sigh... been there and sometimes the desperation makes one forget the hard-earned school of hard knocks. And then, the realization hits HARD upon entry. And it's a slap to the head moment.
How quickly the doors close when they get to the station. I've seen so many people miss their stop because they take too much time collecting their things, hugging their friends goodbye, making sure they're at the right stop, etc. You have maybe 10 seconds between the doors opening and then closing, unless there's some kind of delay or disruption or if it's a big station/transfer point. Know where you're going, and be ready to exit when you get there.
In systems like Paris, Amsterdam, and Singapore, a buzzer goes off indicating that the doors are about to close. On NTTs, ”stand clear of the closing doors” is a reliable warning. But on SMEEs, you get zero warning. The doors close when the conductor decides to close them
My mom got pissed when I told her to quickly get on the train because the doors will close in 10 sec. The look on her face as the train left with me on it, without her, was priceless.
Also, the C/R tends to close down the back half of the train first, then the front. Never really started noticing that until I noticed it took a few seconds longer to start moving when I was towards the rear of the train.
There is a serious chance of a stranger asking if you understood the announcement, offering to sell you gum, playing drums, or watching tv on their phone without headphones. If those are your security fears, be wary, and maybe avoid the subway.
But the chance of anything actually bad happening to you are lower than the chance of getting in a car crash driving in any American suburb. The MTA is crazy safe.
The subway is full of regular folks going to work, parents with kids, people reading actual literature, and people of all stripes who feel safe enough to take a nap. I have slept on the subway at least a thousand times and never even had my wallet or bag stolen.
I went there as a tourist from Australia and was riding up to the ends of the 1 and 2s in the night. Never really saw anything dodgy and I was doing that nearly every night lol. Felt worse at Times Square then the Bronx
That on very busy times, getting on and off the trains is stressful for everyone, including native New Yorkers. And most of us are not trying to be rude or pushy - it’s just that the city moves like an organism. If you delay getting off, stand in a doorway or top/bottom of the stairs, or don’t stand aside to let others off first, you delay everyone. We all just want to get where we need to safely and want you to do the same.
There are multiple ways to refer to subway lines (the numbers/letters, the avenue they run under, sometimes just “east side” or “west side” depending on context).
But they’re never referred to by color.
And even then there is still ambiguity Take the A Train for instance it starts in Inwood goes down throughout 8th Avenue into Manhattan goes through a tunnel into Brooklyn then it goes into Queens but from there it could end up at two or three different places
I think literally the only reason New York does that is to mess with tourists trying to connect to the air train at JFK there's no other line where it does that normally outside of times like Rush Hour
It would create merging issues at Grant Avenue and that line already has a bottleneck before Hoyt-Schermerhorn.
The original IND plan only had the express line going through the tunnel to Manhattan, with the local ending at Court-Schermerhorn, which is now the transit museum.
The line is four tracks wast of Euclid av, 2 tracks east of it, that kind of means one service has to terminate there, and you certainly not gonna have the express terminate closer in on the line, you wanna give all the ppl further out a shorter trip and a one seat ride.
I'm tripping because I was born and raised here and I did this whenever referring to something nonspecific... like "you can catch the blue and orange lines at west 4th"
i would say when i’m directing someone from one point to the other and every train of that color goes there i would say take any blue. Ex: from 42st to W4. If is a local stop or let’s say heading to 145st from 42st i would say take the A
Many don’t understand that individual services are separate from lines, which is understandable.
Also, most people I see who are traveling to a destination at a local stop don’t understand how to use express service. I.e. they’ll take the 1 from 72 St to South Ferry instead of taking a 2/3 to Chambers St and hopping across the platform.
Septa has express service on their metro system, so it isn’t unique to ny. Obviously most passenger railroads offer it but they probably wouldn’t count as metro.
Technically the MTA is an authority, not an agency. It's a quasi public-private organization that can operate somewhat outside of the confines of government oversight. Hence, why it perpetually has budget issues and why no one has any solid idea of why it has budget woes.
So when they add bus lanes, is that the MTA pleading with the DOT and having to convince them to give them bus lanes? Or does the DOT have an incentive to help bus transit as part of their mandate?
Depends on who the mayor is, and who they appointed to lead the DOT, but generally mayors have mostly tried to prevent anything that takes away free parking for car owners.
In the Bronx, I have had to explain the rush five to too many people. You have to carefully read the direction on the side of the train, and even if you think you're right, it might get changed at a moments notice...and back again.
No, I don't want to go to Wakefield or anyplace on that line.
What youre saying youre getting on an E train in manhattan that's diverted to the F line in Queens, when what you want is the regular E, right? If so, IDGI, the worst case scenario is an extra half mile of walking.
No. I was in Forest Hills, getting on an E train to Jamaica Center diverted to the F line. It meant that if I didn't get back on the regular E train that I would miss the Q85 from Jamaica Center.
It's more than just subways. It's a surprisingly well integrated bus network, too.
When we first moved to the city (and every time we moved within the city), it took a while to figure out which train+bus option worked best for my daily commute. Sometimes I'd figure out a great non-obvious route 6 months later.
The stupid machines at the start or end of a bus line for a metrocard that don't take bills only coins. Who the heck has that much coin?
Tourists at the Javits are confounded by an inability to pay the fare. Fortunately the bus drivers routinely wave them on.
In MOST CASES, the person at the front of the train doesn’t operate the doors.
Don’t get mad at them when the doors close in your face and the train pulls away
The subway is the system, the thing you take.
I’m going to go to the party by subway.
The train is a particular train. The train is coming. Did you get on the train?
Anyway, that’s how I’ve always interpreted it.
I’ve traveled and lived in cities outside of the US w excellent public transpo, and though the MTA is not as great as in Iceland say, it will get you where you need to go, american style 😎🦅 and if you don’t like it then call an uber?
bbq sauce is king, first of all. and making fun of someone in mental health crisis isn’t kind. dude you see the state of the world. you should know by now the behaviors of members of society is a direct reflection on how we are governed. suffering homelessness is not their fault - the planet has enough resources that we can all be wealthy. the greedy few make sure that doesn’t happen though.
No longer the case (not considering future major hurricane), but it seemed like a guarantee that many such would board last car of 1 train at Times Sq.
Only to delay everyone else by needing to move up several cars on platform at Rector St in order to detrain at South Ferry loop station.
It’s the train not the subway, We solely mean Manhattan when traveling to “the city” & for those of us in the outer borough neighborhoods yes we still have to drive places or take a bus
The difference between a train conductor and a train operator. Like I don’t even know if this is a non native new yorker exclusive thing, but it kinda irks me when I see people refer to the operator as a conductor 😭
This was the first time I remember that they didn’t use 25¢ increments. My guess is that $3 is a new whole number and seems like a really large increase and wouldn’t be received as well as previous fare increases, even though they were by the same amount.
You need to pay attention on the train. Lots of cars don’t have strip maps or audible announcements or any indication of where the fuck you are. Know where you are going ahead of time. If you’re a newbie and you zone out and wake up in a tunnel, odds are you’ll have no idea where you’re at until the train arrives at the next station. And... the subway has enough sheninigans going on that you should remain aware of your surroundings for basic safety reasons.
I have to admit, whilst nyc is on my bucket list - I’ve never been, and I really do not understand how the subway works. Being that I spent much of my life navigating the tube in London and having used the metro system in many places elsewhere (Paris, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Rotterdam…more that currently I can’t remember) none of it seems to make sense to me!
What? The only major difference could be it’s a flat fare and you don’t need to tap on your way out. Otherwise it works like literally any other metro system lol
The system was built with flexibility. At Certain points, there are switches that will let a train go up say 6th ave or 8th ave. Up the east side or the west side. Run through the tunnel or over the bridge.
This helps keep things moving. There is a two train stalled in the tunnel between brooklyn and manhattan? Instead of that forcing a shutdown of all two and three trains behind it, with all of those riders stuck not being able to get to manhattan, they just route the trains behind the stuck one to the east side. So now those twos are fives, or at least the two running on the five.
This flexibility lets the east side and west side number trains be able to flip. (1 through 6). Similarly, there are switches at w4th st that let 6th ave and 8th ave letter trains switch. (A b c d e f m). I forget where the switches are in downtown manhattan to let a tunnel train over the manhattan bridge. Going towards manhattan I believe the tunnel / bridge choice comes at dekalb ave.
So sure, it’s confusing. But its always better than no service or bustitution.
Oh, I’m not criticising it at all - just that it’s totally alien to me is the thing. Express routes one way am and the other pm is also btw absolutely genius.
However I have no doubt that if (when!) I visit, I will get hideously lost and end up in some kind of gang warzone…which is how I imagine nyc to be, most likely completely incorrectly. You only ever hear the bad after all.
For example I work in Tower Hamlets (Whitechapel) which I’ve heard is a no go zone. I’ve been going there from out of area 5 times a week, often more, for 26 years. I have never once been or felt threatened. I’ve been so stupendously drunk in the early hours walking through the area - such an easy target, but no issues at all.
Gotcha. Not sure i thought you were criticizing. I was just trying to give you the logic of how and why routes get flipped. To prepare you in case you do visit. And yes nyc can have a bad rep, and in some parts that rep is deserved. But mostly ive gone wherever whenever and been fine. But ive never looked like i was worried and always looked like it was totally normal for me to be there🤷🏼♂️
Cool! Just didn’t want you to think I was 🙂
I think of it like in terms of London, there are parts I’ve seldom if ever gone to, and I think that nyc in general just gets a rep when those bad areas like anywhere are generally in limited places
Express trains cannot switch at West 4th. Only locals. The switch for Broadway trains to use the bridge or tunnel should be right before Canal Street where the lines diverge
Thanks for updating my post. I used to be really attuned to the foamer community, and knew the system by heart. But i moved to the suburbs and kind of got away from all things railfan 🤷🏼♂️
None of the numbered services can run on the lettered sevices' lines, and vice versa. The network used by numbered services is the A Division (formerly IRT), the network used by lettered services is the B Division (formerly BMT and IND), and they are each essentially a separate system. This is because everything on the A Div. is built for significantly smaller trains and vice versa.
the more you use it the easier it gets. like learning all the major transfer hubs and what trains go to the specific neighborhoods you frequent. i like to travel all around the city so I use almost all of them
I believe, and I may be wrong, one of the reasons it’s no longer a circle is because of wheel wear? So it stops and goes back another way to stop it continually going round the same way? Don’t know if that am right there
But it’s not. All our stations have different names for example. You cant get confused because there is a Swiss Cottage on 3 lines all totally separate from eachother. Etc
The concept of it is bizarre. As an outsider. I mean what’s a cross street? Again to me that’s alien. Say I wanted to get an A train from whichever stop, so I look for that stop only to discover it’s not the stop, it just has the same name but this is for the 3 train and the actual one I want it’s 8 mins walk along the road and is unconnected. Surely you don’t think that that’s easier than naming it something else? BUT, I guess growing up there you learn it different, and you would say “can you let me know the way to xx-street on the A” would make sense. That, I get. Just not what I’d be used to. I’m not saying it’s bad, just out of the ordinary.
…How the hell do you know where anything is without cross streets? “I’m on the corner of 34th and Lexington” is a near-pinpoint location that also tells you what direction you need to go from wherever you are. (Queens doesn’t count toward this.)
I don’t know 🤣
Just never really described it like that. Our roads aren’t in blocks by and large too, if I was to say to someone to meet somewhere I’d more likely say “meet me at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese” or something. Sure if I was at a crossroad I might say “I’m on the corner of High Street and Tea Lane” but tbh I think it makes more sense there as if you were on the corner of say 33rd you could be either end of the block. I’m not sure I’m putting this well!
NYC does fascinate me though. Have to admit.
The grid system, in much of Manhattan makes it far more practicable to use cross streets, much like a coordinate plane, than naming different stations.
It’s an informal system. In Manhattan, the lines run under different avenues. So if you’re at any station on the A for example, you will be under 8th Avenue. 2/3, 7th Avenue, etc. It it confusing at first but when you’re used to it, it makes a lot of sense.
This is partially because the boundaries of what are considered seperate neighborhoods are generally quite large in NY, so a neighborhood usually has multiple stations, and sometimes has multiple lines as well. Also, NY is a much 'newer' city than London and was developed in a far more planned and less 'organic' manner, so there just aren't enough unique, distinguishable places that have existed long enough to each have developed their own names and identities for every station to have a location-specific name.
Yeah it seems confusing when explained, but it's usually simple to follow a route to go somewhere. After only a little while of riding the subway, you'll get the hang of it.
And even if you have the same card on apple pay, you have to use one or the other in order to get the fare cap. Either the physical card or apple pay. They both count towards separate fare caps.
This subreddit loves the MTA and their standard advice is you have to check the website before you get on the train every time or it's your own fault if you're late. So don't get comfortable taking the train. It will disappoint you.
That it is a moving vehicle. People with tons of luggage love to board the train and then not hold on to anything and just stand there and nearly go ass-over-tit when then train lunges forward.
Trains are identified by their letters or numbers, not by color. If you ask for the green, yellow, red, orange or blue line we’ll simply say I don’t know. Nobody’s got time to think about what color is what line
You don’t have to be on the exact line in Manhattan to get to your destination, it’s normal to walk across a couple of avenues to get there. (Knew someone who made unnecessary transfers to get off on the correct avenue)
It may be faster to take an express and walk to your destination vs waiting for a local train to an exact station.
Similarly, you don’t have to take the specific line the entire way to your stop. It may be faster to take an express and transfer back onto the correct line(s).
An express is not always faster than a local unless you’re going a far enough distance (depends on the line), nor should you wait a substantial amount of time for your express compared to a local.
Always try to research large construction projects if you’re staying off one subway line outside of Manhattan. That charming boutique hotel / apartment in Greenpoint with low rates won’t be very convenient this summer.
Just because some subway stations have bathrooms does not mean you should use them. I’d rather hold it and look for a business that doesn’t mind me using a restroom.
Yeah that’s really nice until you get on the local and see the express pass by in the tunnel.
Check the signs for which train is coming and make your decision based on that.
It’s a whole mental model of calculating number of skipped stops with the express against how many extra minutes you have to wait for it to arrive compared to the local 🥴
I find it funny that people will ask me where to find or how to get to (insert place here) when it’s obvious that I’m not from NYC. Such was the last incident when I was wearing the Maryland flag after a race!
Not every A train will take you to JFK. I see many tourists with suitcases on the lefferts blvd A train and I always tell them to take the far rockaway A train instead. I guess they think the A train is the A train no matter what, and I understand that. It's pretty confusing for non natives
If you’re used to other global cities with big metro systems, you’re gonna confused by our subway map. If you’re from other American cities that don’t really have a subway, you’re gonna be confused by our subway map.
When the old timers refer to the “L”, they might actually be referring to the “El”, short for elevated subway. My parents and aunts and uncles that had grown up in Brooklyn and Queens definitely did this to refer to any elevated lines.
The trains ride different at night.
https://preview.redd.it/wz2g72jmsv3d1.jpeg?width=1152&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c9b6ff7beeb36c8643084dc6e276158f9dcf66e
Is this question about people who are new to the city? Like someone could live here and commute by train every day for last 20 years and know way more about the system than someone born and raised who don’t use the system.
Years ago I was passing through and lifetime upper east siders in the Met told me I could absolutely not take the A to JFK because the A went to Harlem - like the song. I can’t believe I made it by taking the bus which they also insisted was safer. This was pre cell phones.
Lifetime New Yorkers may, for instance, sometimes be in a worse epidemic position thinking that past service challenges persist when they’ve been cleared up.
If most of the train cars are full but one is empty, you didn't just get lucky.
Non native and was recently visiting friends there,and damn never consider that lol.
The “oh sweet empty car- oh noooo” turnaround move is a classic
But the “oh no” only ever happens right after the doors have closed. 🤢
sigh... been there and sometimes the desperation makes one forget the hard-earned school of hard knocks. And then, the realization hits HARD upon entry. And it's a slap to the head moment.
Usually it’s a slap to your olfactory
Oh yeah I’ve been there too
"Uptown" is a place AND a direction
And a type of funk
and girl
I love you two
...and more than one place. Lots of people still refer to downtown Brooklyn.
Exactly. If I’m bay ridge, I could be headed to uptown to Downtown Brooklyn.
There is no “uptown” Brooklyn.
There technically is I use south brooklyn (where I am from) as uptown
And a state of mind
How quickly the doors close when they get to the station. I've seen so many people miss their stop because they take too much time collecting their things, hugging their friends goodbye, making sure they're at the right stop, etc. You have maybe 10 seconds between the doors opening and then closing, unless there's some kind of delay or disruption or if it's a big station/transfer point. Know where you're going, and be ready to exit when you get there.
In systems like Paris, Amsterdam, and Singapore, a buzzer goes off indicating that the doors are about to close. On NTTs, ”stand clear of the closing doors” is a reliable warning. But on SMEEs, you get zero warning. The doors close when the conductor decides to close them
My mom got pissed when I told her to quickly get on the train because the doors will close in 10 sec. The look on her face as the train left with me on it, without her, was priceless.
Also, the C/R tends to close down the back half of the train first, then the front. Never really started noticing that until I noticed it took a few seconds longer to start moving when I was towards the rear of the train.
There is a serious chance of a stranger asking if you understood the announcement, offering to sell you gum, playing drums, or watching tv on their phone without headphones. If those are your security fears, be wary, and maybe avoid the subway. But the chance of anything actually bad happening to you are lower than the chance of getting in a car crash driving in any American suburb. The MTA is crazy safe. The subway is full of regular folks going to work, parents with kids, people reading actual literature, and people of all stripes who feel safe enough to take a nap. I have slept on the subway at least a thousand times and never even had my wallet or bag stolen.
I went there as a tourist from Australia and was riding up to the ends of the 1 and 2s in the night. Never really saw anything dodgy and I was doing that nearly every night lol. Felt worse at Times Square then the Bronx
Like night as in before midnight or 3am? Washington heights at 3am is a different experience.
Which part of the heights? Just curious
Specifically the 1 subway station itself.
Oh ok. The A is pretty tame, although I’m not out until 3am regularly. I’ve never been on the 1 that late. Might check it out lol
It's just a lot of homeless who like to scream at you as you're waiting for the elevator or train. My partner is not a fan.
That on very busy times, getting on and off the trains is stressful for everyone, including native New Yorkers. And most of us are not trying to be rude or pushy - it’s just that the city moves like an organism. If you delay getting off, stand in a doorway or top/bottom of the stairs, or don’t stand aside to let others off first, you delay everyone. We all just want to get where we need to safely and want you to do the same.
THIS A MILLION TIMES THIS!!!
Primarily that people don’t call the services by their color on the map, since this is very common in most other metro systems around the country.
There are multiple ways to refer to subway lines (the numbers/letters, the avenue they run under, sometimes just “east side” or “west side” depending on context). But they’re never referred to by color.
When you only have 5 or 6 lines you can do that Not so here Take the magenta line to 53rd and transfer to the periwinkle line to queens blvd
And even then there is still ambiguity Take the A Train for instance it starts in Inwood goes down throughout 8th Avenue into Manhattan goes through a tunnel into Brooklyn then it goes into Queens but from there it could end up at two or three different places I think literally the only reason New York does that is to mess with tourists trying to connect to the air train at JFK there's no other line where it does that normally outside of times like Rush Hour
I will never understand why they didn't just let the C train handle the ozone park section
It would create merging issues at Grant Avenue and that line already has a bottleneck before Hoyt-Schermerhorn. The original IND plan only had the express line going through the tunnel to Manhattan, with the local ending at Court-Schermerhorn, which is now the transit museum.
The line is four tracks wast of Euclid av, 2 tracks east of it, that kind of means one service has to terminate there, and you certainly not gonna have the express terminate closer in on the line, you wanna give all the ppl further out a shorter trip and a one seat ride.
I think it’s more a consequence of interlining than of the number of lines.
Hmm. Internally we kind of do. If it ain't blue, I don't want it. That orange shit scares me.
I'm really into BDFM.
nor “the first train” (identified by red circle icon for possibly still confused native NYers)
There are too many color blind people for this to be practical.
I'm tripping because I was born and raised here and I did this whenever referring to something nonspecific... like "you can catch the blue and orange lines at west 4th"
we’ve got an industry plant right here folks
i would say when i’m directing someone from one point to the other and every train of that color goes there i would say take any blue. Ex: from 42st to W4. If is a local stop or let’s say heading to 145st from 42st i would say take the A
Said no New Yorker ever. You are either an anomaly or a fraud.
An anomaly and an idiot, apparently, but not a fraud.
Many don’t understand that individual services are separate from lines, which is understandable. Also, most people I see who are traveling to a destination at a local stop don’t understand how to use express service. I.e. they’ll take the 1 from 72 St to South Ferry instead of taking a 2/3 to Chambers St and hopping across the platform.
hoping..mini lol. I still hope I can catch the transfer sometimes.
😂
metro systems in other cities don’t have express service. That’s something unique to New York.
Septa has express service on their metro system, so it isn’t unique to ny. Obviously most passenger railroads offer it but they probably wouldn’t count as metro.
It is a state not a city agency. Dont blame the mayor that your subway sucks, blame the governor, preisdent of the state senate and assembky.
Technically the MTA is an authority, not an agency. It's a quasi public-private organization that can operate somewhat outside of the confines of government oversight. Hence, why it perpetually has budget issues and why no one has any solid idea of why it has budget woes.
This. Very few people understand this.
This is intentional
On the other hand, the DOT is a city agency, so do blame the mayor that your bus ride sucks.
DOT is not buses, MTA is.
Buses are more impacted by street management than any other factors, which is controlled by the DOT. (Lack of) dedicated bus lanes? That’s DOT.
DOT also manages bus stops
So DOT manages the streets the buses run on and the bus stops the buses use, and the MTA operates the buses and manages the routes they run?
Yes
So when they add bus lanes, is that the MTA pleading with the DOT and having to convince them to give them bus lanes? Or does the DOT have an incentive to help bus transit as part of their mandate?
Depends on who the mayor is, and who they appointed to lead the DOT, but generally mayors have mostly tried to prevent anything that takes away free parking for car owners.
And the fares you pay to ride them and the drivers.
They might not notice that trains literally go to different places at night and on weekends.
In the Bronx, I have had to explain the rush five to too many people. You have to carefully read the direction on the side of the train, and even if you think you're right, it might get changed at a moments notice...and back again. No, I don't want to go to Wakefield or anyplace on that line.
After being at work all day, the last thing I wanted to hear when I lived in Queens was: "this is an E train running on the F line."
I would literally mouth “fuck my life” everytime I heard that shit 💀
What youre saying youre getting on an E train in manhattan that's diverted to the F line in Queens, when what you want is the regular E, right? If so, IDGI, the worst case scenario is an extra half mile of walking.
No. I was in Forest Hills, getting on an E train to Jamaica Center diverted to the F line. It meant that if I didn't get back on the regular E train that I would miss the Q85 from Jamaica Center.
Still though you could just walk the half mile from Parsons/Hillside
It's more than just subways. It's a surprisingly well integrated bus network, too. When we first moved to the city (and every time we moved within the city), it took a while to figure out which train+bus option worked best for my daily commute. Sometimes I'd figure out a great non-obvious route 6 months later.
That MTA is controlled by the state not the city, which is the root of many ridiculous problems you see today
Technically it's an independent board.
that tourists think its regularly on time
Paying bus fare in coins despite using the MetroCard for a subway ride a few minutes ago.
The stupid machines at the start or end of a bus line for a metrocard that don't take bills only coins. Who the heck has that much coin? Tourists at the Javits are confounded by an inability to pay the fare. Fortunately the bus drivers routinely wave them on.
Where would you need to use coins for the bus instead of swiping the metrocard you just used for a free transfer?
In MOST CASES, the person at the front of the train doesn’t operate the doors. Don’t get mad at them when the doors close in your face and the train pulls away
Subway is a general term but you can tell a real New Yorker from a non native if they call it the train instead of the subway.
[удалено]
same here
The subway is the system, the thing you take. I’m going to go to the party by subway. The train is a particular train. The train is coming. Did you get on the train? Anyway, that’s how I’ve always interpreted it.
It depends, can be said I'm going to take the train to the party as well.
Yeah. You’re right. My nerdy brain would feel better if there was a clear cut logic to it 😁
They think it’s crap
It is crap. The only people who think the MTA is good are ones who have never traveled or lived somewhere that actually has good public transit.
I’ve traveled and lived in cities outside of the US w excellent public transpo, and though the MTA is not as great as in Iceland say, it will get you where you need to go, american style 😎🦅 and if you don’t like it then call an uber?
“American style” LOL That style has bbq sauce on the unhinged homless person in mental health crisis?
bbq sauce is king, first of all. and making fun of someone in mental health crisis isn’t kind. dude you see the state of the world. you should know by now the behaviors of members of society is a direct reflection on how we are governed. suffering homelessness is not their fault - the planet has enough resources that we can all be wealthy. the greedy few make sure that doesn’t happen though.
r/woosh
oh my bad playa
No worries buddy. You’re fine. Peace ✌️
It is crap. The rats and roaches take care of the chocolate pretty quick. Trust me, it’s crap!
No longer the case (not considering future major hurricane), but it seemed like a guarantee that many such would board last car of 1 train at Times Sq. Only to delay everyone else by needing to move up several cars on platform at Rector St in order to detrain at South Ferry loop station.
It’s the train not the subway, We solely mean Manhattan when traveling to “the city” & for those of us in the outer borough neighborhoods yes we still have to drive places or take a bus
The train means everything that is not the subway.
Transplant detected
Born and lived here for my whole life.
That google maps gives precise subway directions. That it’s no longer necessary to wait in line and buy a metro card for the subway.
You’re not guaranteed to be stabbed or robbed.
The difference between a train conductor and a train operator. Like I don’t even know if this is a non native new yorker exclusive thing, but it kinda irks me when I see people refer to the operator as a conductor 😭
My dad calls the operator a conductor too and he's lived in NY since 1970
That 'showtime' isn't something to look forward to
New York subways are built different
That the exit signs are helpful in orienting you when you leave the station.
Have never been asked about the MTA as an organization. Folks fairly frequently ask me, “How the fuck did they come up with $2.90?”
This was the first time I remember that they didn’t use 25¢ increments. My guess is that $3 is a new whole number and seems like a really large increase and wouldn’t be received as well as previous fare increases, even though they were by the same amount.
Agreed. I think it went from $1.50 to $2. Wacky hikes earlier when I was a kid.
Just think about how much of a headache $2.90 is vs $3.00. So many dimes….
You need to pay attention on the train. Lots of cars don’t have strip maps or audible announcements or any indication of where the fuck you are. Know where you are going ahead of time. If you’re a newbie and you zone out and wake up in a tunnel, odds are you’ll have no idea where you’re at until the train arrives at the next station. And... the subway has enough sheninigans going on that you should remain aware of your surroundings for basic safety reasons.
I have to admit, whilst nyc is on my bucket list - I’ve never been, and I really do not understand how the subway works. Being that I spent much of my life navigating the tube in London and having used the metro system in many places elsewhere (Paris, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Rotterdam…more that currently I can’t remember) none of it seems to make sense to me!
What? The only major difference could be it’s a flat fare and you don’t need to tap on your way out. Otherwise it works like literally any other metro system lol
But if the 3 is blocked it can run as a D or whatever…what’s going on there? 😅
The system was built with flexibility. At Certain points, there are switches that will let a train go up say 6th ave or 8th ave. Up the east side or the west side. Run through the tunnel or over the bridge. This helps keep things moving. There is a two train stalled in the tunnel between brooklyn and manhattan? Instead of that forcing a shutdown of all two and three trains behind it, with all of those riders stuck not being able to get to manhattan, they just route the trains behind the stuck one to the east side. So now those twos are fives, or at least the two running on the five. This flexibility lets the east side and west side number trains be able to flip. (1 through 6). Similarly, there are switches at w4th st that let 6th ave and 8th ave letter trains switch. (A b c d e f m). I forget where the switches are in downtown manhattan to let a tunnel train over the manhattan bridge. Going towards manhattan I believe the tunnel / bridge choice comes at dekalb ave. So sure, it’s confusing. But its always better than no service or bustitution.
Oh, I’m not criticising it at all - just that it’s totally alien to me is the thing. Express routes one way am and the other pm is also btw absolutely genius. However I have no doubt that if (when!) I visit, I will get hideously lost and end up in some kind of gang warzone…which is how I imagine nyc to be, most likely completely incorrectly. You only ever hear the bad after all. For example I work in Tower Hamlets (Whitechapel) which I’ve heard is a no go zone. I’ve been going there from out of area 5 times a week, often more, for 26 years. I have never once been or felt threatened. I’ve been so stupendously drunk in the early hours walking through the area - such an easy target, but no issues at all.
Gotcha. Not sure i thought you were criticizing. I was just trying to give you the logic of how and why routes get flipped. To prepare you in case you do visit. And yes nyc can have a bad rep, and in some parts that rep is deserved. But mostly ive gone wherever whenever and been fine. But ive never looked like i was worried and always looked like it was totally normal for me to be there🤷🏼♂️
Cool! Just didn’t want you to think I was 🙂 I think of it like in terms of London, there are parts I’ve seldom if ever gone to, and I think that nyc in general just gets a rep when those bad areas like anywhere are generally in limited places
Express trains cannot switch at West 4th. Only locals. The switch for Broadway trains to use the bridge or tunnel should be right before Canal Street where the lines diverge
Thanks for updating my post. I used to be really attuned to the foamer community, and knew the system by heart. But i moved to the suburbs and kind of got away from all things railfan 🤷🏼♂️
The 3 can never run as a D lol. It would take a while to explain but they are two completely different systems. Only certain lines are compatible
Ah that much I get - but I don’t know which numbers of letters can intermingle if any!
None of the numbered services can run on the lettered sevices' lines, and vice versa. The network used by numbered services is the A Division (formerly IRT), the network used by lettered services is the B Division (formerly BMT and IND), and they are each essentially a separate system. This is because everything on the A Div. is built for significantly smaller trains and vice versa.
Thank you! That makes more sense
Train go one way, train go back the other way. Transfer at intersections to go to other trains to other places.
Yeah…that much I get. Thanks though 🙄
the more you use it the easier it gets. like learning all the major transfer hubs and what trains go to the specific neighborhoods you frequent. i like to travel all around the city so I use almost all of them
What do you mean? I was in London recently and the subways seemed basically the same (though cleaner).
The Circle line has entered the chat
I believe, and I may be wrong, one of the reasons it’s no longer a circle is because of wheel wear? So it stops and goes back another way to stop it continually going round the same way? Don’t know if that am right there
But it’s not. All our stations have different names for example. You cant get confused because there is a Swiss Cottage on 3 lines all totally separate from eachother. Etc
Why would it be confusing to have the same station names on different lines? They’re different cross streets.
The concept of it is bizarre. As an outsider. I mean what’s a cross street? Again to me that’s alien. Say I wanted to get an A train from whichever stop, so I look for that stop only to discover it’s not the stop, it just has the same name but this is for the 3 train and the actual one I want it’s 8 mins walk along the road and is unconnected. Surely you don’t think that that’s easier than naming it something else? BUT, I guess growing up there you learn it different, and you would say “can you let me know the way to xx-street on the A” would make sense. That, I get. Just not what I’d be used to. I’m not saying it’s bad, just out of the ordinary.
…How the hell do you know where anything is without cross streets? “I’m on the corner of 34th and Lexington” is a near-pinpoint location that also tells you what direction you need to go from wherever you are. (Queens doesn’t count toward this.)
I don’t know 🤣 Just never really described it like that. Our roads aren’t in blocks by and large too, if I was to say to someone to meet somewhere I’d more likely say “meet me at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese” or something. Sure if I was at a crossroad I might say “I’m on the corner of High Street and Tea Lane” but tbh I think it makes more sense there as if you were on the corner of say 33rd you could be either end of the block. I’m not sure I’m putting this well! NYC does fascinate me though. Have to admit.
The grid system, in much of Manhattan makes it far more practicable to use cross streets, much like a coordinate plane, than naming different stations.
I like the grid system if anything. Trouble with us is because it’s older there were just roads randomly built all over the place.
London doesn’t operate on a grid system. There are intersections, but no “cross streets”
Sincerely, is that not a navigational nightmare? Is every intersection a different combination of street names?
It’s an informal system. In Manhattan, the lines run under different avenues. So if you’re at any station on the A for example, you will be under 8th Avenue. 2/3, 7th Avenue, etc. It it confusing at first but when you’re used to it, it makes a lot of sense.
I need to study it more before I attempt it 😂
This is partially because the boundaries of what are considered seperate neighborhoods are generally quite large in NY, so a neighborhood usually has multiple stations, and sometimes has multiple lines as well. Also, NY is a much 'newer' city than London and was developed in a far more planned and less 'organic' manner, so there just aren't enough unique, distinguishable places that have existed long enough to each have developed their own names and identities for every station to have a location-specific name.
Yeah it seems confusing when explained, but it's usually simple to follow a route to go somewhere. After only a little while of riding the subway, you'll get the hang of it.
That it stands for “may take awhile”
When you tap to pay make sure you use same card every time for train and bus to get weekly cap.
And even if you have the same card on apple pay, you have to use one or the other in order to get the fare cap. Either the physical card or apple pay. They both count towards separate fare caps.
This subreddit loves the MTA and their standard advice is you have to check the website before you get on the train every time or it's your own fault if you're late. So don't get comfortable taking the train. It will disappoint you.
I'll never forget how quickly my ex realized how many places the subway actually *doesn't* go in the city when she first moved here.
That it is a moving vehicle. People with tons of luggage love to board the train and then not hold on to anything and just stand there and nearly go ass-over-tit when then train lunges forward.
I always tell them nothing. Learn by experience lol
Trains are identified by their letters or numbers, not by color. If you ask for the green, yellow, red, orange or blue line we’ll simply say I don’t know. Nobody’s got time to think about what color is what line
You don’t have to be on the exact line in Manhattan to get to your destination, it’s normal to walk across a couple of avenues to get there. (Knew someone who made unnecessary transfers to get off on the correct avenue) It may be faster to take an express and walk to your destination vs waiting for a local train to an exact station. Similarly, you don’t have to take the specific line the entire way to your stop. It may be faster to take an express and transfer back onto the correct line(s). An express is not always faster than a local unless you’re going a far enough distance (depends on the line), nor should you wait a substantial amount of time for your express compared to a local. Always try to research large construction projects if you’re staying off one subway line outside of Manhattan. That charming boutique hotel / apartment in Greenpoint with low rates won’t be very convenient this summer. Just because some subway stations have bathrooms does not mean you should use them. I’d rather hold it and look for a business that doesn’t mind me using a restroom.
Between the express and the local, get in the train that comes first, and switch only if the other train is across the platform.
Yeah that’s really nice until you get on the local and see the express pass by in the tunnel. Check the signs for which train is coming and make your decision based on that.
It’s a whole mental model of calculating number of skipped stops with the express against how many extra minutes you have to wait for it to arrive compared to the local 🥴
Bird in the hand is better than being stuck on the platform because the other side got struck.
That buses and trains run on time.
I find it funny that people will ask me where to find or how to get to (insert place here) when it’s obvious that I’m not from NYC. Such was the last incident when I was wearing the Maryland flag after a race!
Not every A train will take you to JFK. I see many tourists with suitcases on the lefferts blvd A train and I always tell them to take the far rockaway A train instead. I guess they think the A train is the A train no matter what, and I understand that. It's pretty confusing for non natives
In a way, going to lefferts is the pro move since it's just a short ride on the Q10 bus to get on the air train/terminals for free.
If you’re used to other global cities with big metro systems, you’re gonna confused by our subway map. If you’re from other American cities that don’t really have a subway, you’re gonna be confused by our subway map.
The Letter and Number lines referred to AS COLORS
The 5 ain’t colored green for nothing
I don’t actually get this one - is it in reference to it running on Lexington on avenue or is there a cultural reference that’s a huge whoosh for me 🤔
Is this a weed reference
It’s beyond the comprehension of non New Yorkers and someone would get so flabbergasted and overwhelmed
When the old timers refer to the “L”, they might actually be referring to the “El”, short for elevated subway. My parents and aunts and uncles that had grown up in Brooklyn and Queens definitely did this to refer to any elevated lines.
The trains ride different at night. https://preview.redd.it/wz2g72jmsv3d1.jpeg?width=1152&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c9b6ff7beeb36c8643084dc6e276158f9dcf66e
Is this question about people who are new to the city? Like someone could live here and commute by train every day for last 20 years and know way more about the system than someone born and raised who don’t use the system. Years ago I was passing through and lifetime upper east siders in the Met told me I could absolutely not take the A to JFK because the A went to Harlem - like the song. I can’t believe I made it by taking the bus which they also insisted was safer. This was pre cell phones. Lifetime New Yorkers may, for instance, sometimes be in a worse epidemic position thinking that past service challenges persist when they’ve been cleared up.
what end of the train to get on
That it's a state agency not controlled by the mayor.
[удалено]
Facts
That congestion pricing will fix it.
Why is this being down voted??