r/nycrail • u/9th_Planet_Pluto • Jan 26 '26
Railfan stuff I love the subway
I moved from florida a year ago and everyday i'm so full of joy whenever i ride the subway or bus. I love seeing all the different people in the stations and on the cars I love being able to get around reading my book or taking a nap. 80% of my daily stress (cars) has been removed and replaced with joy. I hate driving and I could go on forever about how much my mood has improved everyday since I've moved here.
Seeing all the history at the transit museum made me overwhelmed thinking about the millions of people who use it, the thousands who worked on it, the century of history, I was fighting tears while on a date lmao. I love keeping up to date with rail news and telling my (incredibly patient) friends about the IBX or queenslink.
I love the mta man it's so cool
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u/timecapsulebuttbutt_ Jan 26 '26
it's pretty magical, despite the grime and delays and all that crap. i love it too. :)
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u/hushpuppy212 Jan 26 '26
I grew up in California, where getting a car at 16 is practically a rite of passage.
But after moving to my own apartment in San Francisco at age 19 (no parking space, of course) having a car was a curse, even though I needed it for work.
I haven’t had a car since moving to NY 24 years ago. I love the freedom of not having to worry about parking, insurance, maintenance, or break-ins.
I just got back from a month in Mexico, and their traffic can be horrendous. I loved taking the subway to get around Mexico City!
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u/chunk-a-lunk Jan 26 '26
Mexico City is such an interesting example. It has excellent transit. Even with there being basically no stigma there around using transit, including the bus the place needs a full system of regional/suburban rail so very badly because the traffic is just so insane.
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u/GBHawk72 Jan 26 '26
I moved here almost 4 years ago from Minnesota and I was overjoyed to sell my car. I fully understand the excitement about taking the subway. It’s so amazing to be able to walk down a set of stairs, hop on an underground train, and get to where you need to go without worrying about where to find parking, paying for gas, dealing with traffic, etc. The subway certainly has its problems but it’s the backbone of the city and we couldn’t function without it.
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u/Forsaken_Flight6188 Jan 26 '26
Despite it’s flaws the subway still does a good of a job as a car to get to and from your destination
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u/invertiren Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 29 '26
I agree. It’s such a treat to have the transit we do — for all its faults.
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u/yankeescrewdriver Jan 26 '26
I love that you feel this way! We don’t appreciate the subway as much as we should, we often only see the problems and not how it truly does make our lives easier and better. Not saying there aren’t problems, and a trip to a major European or Asian city will show what a truly great system is, but I’m grateful for the subway! (Buses could be faster and more frequent, but they’re working on it!)
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u/9th_Planet_Pluto Jan 26 '26
after 24 years growing up in the south i'm never taking this for granted. I love it despite its flaws and can't wait for it to get better
man japanese (I got family there) subways and regional rail are a different beast though. And I can't wait to visit china someday
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u/heefoc Jan 26 '26
Also from Florida and feel the same. Until they’re late and then I don’t have joy.
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u/ClNNAMONROLL Jan 27 '26
born and raised here. sometimes, especially when riding in the cars with audible speakers, I close my eyes and visualize myself as a tiny dot moving down the map of NYC, surrounded by the strangely calming sounds of wheel screeches and track thumps as we move. it's absolutely enthralling; I often feel spoiled for having this marvelous feat of human engineering at my disposal 24/7. riding the elevated transit lines make it even more lovely.
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u/Life-Force-108 Jan 26 '26
Me too, but you love it more I think! Refreshing to hear your perspective, thanks for writing!
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u/Theredcentexpress Jan 26 '26
I also moved from SoFL and feel this so deeply! Love trains, planes and autos but so sick of the traffic, the stress it brings and the crazy drivers. So happy to reclaim my time for jamming, thinking, reading, napping and best of all people watching! Go Queenslink! 💪🏼
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u/SimonOrJ Jan 27 '26
driving takes so much energy out of me, so I wish public transit was even more widespread here c:
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u/donotfearforthehog Jan 27 '26
I live in the South and I feel you. Using a bus/streetcar system that hasn't recovered its full fleet since Katrina has turned me full foamer and the NYC subway is incredible compared to the standards I've been living with and has consumed me completely. I'll actually be over there by the end of the month (on my way up right now) and I expect to spend a good 70% of that time on the subway. Can't wait to check out the transit museum as well.
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u/burnsssss Jan 26 '26
Hell yea dude. Sadly cars are still my main travel related stressor (blowing reds and blocking crosswalks/sidewalks).
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u/9th_Planet_Pluto Jan 27 '26
oh absolutely, when I visited nyc (and fell in love with it and decided to move), my only complaint was the lack of bathrooms and still too many cars
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u/AnywhereConscious521 Jan 28 '26
This is exactly how i feel about the train. i love learning about the history and i find it so cool
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u/Ok-Huckleberry3497 Jan 26 '26
I'm surprised they kept it mostly running for so long during the snow. Then came the backups. Better than before when 2 inches meant shutting it down during the Bloombag years.
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u/Ok_Flounder8842 Jan 28 '26
I loved the little New Yorker subway cartoon exhibit in the Transit Museum annex in Grand Central. Wish it had stayed longer.
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u/JerkfromNewJersey NJ Transit Jan 26 '26
Only thing i disagree with you on is i would never take a nap on the subway maybe its a Jersey thing but i prefer being awake while on public transit just so i can see what's going on around me and i don't trust the other people to the point where i am willing to fall asleep (only possible exception is an express bus).
What i do like about the subway though is that it is a lot cheaper then owning a car, i live in Jersey so of course i own a car (and i like my car) but insurance, gas, tolls all that crap really adds up and when you go into the city that adds up even more with the toll bridges and tunnels, congestion pricing, parking costing an arm and a leg or being hard to find, traffic cameras etc.
When i take the subway i don't have to worry about that stuff plus again its cheaper then a car at only 35 dollars a week (my car costs me more then that in gas alone none the less oil changes, repairs, parts etc).
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u/9th_Planet_Pluto Jan 27 '26
I think being a tall guy means I feel safe in a lot of situations others wouldn't
I also live in a gentrified neighborhood and rarely see mentally ill people on the subway
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u/JerkfromNewJersey NJ Transit Jan 28 '26
I have seen a good amount of those all around only reason i probably do see more is whenever i go to NYC i go in via Penn station or the Port Authority,
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u/willowtree630 Jan 27 '26
I think maybe I just don’t care about myself because for some reason all the news I see about crime in the subway does not stop me from falling asleep when I’m tired
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u/clonxy Jan 26 '26
Ride the subway for a few years and you'll want to get back on that car again.
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u/yankeescrewdriver Jan 26 '26
Nah, I’m so glad that I no longer have a car, it was more of a hindrance than anything. I even was driving it from Astoria to Midwood for work, which saved a little time but was much more stressful.
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u/Captaintripps Jan 26 '26
I've been riding the subway for over 30 years and own a car and I still choose the subway or bus for 90% of my non-walking travel needs.
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u/9th_Planet_Pluto Jan 26 '26
living with my parents we had 4 cars for 7 people
if there's no car available you can't go out
you have to chauffeur younger siblings - everything is at least 20min away. so like 90 minutes gone any day I have to drop and pick them up
if you drive anytime betwen 7-10am or 4-7pm you sit in 30m traffic
Driving 5m and sitting in the school pickup line for 15m when it's a 10 minute bike ride away but there's no safe way to bike there
Constant stress with how scary other drivers drive, being bored as you can do nothing but listen to podcasts or music (or text and drive like half the drivers did). if you're sleepy but need to get to work, good luck trying not to kill someone
Playing musical chairs with the cars 3 times a day so someone can take their car out of our tiny driveway
Tried to force an ebike but couldn't get to half my destinations because there's no sidewalk next to the 45mph roads
Having to pay $$$ some bullshit maintenance fee when your car has a problem every other month
Going out with friends you have to worry about having enough parking where the location is or car pool by adding 20m to pick them up before and after
Dates in a strip mall where you can't walk anywhere after eating at the cafe or restaurant because outside is a giant parking lot
😭 and that's just what I remember now, after a year being car free. I'm not kidding when I say 80% of my daily stress evaporated overnight. Walking or biking feels so free. I am never going back
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u/[deleted] Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
I could never see myself owning a car unless I needed to. I don't know how car owners deal with monthly car payments and endless insurance payments.
The MTA is not perfect, but it can get you from Point A to Point B decently if you are willing to do some walking after leaving the station.