I was reading this New York Times article about tourist reaction to the massive subway system, and their complaints as tourists that it is too hot at some stations, too noisy, too dirty, to hard to figure out, etc. I remember the first time I was staying in NYC as an adult, (I went with four other friends) and we took our first subway ride. Although this was back in the early '90's, the subways were simply not threatening to us at all. We did, once, end up in Brooklyn when we were trying to get to Harlem, but that mistake never happened again! I love the subways in New York City. I realize that bad shit happens on them from time to time, but that stuff happens in all mass transit systems, whether in New York, D.C., or L.A.
Anyway, what used to amaze us all the time in NYC was how often people would come up to us and offer help anytime we would stand around looking confused, especially when you come up from the subway onto the street and can't figure out which is north, south, east or west. I used to tell my friends in L.A. that if you stood on a corner in NYC lost, it would take just a minute before someone would approach you and ask if you needed help. And then I'd say that if you stood on a corner on Sunset and Vine for two days, no one would have approached you asking if you need help! And, therein lies one of the differences between the two cities' occupants. So, when I read this article and it proffered advice for those confused in NYC with the subway system, the very first one made me laugh out loud.
Plan your route You've journeyed back in time to pre-G.P.S. navigation. Get a map from the token booth attendant; it's free and comes with citywide technical support. New Yorkers have an entire lobe of the brain dedicated to calculating subway routes, and a soft spot for tourists who can't find their way. So stare at the open map, express confusion loudly, and 9 times out of 10 someone will magically offer to help. And though that person who comes to your aid may have an Indian accent, she won't be talking to you over a scratchy line from Bangalore.
That was, and has been, my experience in NYC, down to the T.
1 comment:
The best approach out-of-towners (which includes me) can take is to remember that the NYC subway system does not exist mainly to serve tourists, most of whom are just trying to travel around Manhattan Island. Uptown/downtown is fairly easy. It's getting across town that's a hassle.
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