Subway, New York City

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“The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence”
— from “The Sounds of Silence” by Paul Simon (1941-)

Fortunately, Mr. Simon’s song lyrics are not as true today as when he penned them in the 1960s. I have pictured here wall murals from the Lincoln Cener, West 66th Street Stop on the IRT Broadway local. Many subway stations have been renovated over the last decade and are quite attractive.

Use this stop to attend the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre.

Ride the subway as much as possible when visiting, or living, in New York City.

It is safe. It is faster than surface transport. It is affordable; one flat fair gets you wherever you want to travel.

Maps are available at token booths. It is an easy system to master.

Brought the 7 day pass for unlimited travel on the Subway and buses, would highly recommend this to those travelling on a budget. We stayed in Queens and were only 2 subway stations from Manhatten, we could be in Times Sq in 10 minutes. We would have save twice as much as these tickets cost.

We also used the this for getting to and from JFK, very easy. I had a look a LGA and that would have been even easier

You cannot pay more than $2.25 for a trip on the subway, and you can buy a Metro card, for example, $8 for 4 trips.

The trains are quick and comfortable, and the network serves most of Manhattan. Signage is generally good, although be careful you go down the correct entrance - at many stations, in contrast to London, Paris and Glasgow, you can't cross to the other platform once you've gone through the ticket barrier.

We never felt threatened in the central Manhattan area, and was on one train after midnight.

There was some joined-up thinking in evidence. After the Mets game we went to, 10 000 people tried to get to Manhattan, and, lo and behold, several extra, express trains arrived in quick succession.

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We visited a friend in NYC and stayed there a week and she got us cards for unlimited subway use. You can buy an unlimited number of subway and bus rides for a fixed price.

As of 2009, choose from a 1-Day Fun Pass, a 7-Day, 14-Day, 30-Day, 7-Day Express Bus Plus, 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard accepted on JFK AirTrain only, or a JFK-AirTrain 10-Trip MetroCard.

1-Day Fun Pass
Cost: $8.25, reduced fare not available
Good for unlimited subway and local bus rides from first use until 3 a.m. the following day. Sold at MetroCard Vending Machines and at neighborhood stores. Not available at station booths.

7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard
Cost: $27, reduced fare $13.50
Good for unlimited subway and local bus rides until midnight, 7 days from day of first use.

14-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard
Cost: $51.50, reduced fare $25.75
Good for unlimited subway and local bus rides until midnight, 14 days from day of first use. This card is protected against loss of theft when purchased at a vending machine with a creditor debit/ATM card.

The website for this is at http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#unlimited

ON REDUCED FARES:
You have to qualify for a reduced fare and the website at MTA NYC transit tells the story ( http://www.mta.info/nyct/fare/rfabout.htmm ):

A fare is $2.25. Reduced fare is half fare ($1.10) or less with Reduced-Fare MetroCard discounts. If you are 65 years of age or older or have a disability that qualifies, you are eligible. MTA Reduced-Fare MetroCard is personalized with A NAME and photograph and works the same as a regular MetroCard. You can buy unlimited rides or you can pay-per-ride.

Reduced-fares are also available with any of the following forms of identification:

NYC Department of the Aging ID card
Medicare card (Medicaid card not accepted)
Access-A-Ride ID card
MTA Reduced-Fare ID card (pre-1995)

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The NYC Subway system can be overwhelming at first to tourist and visitors who have never used it, but it really can be fun and exciting once you understand how it works. Altho I've been to New York a few times, my first visit alone was the best.

Depending on which airport you fly in/out of, There are subways available from either JFK or LaGuardia. JFK is farther, but the there is a subway that can take you from that airport directly to New York City. From LaGuardia, you'll have to take a bus to Queens first before you can get onto a subway.

From JFK it will take 1-2hrs to get into the city, but LaGuardia can be as fast as 30mins because it is closer. My advice is if you are flying out of JFK, make sure you leave at least 3hrs ahead of time to make sure you make it to the airport. You do not want to miss your flight!!

Your best friend when using the NYC subway system is a subway map and a MetroCard. Pick up a map from any of the subway booths. The price for the MetroCard (fare) varies; from $1.50 per fare and up. The best thing to do is to buy an Unlimited MetroCard, depending on the length of your stay, and the 7-day unlimited pass is $25 (could have gone up this year).

One last tip, the subway cars can be over-crowded during rush hour! so avoid it if possible, if not then get ready to cram in there like sardines. =)

Now, I am far from being an expert in how to get around on the New York subway system. I rode the subway plenty in my day (I used to take the Flushing train to Manhattan several times a week as a teenager) but that was decades ago. Even then, I would goof on occasion, ending up in all sorts of places where it was not really safe for a skinny blonde to be walking around on her own. But New Yorkers claim their city is much safer today, thanks to its 107th mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, whose get-tough policies are said to have reduced crime by half.

On visits to New York to visit my siblings, I have had opportunities to get back into a subway car and relive the steamy crush of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers frantically rushing around below ground. Only now I go armed with trusty facts and figures.

The IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit company), which operated New York’s first subway line, recently celebrated its centennial. It opened on October 27, 1904, and ran from City Hall to the Bronx. Today, the subway runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With 722 miles of track and 469 stations, NYC has the most extensive public transit system in the U.S. Trains run every 2-5 minutes during rush hour, every 10-15 minutes on off-hours, and every 20 minutes from midnight to 5 a.m. There are local and express trains. The “El” is the elevated line.

In the span of a century, fares rose 3,900 % – from a nickel in 1904 to $2 in 2004. Subway tokens were phased out by 2003. Now you purchase a MetroCard, which comes in various denominations. Reduced fares are available for students, seniors and disabled. This card is also good for buses. If you are like me, distrustful of vending machines, you might prefer to buy yours from a living, breathing human being - which, luckily, is still possible.

Remember: Once you go through a gate or turnstile, you have to pay again to get back in. So before you get caught up in the mad dash and go where everyone else seems to be going (as I did), make sure you are headed in the right direction…
Update: From July 2009, the fare for a single ride rose to $2.25.

If you are used to utilize subway in London or Paris, you will think that NYC subway will be more or less the same. YOU ARE COMPLETELY WRONG. It's the most complicated I've ever experienced.
To do:
1) Take a copy of the map (station with human being selling tickets as well)
2) Decide how much you will utilize it and buy a metro card (25 usd for 7 day is really cheap)
3) Pay attention on directions (normally pay attention to "UPTOWN" OR "DOWNTOWN" direction because final directions of the trains are not always written.
4) Trains having the same directions can be "local" (they stops at every stations) or "Express". Station in BOLD are those where local trains always stop
5) Ask as much as possible people if you are right
6) From outside, for many stations, you have to choose your direction before entering

The good thing is that subway runs 24 hours a day. I would raccomend to skip it, but NYC is too big to walk and you will be forced to use it unless you want to pay for a cab every time.

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When I first told people I was headed to NYC, I was amazed at how many were surprised when I expressed excitement about taking the subway. A lot of people didn't think I should "risk" it. If you're hearing the same thing from your friends and family, I thought I'd tell you about my experience.

I enjoyed it so much. NYC has one of the oldest subway systems so there's a history there that you can experience when you ride it. Each station is different, some boring and some offering beautiful tile work or mosaics, like in this photo.

From a budget perspective, it just makes sense. It's much cheaper than taking taxis everywhere. Also, you can't get stuck in a traffic jam on the subway. You just have to use common sense and not ride very late at night and don't get on a car if there are very few to no passengers on it. However, if it's jammed full of people you probably don't want to get on that one either because it makes it easier for the pickpockets. I also found that the further north I headed on the subway system the less comfortable I felt - the stations were smaller and dirtier and there were fewer passengers. Make sure you know exactly where you're going so you look confident and aren't having to stop to check a map, giving someone the opportunity to approach and bother you. Most stations I saw had some type of police or MTA employee presence.

The only downside to riding the subways everywhere is that they are below ground so you don't get to see the city. NYC is a terrific city for walking and when you walk, you can appreciate the sights around you. So, break it up - walk some, ride some.

One suggestion I have, because it has worked well for me, is to plan a route the night before and then the next day take the subway to the farthest location and work my way back on foot or vice versa. That way you save your feet a bit but also get to see the city.