8/4/2017 0 Comments Tales of the NYC SubwayOh the NYC subway...Where do I even begin? I apologize if what I'm about to write might seem a bit harsh but I am doing so because of experience. I have been living in New York City for two months now and honestly, it doesn't feel like that at all. Every day there is something different going on in the City that Never Sleeps: Whether it is street performances done by locals, a food fair, DJ Khaled arriving at the Sony building surrounded by thousands of screaming fans, or the New York Philharmonic playing in Central Park on a Tuesday evening, wherever you are in the city I'm sure there is something going on.
Now, getting there is the real adventure. Sure you have the obvious means of transportation which are: walking, driving (not recommended), renting a bicycle (or using your own) or riding an Uber, Lyft, Via or Curb. But the real big daddy of them all: the subway!! Choosing to take the subway to go anywhere in New York City is not a hard decision to make. The subway lines go from The Bronx to Downtown Manhattan; to Queens; to Brooklyn; even to JFK Airport. Convenient, right? Well, let me tell you what you don't see in movies and TV shows: Disabled carts, overcrowding of people, running to make sure you don't miss your train, LEARNING the subway map itself, understanding which lines are express and which ones are local, the constant reality of having someone stand an inch apart from you, train traffic (yeah, there is such a thing), train jams, and the scorching heat that inundates the entire subway platform. Now, it may appear as if I'm complaining about the subway system, which in a way I am and believe there is a planet room for improvement but let me highlight the pros about taking the subway on a daily basis. Since there are more than 10 different lines that take you anywhere around the city, you don't necessarily have to take a specific line to get where you want. Unless, of course, you want to go to a place like Columbia University, which you need to take line 1 to 116th St., but you can also take the B and C lines to the same street and walk over. This is if you like walking around and really experiencing the city to its full capacity. Most people (meaning myself), prefer to take a ride to my desired location directly. It is true, there are some interesting, weird, odd, and just plain crazy sh*t that goes on every day on the subway:
Per the MTA website the fare for a one way ride is $2.75. You pay by purchasing a metro card available at each station. Metro cards can also be used to take local bus rides. In addition, the MTA also provides good deals for those that live in the city or are temporarily living staying over the summer, like myself. Here are some of the deals they have:
Another factor to keep in mind is weekends...Oh, I love (hate) taking the subway during weekends. In general, this is when the city decides to do most of their construction and repairs. It doesn't make sense how, in a city of 8.5 million people where 4.3 million ride the subway every day, the city decides to massively slow down, and sometimes shut down lines in order to make repairs. This causes a lot of problems not only for me but for locals and tourist alike. You have to pay close attention to what the MTA workers say on the platforms, if they say anything at all. Occasionally there will be an announcement updating people about the different services the metro will be providing on a given day. There are also wallpapers on each platform with details about which services will or will not be working for a specific date. The good news is you can avoid having this headache. Here are some apps that I found useful for the NYC Subway:
Overall, living in New York City is an adventure of itself. There is no other city like it and every day is bound to expose you to something new, exciting and fun because in the City that Never Sleeps, adventure is just around the corner, literally.
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