I read alot of stories about ther NYC subways. Good things likeperformers doing Star Wars, Dancers, and musicians holding jam sessions.Of course some pretty bad things like “body fluids”, crazy people, robberies, assaults, and lots of graffiti.
So what is it like to ride the NYC subway everyday?
Some questions:
and 5. What is your most interesting NYC subway story?
That system has been getting rode hard and put away wet 24/7, for a century now in some places, and you can tell. At the same time this gives to some parts of it a certain almost steampunkish cachet. You certainly don’t want to eat off those floors, especially not at the platforms. But it’s not wading in filth. Well, not the people at least, I won’t speak for the rats down in the track level.
The dystopian hellscapeimage of NYC imprinted upon Middle American culture by 70s and 80s movies was largely dealt with during the 1990s and 2000s. Oh, the vandals and heathens keep trying to do their thing but no worse than anywhere else, and the taggers are kept in line, the train cars look just boring now.
Almost no graffiti in the subway any more. Some on the ads in the station, and “scratchitti” on some of the subway doors, or on wooden bemches, but trains and pillars are kept clean now for at about 20 years.
I’d say 80-85% they’re timely, but regularly there are delays due to many factors.
I’ve seen amazing musicians and terrible ones. I’ve seen two guys, a blues harmonica player and a Chinese erhu (vertical violin like instrument), who usually were on different platforms, hook up to jam. I’ve seen an awful guy, solo with a guitar, belting out “My Generation” by the Who, working himself up to smashing his guitar, but he couldn’t really because it was probably his most valuable possession and livelihood (such as it was), so he just screamed and yelled while pantoming smashing the guitar, keeping it a few inches off the ground as he air-chopped.
Most interesting subway story? Maybe the time a construction worker on a crowded train pulled a knife on a guy who was groping his ass. I could’ve sworn there was no space to move on that train, suddenly there was five feet around them. After the groper looked like he’d shit his pants, the guy growled that he’d be getting off at the next stop, “your stop or no stop”.
That was in the late 1980s. Only violence I’ve seen since then have been shoving matches as tempers flare from overcrowding. Though once a lady started doing full on snap kicks at her opponent’s head, and other passengers pinned her down and called the cops.
In general I feel safe, but I’m a 6’2" 200 lbs dude. Even so, I’ve had my share of uneasy conversations or vibes, and just move to another car or get off to take another train.
Oh yeah, and one time as a teenager in the 1980s I felt like a guy was following me, so I got on a train, stood by the door, stepped out, walked down the platform a bit, then jumped back on to the train as the doors were closing, ditching Mr. Creepy, who stared at me through the door as the train pulled out.
Funniest thing I’ve sen in the subway: a rat scurried up onto the platform (they usually are visible on the tracks) and started running along the edge where people stand. It was a little like watching people do The Wave at a sports arena, as a ripple of people screaming and jumping backward moved toward me. Until it reached one woman slightly more oblivious than the earlier folks, who didn’t notice the oncoming hubbub, until the rat apparently ran over her foot. She screamed, and KICKED… The rat was airborne… Clear across the tracks to the platform on the other side. People who had been watching with amusement stopped laughing and scrambled to get out of the way.
The rat rolled with it, shook it off, then wisely scurried under the platform, denying me the satisfaction of engaging in a game of Rat Soccer against those Uptown bound clods.
How many people applauded?
The subway is, generally, fine. It’s getting worse, though. More people are riding it than at any time in the past 60 years, and nobody seems interested in actually maintaining it. On-time performance has been drastically reduced due to failing tracks and signals, and significant service cuts from 2010 have never been restored.
But don’t worry. We’re getting a 2nd Ave line. Of three stations. 90 years late.
The first time I rode the subway was during the summer of 1981. My company sent me to work in our Manhattan office for a couple of months. I had to go to the World Trade Center from our mid-town office. Two note-worthy things happened during my first trip. First, as soon as the train left the station, the lights went out. Total darkness, a car full of strangers, and me a rube from Baltimore. I was terrified. The lights worked sporadically throughout that ride. The second thing was that a busker entered my car. He was not playing guitar or harmonica or violin. This dude had a couple of steel drums on a strap around his neck and was playing them LOUD. People were giving him money to move to another car.
I was just in NYC for a week doing tourist stuff, and I found the subway totally fine. I was not following a schedule, but I never had to wait for a train more than 5 mins and all of them were clean.
One thing I’m sure every New Yorker already knows is never to use a subway restroom, at least not the one on Delancey St. I saw things in the women’s restroom that I can NEVER unsee.
I’ve been groped on subways in D. C., London, Paris, and Moscow, but never on the New York subway.
It has a characteristic smell of people, food, metal, wet grime, and exhaust settling from above. The cars’ brakes make a characteristic sound, which you can hear at the end of 9th & Hennepin by Tom Waits. Cars often stop in tunnels for no apparent reason. Sometimes these stops last several minutes.
Something about Manhattan in general is that there are always a dozen people watching what’s happening to you, and that creates a sort of safety net. I would never go into a subway car with only one or two other people. In one with a lot of people in it, I’ve always felt perfectly safe.
Having told my story from long ago, I guess I should tell about my more recent impressions.
When my wife and I travel to NYC for fun, we stay in New jersey or Brooklyn and use public transportation. We enjoy the subway. We generally have no problem figuring out what trains to take or when to get off. We have always felt safe in the stations and on the trains. Despite the image some have of New Yorkers (Can you tell me how to get to the Empire State Building, or should I just go fuck myself?), we have had no problem getting advice from fellow riders.
In one instance, we were on a local train in Brooklyn and there was a family from eastern Europe trying to get to Kennedy airport. They were on the right line but the wrong train, and they spoke no English. All they could do is show people their airline tickets. Everyone on that train tried to help them using the map on the wall and gestures. Finally a guy volunteered to get off of the train with them and get back on the train they needed. It was heart-warming.
I’ve always felt safe on the NYC subway, mostly because there have always been plenty of people around. Even pretty late at night.
To me, the most interesting thing is the cross-section of humanity you see. People of all races and colors and lifestyles and nationalities. Plus a fair share of total freaks. Endless variety of people-watching.
Two shocking things in this thread:
There hasn’t been major graffiti in decades, I’m always surprised people think it still looks like it did back in the 70’s.
There was an open restroom? I’ve never seen one open. Not that I’d go in there if I did.
Every time I relate this anecdote, I wish to God I could go back to that moment and shout “GOOOOOAAAALLLLLLLLLL” 
[QUOTE=friedo]
The subway is, generally, fine. It’s getting worse, though. More people are riding it than at any time in the past 60 years, and nobody seems interested in actually maintaining it. On-time performance has been drastically reduced due to failing tracks and signals, and significant service cuts from 2010 have never been restored.
But don’t worry. We’re getting a 2nd Ave line. Of three stations. 90 years late.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, trains are more crowded, which leads to more opportunities for delays as trains have to stay in the station while people get on and off, and more opportunities for door holding, sick passengers, and so on. “Signal problems” happen all the time, too.
The experience of riding into Manhattan from an “outer borough” like Queens or Brooklyn is getting noticeably worse, too, and the plans (which I hope do not happen) to “incentivize” even more mass transit use by putting tolls on free East River bridges will make it even more crowded.
Well, time was when a pillar on the platform could easily be mistaken for a men’s room urinal…
Yeah, the men’s restroom was closed. I don’t know why the women’s one was open, because it contained the stuff of nightmares. I’m seeking therapy.
It is intimidating because it is confusing and has a reputation for being unsafe but it is pretty safe since it is usually very crowded. It is an affordable way to get around the city (although parts of New York are more accessible than others).
It does, in my experience, often smell like pee though.
I’ve ridden the subways nearly every day of my life since 1973. They are markedly better than they were in the bad old days, but things are slipping a bit. A lot of the slippage has to do with long-deferred maintenance, so I guess we have to accept that, but still, I’ve noticed some deterioration. Not in safety, though – I haven’t felt unsafe on the subway in many years.
Here’s a story that I enjoyed from last week’s Daily News:
I wouldn’t know what on time is. As far as frequency goes, it’s generally ok. If my specific train is taking too long I’ll take another train to where I can transfer. Once you know the system you can figure out your plan Bs and Cs.
As for cleanliness, the platforms and trains are ok with the exception of the occasional spilled liquid or bottle that rolls around the train car. Some stations are in better shape than others by a wide margin. The tracks are pretty awful-looking and you are better off not gazing upon them for too long. The system is old and run down so I think someone coming from a newer and cleaner system would gasp at what New Yorkers wouldn’t give a second thought to.
I’ve seen some really memorable musical performances on subway platforms. Not very often but some truly golden moments. My wife recruited our wedding band from a regular subway performer at her station.
The times I feel unsafe are when a platform is way too crowded and people just keep pouring in.
Back in the crack days I was on the train on a Saturday morning and it was pretty empty. There was a guy in a corner who, when he lit his crack pipe, put his comic book in front of his face so no one would see. Which was fine except the walls of the car were stainless steel and gave off a nice warm glow.
It’s an olfactory delight.
Arent there custodians who have to clean them?
