Since the subway system was inaugurated in 1904 by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) it has some interesting station design, above ground as well as below.
Photo: Reproduction of a historic stairway entrance kiosk at Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall station. It now houses an elevator to the station concourse.
NYC's subway became a little neglected in the following decades and earned a reputation of crime and grime. But besides significantly improving all stations, trains, and the safety since the 1980's, MTA started to thoroughly refurbish 15 historic stations to their original appearance, e.g. 33rd Street. Ceramic wall decors and mosaic signs are present in most underground stations and come in a wide variety [Stookey, see Reference].
Photo: Ceramic station name mosaic at the refurbished 33rd Street station.
MTA's 'Arts for Transit' program, founded in 1985, hosts more than 150 modern works of site-specific public art in stations [tfaoi.com], [nycsubway.org], [mta.info], [steelcase.com (PDF)].
Photo: Some of many humourous bronze sculptures, this is 'Life Underground' by Tom Otterness [tomostudio.com] in 14th Street station installed in 2004.
Tours of this metro system, guided by experts. For dates and reservation, contact the tour operator or check their website.
Guided tours to places that tap into a wide range of interests: art, technology, urban history, or to the famous abandoned City Hall station (members only). Tour operator: New York Transit Museum.
New York Transit Museum. Development of the greater NY metropolitan region through exhibitions, tours, educational programs, and workshops dealing with the cultural, social, and technological history of public transportation. Since 1976. Location: Abandoned Court Street IND station from 1936. Address: Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights. At Borough Hall (2 3 4 5 A C F), Court St (R), Hoyt-Schermerhorn St (A C G) metro station. Hours (check before visiting): Tue – Fri 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat and Sun Noon to 5 p.m., closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: 5 USD. Features: museum store, educational programmes, special events. Reference: mta.info (official website).
During construction of a replacement for South Ferry station, the project hit a 15-meters-long section of a stone wall that archaeologists believe is a unique remnant of the original battery. It has probably been built in the late 17th century and protected the Colonial settlement at the southern tip of Manhattan. The find may delay subway construction and will possibly be displayed in a park or museum [18].
Atlantic Ocean: Several elevated subway stations near Coney Island and Rockaway Beach. Atlantic Ocean: Long Beach station on the Long Island Railroad is only 6 blocks from the beach. In New Jersey (suburban New York), the North Jersey Coast Line has many stops near Atlantic Ocean beaches.
Line G at Smith/9th Streets offers a perfect view of the Manhattan Skyline (see picture). Line 7 provides a similar view at 33rd St-Rawson Queensboro Plaza. For a more detailed description of the sights see this MSNBC article.
Terminal loop - Lines 1 and 9 - 1 station - at South Ferry station, unidirectional. Terminal loop - Line 6 - 1 station - going through the glamourous abandoned City Hall station without passengers, unidirectional.
"Stand clear of the closing doors, please [ding-dong, ding-dong]" in newer trains by a pre-recorded voice (mp3 from subwaynut.com). In older trains, drivers often swallow a couple of syllables and only mumble something like "Clear closing doors!", or there's no announcement at all.
New York
Northbound 6 train departing from 33rd Street station.
Printer-friendly
New York City
PATH (suburban metro)
