# What is the NYC subway like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936 "2016-06-21T02:34:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/41 "2016-06-23T13:51:55Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > …Is this because of construction, or what? I haven’t been there in a few years. I was impressed by them, both the height of some of them, the arching tops, and just in general the entrances and exits were grand compared to NYC. NYC subways are rather utilitarian. Metro is suffering from years of deferred maintenance. The federal government has threatened to take it over and long sections of it are being take off line for repairs and ridership is down (one recent report called Metro’s loss of rider confidence and decreasing fares a death spiral). At the same time, there have been a number of high profile crimes including a guy being kicked/stabbed to death in the middle of the day on a packed train last 4th of July as well as a series of fires on the lines. My colleagues and I refer to it as the Thunderdome. It’s also incredibly dark in the stations which make seeing the decay hard. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/42 "2016-06-23T13:53:29Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Metro is suffering from years of deferred maintenance. The federal government has threatened to take it over and long sections of it are being take off line for repairs and ridership is down (one recent report called Metro’s loss of rider confidence and decreasing fares a death spiral). At the same time, there have been a number of high profile crimes including a guy being kicked/stabbed to death in the middle of the day on a packed train last 4th of July as well as a series of fires on the lines. My colleagues and I refer to it as the Thunderdome. It’s also incredibly dark in the stations which make seeing the decay hard. Yes, I’ve heard of the maintenance, which I submit is an absolute necessity! They should not have deferred it for so long. I think when it all came out people realized how necessary it was that they are always doing maintenance of the NYC subway. But perhaps it will eventually be better? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/43 "2016-06-23T14:17:42Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Yes, I’ve heard of the maintenance, which I submit is an absolute necessity! They should not have deferred it for so long. I think when it all came out people realized how necessary it was that they are always doing maintenance of the NYC subway. > > But perhaps it will eventually be better? I agree with the repairs, too. I am a fan of the new CEO of Metro, he is one of the few adults in the room in public life in the DC area. The problem is that Metro has no dedicated funding source, each cycle VA, MD, and DC decide how much to give it and it’s never enough; so the new maintenance won’t last and Metro will continue its fiery death rattle. In short, I’d kill for the NYC subway system. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/44 "2016-06-23T14:32:28Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I agree with the repairs, too. I am a fan of the new CEO of Metro, he is one of the few adults in the room in public life in the DC area. The problem is that Metro has no dedicated funding source, each cycle VA, MD, and DC decide how much to give it and it’s never enough; so the new maintenance won’t last and Metro will continue its fiery death rattle. In short, I’d kill for the NYC subway system. Yes, that is a problem. I get really mad when I hear stuff like this. It’s the GODDAMN CAPITAL, it had better be tip-top. And it shouldn’t be just VA, MD, and DC paying for it. It should be every state paying a little bit, to divide the cost up. How much federal money goes to it? I really don’t know, and I tried to google it but all I got back was complaints about the repairs. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/45 "2016-06-23T14:41:13Z")
It’s like a little slice of Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/46 "2016-06-23T22:09:09Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’m not sure why that would be hard to believe. That’s a fairly common thing to do with panhandlers. I just thought it was unusual to see so many on the subway. **Non** -perishable food? I find that unusual. How would the panhandler cook the food? > [@Eyebrows 0f Doom](#): > > Here’s a tip for those who have never rode the subway before - If a crowded train enters the station, never get on the one empty car. It’s empty for a reason. Your nose will thank you. Or your core body temp. Ah, a nice empty car – oh, yeah, because the A/C is broken. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/47 "2016-06-23T22:50:27Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Metro is suffering from years of deferred maintenance. The federal government has threatened to take it over and long sections of it are being take off line for repairs and ridership is down (one recent report called Metro’s loss of rider confidence and decreasing fares a death spiral). At the same time, there have been a number of high profile crimes including a guy being kicked/stabbed to death in the middle of the day on a packed train last 4th of July as well as a series of fires on the lines. My colleagues and I refer to it as the Thunderdome. It’s also incredibly dark in the stations which make seeing the decay hard. Yeah. They refuse to turn on any fucking lights down there. Riding the DC Metro is like spelunking in a brutalist movie theater. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/48 "2016-06-23T23:23:07Z")
I also like the entrances to the NYC subway. Most of them those small entrances with that gate around it and the sign above with those little circled numbers and letters. Truly iconic. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/49 "2016-06-24T00:50:14Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > **Non** -perishable food? I find that unusual. How would the panhandler cook the food? I assume it’s something like granola bars or what have you. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/50 "2016-06-24T15:12:37Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Yeah. They refuse to turn on any fucking lights down there. Riding the DC Metro is like spelunking in a brutalist movie theater. I just had to post these pics from last night’s rush hour on Metro. Literally how I picture hell: > **[L’enfer at L’Enfant Last Night - PoPville](https://www.popville.com/2016/06/lenfer-at-lenfant-dc-metro/#comments)** > > L'Enfant Plaza, 5:35pm. Photo by Nadine L'Enfant Plaza 5:25pm photo by @baseballot Nathaniel Rakich tweets us: ‏ "I've been to almost 100 #Nats games and I've never seen L'Enfant Plaza this crowded." L'Enfant Plaza 5:38pm photo by Helen Bradshaw... ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/51 "2016-06-24T15:58:31Z")
As long as we’ve hijacked this thread to complain about DC’s metro, I think we should include the recent [waterfall](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/06/21/metro-trains-bypassing-cleveland-park-due-to-flooding/) in the Cleveland Park station. As for NYC… I’ve successfully navigated subways in Chicago, DC, Boston, London, Paris, Tokyo, and Singapore. (And BART - do we count that?) But I always end up going the wrong way in New York, or getting on the express instead of the local, or something like that. I think I’d have to live there for a little while to get the hang of it. I’ve never worried about safety - only getting terribly lost. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/52 "2016-06-24T16:29:12Z")
Pro-Tip: the local tracks are on the outside. The expresses are in the middle. Usually. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/53 "2016-06-24T16:50:34Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I just had to post these pics from last night’s rush hour on Metro. Literally how I picture hell: > > [L’enfer at L’Enfant Last Night - PoPville](http://www.popville.com/2016/06/lenfer-at-lenfant-dc-metro/#comments) My first trip on the Metro, I had just been to see Batman in the Union Station theaters. It was the 1989 Tim Burton/Michael Keaton universe. I left the theater and went into the station to go home. The feeling of the ceilings and the drab color – it felt like a continuation of the mood of the movie! ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/54 "2016-06-24T17:27:26Z")
The last time I rode the NYC subway was in the 50’s. You paid a fare to enter the system, and could ride it all day and all night for the same token. Is that still true? Or, do you pay for the distance? ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/55 "2016-06-24T18:46:16Z")
> [@mack](#): > > 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. #5. Back in the (early) crack days I was on a moderately crowded #7 train at Grand Central during afternoon rush hour when a down-and-out guy was walking up to folks with his pipe announcing…“Know what this is? This is CRACK!!!” and proceeded to light up right in their faces. Needless to say, everyone was backed up to the car walls. Most of the time I rode the subway without incident…being shoved in to an already crowded car was never fun, but you got used to it. The worst was standing on a platform in 95+ degree heat in a suit and raincoat waiting for a late train. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/56 "2016-06-24T19:08:13Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > The last time I rode the NYC subway was in the 50’s. > > You paid a fare to enter the system, and could ride it all day and all night for the same token. Is that still true? Yes, still true. Except now you pay $2.75 instead of a nickel. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/57 "2016-06-24T19:22:13Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > Most of the time I rode the subway without incident…being shoved in to an already crowded car was never fun, but you got used to it. The worst was standing on a platform in 95+ degree heat in a suit and raincoat waiting for a late train. Sweat rolling down the small of your back – ah! > [@Ukelele Ike](#): > > Yes, still true. Except now you pay $2.75 instead of a nickel. Is it all Metrocards now, and no tokens? Or something even more advanced? I left NYC as Metrocards were being phased in. I think a trip was about $1.50 still. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/58 "2016-06-24T20:20:46Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Is it all Metrocards now, and no tokens? Or something even more advanced? I left NYC as Metrocards were being phased in. I think a trip was about $1.50 still. Only Metrocards now. The Metrocard was introduced so that the MTA could raise fares whenever they felt like it. With the coin token, they had to mint millions of them every time the fare went up. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/59 "2016-06-24T20:55:17Z")
I have a jar of NYC subway tokens, going back to when they were 15 cents (and remained that price for years and years). My favorites are the ones with the cut-out “Y”. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936/60 "2016-06-24T21:10:14Z")
I like those too, but my top choice would be the brass one with the nickel “bullseye” in the center. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nyc-subway-like/757936.md?page=4)