Today my mind was wondering once again thinking about time spent in the city. I think about how exciting it was to ride on the NYC subway and all of the interesting experiences we had while doing so. You see performers dancing, and singing on the street corners in Times Square and throughout the city but there seem to be so many more in the subway stations. And they all are wonderful! We saw pianists, a brass ensemble, a full rock band, individual singers with guitars, break dancers, violinists, a steel drum band, people doing acrobatics, ect. You just never knew what would be around the next corner!!!!!! At one stop an acapella group hopped on our train and sang their way through the car collecting tips and got off at the next stop! An interesting side note: people wishing to be a street performers in NYC must have a license and need to go perform before a board before being granted the permit. Sure the first few times riding the subway are a little scary - because you just don't know what to expect and how you will know where to get off. And then when you do how do you find your way back on!!!! So many stations, so many lines and so many stops!!!! We were very fortunate to be on a train with a native who gave us some great tips and it built our confidence so much we got around like we knew what we were doing! =) Only 1 time did we get on a train and realized it was heading the wrong direction, this was on our very first big trip. We got off and had to find another station to board a train heading the other direction. It was in a sketchy neighborhood and I'll be honest we were a little nervous. But quickly found the station and got back safely. Probably the only time on a visit I was a little nervous of our surroundings.
And one more thing to remember is the door open and close....FAST!!!!!!!!!!! One particular stop, again on our first big trip, I made it off the car and the doors closed between my mom and myself!!!!!! We didn't know our way around the city at that point and it was pretty scary!!!! We gestured through the car windows that she would get off and the next stop and call my phone and we would figure out how to reunite!!!! Luckily the train was in the Times Square District headed to Columbus Circle and those areas are easy to navigate. We ended up on cell phones using landmarks as we walked down the streets to reconnect and it was ultimately the Ed Sullivan Theater, home of David Letterman's Tonight Show, that brought us back together. From that point on at busy stations we stood side by side and sometimes arm in arm and stepped on or off the car together at the same time! And we have a plan in place should we ever get parted again! So it probably still sounds a little scary..... but it really is fairly easy to figure out and stations have attendants that can help you. The stations have maps you can get to help too, however we found on a few occasions that they were completely out! So if you are in Times Square near the visitors center stop and check it out and grab their free subway maps too!!!! Some stations are so huge its very easy to get turned around. But it's all part of the NYC experience!!!!!!!!! Being able to navigate the subway opens the city wide up - it's awesome! And you can't beat the cost of a Metrocard!
And if that isn't enough to wow you......just think about this amazing network of rails, and stations underneath the city and what it takes to keep everything functioning and on time!!!! It's mind boggling to me! I've watched shows on how they built the subways and its just amazes me!!!!!
