NYC Subway Guide

Don't You Hate It When You End Up Lost In The Subway?

With all of the frequent track work going on in the subway at night and especially on the weekends, getting lost is more common these days. Can you relate to this?

You get on a Queens bound F train at 34 St to go to your usual stop at Roosevelt Island. You're tired and you nod off a little. Suddenly you wake up to find yourself at 5th Ave and 53rd St on the V line. You jump up and get off thinking you must have goofed. After watching the train leave you behind, you realize you could have stayed on that train to Roosevelt Ave. and taken a Manhattan bound train there to come back to your stop (assuming you're sober and a train buff or a transit worker to know all this). So, you stand there and wait for the next train to do this. You could gamble and take whatever train shows up on the downtown tracks but chances are good that you will either end up in the Twilight Zone or back where you started again.

This is not uncommon on the weekends. Take this weekend for instance. You need to get to 145 ST in Manhattan. If you rode an E train from Queens into Manhattan with the hopes of getting an uptown D train at 7th Ave., you found that there was no uptown D service at 7th Ave (after you got off your train, of course). Why didn't you just listen to the crystal clear announcements that were made addressing this issue before you got off? After all, you should know that the equipment being used (from the 1960s) has lasted this long because of it's superior quality. The P/A system sounds just like a shortwave radio most of the time. You remember short wave, right? So, you get back on a southbound E to 42 St, cross over to the other side and wait for a D train (or an A train). You wait by the center platform and hop on the WRONG train. What? Hmm. You thought it was an A train but you didn't bother to check the signs on the train. It said E on them. Luckily, you get wise and get off at 50 St. and go upstairs and surprise, you find an A train on the local track. What happened here? Well, thanks to weekend track work, the E trains are express northbound from Canal St to 42 St., while the A and D trains are running local to 59 ST (and most ran local all the way because of no C service, ugh!).

Whew! This is just too much typing. Anyway, the key to getting to your destination (in a timely manner) on the weekends is to check the MTA.info website. A little planning can go a long way. Look for service advisories and listen (as best you can) to announcements. It also helps to sit near the conductor to hear better and/or ask a question. Remember, the conductor gets many questions (most of them the same ones over and over) during his/her day. Go easy. Lastly, carry a map. Even though there are two subway maps in every subway car and large maps on the platforms, it's best to have your own map handy even though the train you may be taking is not on it's regular line. A transit worker will be able to show you where you are and where you need to go instead of just trying to explain it to you.

Good luck and stay safe.

posted by Slim @ 12:12 AM