The world’s financial capital has one of the world’s (arguably) oldest, most decrepit, and least user friendly subway systems. Arrive in New York on a holiday shopping weekend or during rush hour, and you'll face a flood of humanity: the frantic commuters, the busking musicians, the preachers and beggars, the noise of oncoming trains screeching this way and that. The whole effect can be overwhelming to even the most jaded traveler.
But the N.Y. subway system is actually logically organized and efficient; it runs frequently, and avoids traffic delays. During the day, the subway is crowded and well-patrolled and generally safe. Many New Yorkers, however, avoid the subway late at night. Here's how to use it.
Tickets, Prices for the New York Subway
Ticket booths are available at all subway stations. You can buy a single card, or cards for multiple trips. Cards can be reloaded with more money.
Ticket vending machines are available in English and Spanish, and take both cash and credit/debit cards. The price for a single trip is $2.25, with transfers to other subways and buses included. Two or more people can use the same ticket – you just have to pass it back to the next person and run it through the turnstile for each extra passenger.
The only irritating thing about the subway tickets is that they do expire, and that the ticket itself doesn't show you how much money is left on it. You can, however, run it through the ticket machines to find out (and replenish). Also, each time you use the ticket, the amount remaining will show at the turnstile.
Organization of the New York Subway System
The lines are coded by number or letter and color. The basic plot is like any other big city subway, except that with so many intersecting lines going every which way, the stations can be confusing.
A basic rule is that you need to find both your line and its direction (Different directions often mean different platforms.) In Manhattan, directions are noted as “uptown” or “downtown.” There are a lot of exceptions to what trains stop at which stations and which ones run express. (Schedules are different on some trains because of holidays, late nights, and weekends.) This can take some getting used to, as it sometimes seems the rules are changing on you. It’s worth getting an MTA subway map and familiarizing yourself with the details of the routes you plan to use.
Most Commonly-Used New York Subway Routes for Tourists
4-5-6 Lexington Avenue Line (green) goes up the entire East Side of Manhattan. The 6 is the local: It stops at every stop. The three lines diverge at 125th Street, heading into the Bronx.
The A, C (blue) and 1,2, and 3 lines (red) go up the West Side of Manhattan.
The Times Square Shuttle (gray) runs between Grand Central Station and Times Square, connecting the east and west sides.
The E (blue) runs from the the West Side of Midtown through the East Side and Queens to Sutphin Boulevard in Queens, where it connects to the AirTrain for JFK International Airport.
N.Y. Subway Lingo
When navigating the New York subway, a little bit of lingo can help: Outbound means away from Manhattan; inbound means into Manhattan. In Manhattan, “downtown” means the low street numbers as well as the streets named by letters, the Wall Street Area and Greenwich Village. “Uptown” has the higher numbers, including the area around Central Park and Harlem. The East Side is east of Fifth Avenue; the West Side is west of Fifth Avenue.
The new subway cars have a self-updating sign system that tells you where you are at any given station, which station is next, and how many stops until your destination. This is a vast improvement over the old system, where people spoke through what sounded like nineteenth century megaphones, and sounded approximately like "crackle static crackle stop is East Mumble Mumble Street.” On some trains, announcers still mumble unintelligibly, but at least the lighted signs tell you what you need to know!
The New York City subway is old and often grimy, but if you get stuck in New York’s traffic just once during your visit, you’ll understand why so many strap-hangers favor the underground route. There’s no quicker way to get from Point A to Point B in Manhattan. And the price, at $2.25 a ride, is right.
Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
