New York Subway System - why can't the London Underground be this way. (Subway New York City)

Member Name: Dexter01

Product:	Subway New York City
Date:	07/07/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, easy to use and pretty efficient.

Disadvantages: Hot platforms in warm weather, crowded during rush hour.

The New York Subway system is a great way to travel around the great city. It is very easy to use and cheap for what you get.

I visited NYC twice last year, once in the winter months and again in the summer months.

In the winter months, it was good to get out of the cold and rain. The main station we used was 42nd Street, which is near enough on Times Square. It is a very big station and if you don't keep your wits about you, very easy to jump on the wrong train. However, it doesn't take a genius to work out how to use it.

There were several entrances into this station and most stations I stopped at or got on had a few entrances. Once underground, you have to get a Metrocard to be able to go through the turnstiles to the platforms. There are several options for tickets to get, ranging from 7 day passes to single use tickets. The single use ticket cost us $2 for each ride. We did not get any passes as we didn't know how much we would use the subway (In the end we walked pretty much every where, so saved us some money).

You can either get your ticket from a machine, much like the London Underground machines. Simply use the touch screen to select the style of ticket you require and then pay the amount required. They do have 2 types of machine, so make sure you go to the one best suited for your needs. They are one's that only accept cash and others that accept both cash and cards. You don't want to stand in a queue for a ticket to find you have queued at the wrong machine.

Once your ticket is purchased, you go to the turnstiles and swipe your Metrocard through the swipe bit and the turnstile will unlock for you. Sometimes you have to swipe a couple times to get it to work.

At a main station like 42nd Street, you can choose from several lines and platforms for where you want to go. The routes are numbers and letters, but having just discussed it with the wife, we cannot remember any particular pattern as to how the routes work. You can choose between going on a local train or an express train. The local train stops at every station on that line, where as the express only stops at a few stations.
You distinguish whether you are going North or South by going Uptown or Downturn, very simple.

I found the subway to be busy during rush hour as you would expect, but then it was pretty quiet any other time of the day. When we did use it, we did try to avoid rush hour and always got a seat to sit on, which has never happened on the London underground.

If in any doubt about where to go and what line to get on, you can grab a free subway map at any station you stop at and in the tourist centres.

I would certainly recommend the subway for people, but I much preferred walking.

Price has now changed and is $2.25 for a single ride.

Summary: An excellent system for people not wishing to walk around the city.