve lived here for nearly 6 years. I’m not sure what it is, but I get motion sickness on the DC metro (not full on barfing, but I’m very uncomfortable) whereas I don’t have a problem on the NYC subway. It’s odd. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/67 "2013-03-28T22:46:38Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > My first reaction to the subway system was “Ooh, how neat, they made it so simple that anyone could find out how to get where they’re going”. The map is very easy to understand. > > You would maybe rather deal with [this?](http://www.gethoofing.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/parismetro.gif) or [this?](http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/8576/gesamtnetzberlinrerbsutui3.gif) You could probably put London in that group too. With no geographical confinements to contend with, the systems simply grew out in a seemingly haphazard way. It’s a lot like what we did with roads in L.A. during the previous century. That said, I found the Berlin and Paris metros quite user-friendly, and the latter even though I speak very little French. I haven’t experienced the New York subway, but I think there’s one aspect of it I’d have a little trouble getting used to: it’s my impression that you usually have to make sure you use the correct station entrance in order to get to the platform you need. Elsewhere you can usually reach all the platforms no matter where you enter the station. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/68 "2013-03-28T22:58:37Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > it’s my impression that you usually have to make sure you use the correct station entrance in order to get to the platform you need. Elsewhere you can usually reach all the platforms no matter where you enter the station. No, you can reach any platform from any entrance most of the time. The only exception is some small single-line stations where you can’t reverse directions without going outside. In those cases the entrance will clearly say e.g. “Downtown Only.” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/69 "2013-03-28T23:47:36Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I recently learned DC doesn’t offer any free bus transfers unless you buy Smarttrip which cost $10!!??. Weak sauce. The card is actually $5 and comes preloaded with $5 in fares. It also saves 20¢ per ride (35¢ for express) vs. cash. Free bus-to-bus transfers ended on 4 January 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/70 "2013-03-29T02:39:49Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > You have to be at the back of the train. Walk up the first set of stairs. The correct exit is to the right and there are escalators on the other side of the turnstile - that’s how you know you’re in the right spot. > > Heh. That used to be my exit in high school. > [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Washington Irving? I don’t think he’s that old. (I was the first class in the new building, but I did have the pleasure of spending some time at Beth Israel, and Union Square seems like it would be a bit of a hike.) > [@JRDelirious](#): > > And it’s fascinating that the dystopian vision of NYC has been so memorable even a quarter century into the course correction. “This place is not especially dangerous, and rather pleasant” isn’t going top be all that memorable, no. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/71 "2013-03-29T03:31:22Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > You have to be at the back of the train. Walk up the first set of stairs. The correct exit is to the right and there are escalators on the other side of the turnstile - that’s how you know you’re in the right spot. > > Heh. That used to be my exit in high school. I miss the old Union Square station with enormous snaking tunnels coming up from the L. I always wished I could ride a bike through them. Stuyvesant HS transfer from F at 14th St. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/72 "2013-03-29T03:41:31Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > If you never had a stank-ass bum sitting next to you, you didn’t get the real NY experience. We actually did! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/73 "2013-03-29T04:01:12Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > (I was the first class in the new building) Funny, 1993? me too. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/74 "2013-03-29T05:15:36Z")
Best user name/response of the year. ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/75 "2013-03-29T15:36:03Z")
Has graffiti just declined in general? I know better than to assert so off of only my experience, but I just see a lot less now than I used to (and I did not move into a gated suburb). Now, as Murphy’s Law dictates, I’m going to spy dozens of fresh examples on the bus ride home. But I’d be interested if anyone knows anything reliable about the incidence of graffiti. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/76 "2013-03-29T15:42:02Z")
A lot of municipalities have cracked down on graffiti. There are some trains and buses and such that have some kind of anti-graffiti coating. Also, in New York, the “quality of life” efforts include wiping out any graffiti as soon as it appears. So that’s a reason why you see a lot less. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/77 "2013-03-29T15:43:30Z")
There has been a deliberate, concerted effort to eliminate graffiti in the subway system since the mid-1990s. It started with aggressively painting over older cars and ordering newer ones in paint-resistant stainless steel. They also started being very aggressive about cleaning off and repainting and re-tiling stations. The goal was to not allow graffiti to gain a foothold ever again. In general they’ve been quite successful. You don’t see stuff like [this](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXCUUMaOQgo/TZUfcIRHvFI/AAAAAAAAAiU/X9IgD2EXuc8/s1600/800px-rome_subway_graffiti.jpg) anymore. The major challenge now appears to be “scratchiti,” where dolts etch their names into car windows with knives. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/78 "2013-03-29T17:46:16Z")
Ah, no, first class in the new building all four years, so '96. So many Stuy people here. Perhaps I should rethink my participation in SDMB… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/79 "2013-03-30T13:33:21Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > I have to say how impressed I was with the Bangkok subway (and skytrain) when I spent a couple of months there a few years ago. > > It was clean and quiet and safe, and at least when I was there, always worked and ran on time. > > I liked the buses, too. Bangkok’s skytrain and subway are good. Unfortunately, it will be many years before planned extensions make them comprehensive. Most places in the city you just can’t get to using them. Buses can be good, but I just take taxis anymore these days. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098/80 "2013-03-31T02:43:48Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > NYC’s system has 468 stations. Compare to DC’s 86 stations - yes New yorks system is five times larger - theres no such thing as a small job in the NYC subway. Elevators are certainly needed as well as other accessibility features (such as telecoil transmitters) and they are being added over time. My home station, 71st-Continental in Queens, is being renovated to add elevators right now. This involves closing the street and half the station entrances for more than a year. digging through the layers of NYC’s underground infrastructure without fucking it up is a huge task. > > However there are a minimum of 2 maps in every car. New Yorkers are also very helpful with directions. > > What’s funny is I find DC’s Metro signage totally incomprehensible. That used to be my stop too. I lived on Austin St. Ride the subway almost every day. Yes, the platforms need more maps. It is a remarkable system. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-york-subway-system/654098.md?page=5)