About this experience
Interesting architecture, vintage photographs, paintings by schoolchildren, musical attraction—something quite far from associations with public transport? Not at all. The evidence for this can be found in one of the most unexpected subways in the world—New York City's metro. I will guide you through the most interesting artistic landmarks of the underground and tell you about their stories—after all, each masterpiece has its own story.
Beautiful metro stations are more typical of Moscow and St. Petersburg or other cities in the post-Soviet space. Mention of the New York subway, on the other hand, brings up thoughts of dirt, homeless people, and crime. However, over the past few decades, the subway has changed significantly for the better and is nothing like the aforementioned stereotypes of the 70s. Today, the New York City subway is quite convenient and safe. Moreover, on many stations, you can find artistic decorations that, while not as sophisticated as the ones in Moscow, still please the eye. Some stations have preserved original decorations. However, a significant part of the decor was created much later than the stations themselves were built.
Program
Since the New York City subway is huge, we are unlikely to be able to cover all of its artistic landmarks in one go. Therefore, I will focus only on stations within Manhattan.
- Our walk will start from one of the stations in the lower part of Manhattan. Before descending into the subway, we will take photos of the neighborhood to compare its modern look with Manhattan a century ago, views of which are displayed in the station's vestibule. If you are a true metro enthusiast, you will immediately notice the unusual layout of the platforms at this station. I will tell you about what is behind this unusual planning.
- Next, we will head up along Manhattan. At one of the transfer hubs, connecting eight routes running on three lines, you will see fragments of architectural decoration that were previously present on now unused platforms. Going a bit further up and finding ourselves in the heart of the business district of Manhattan, you will see (or rather, hear) a unique sound attraction.
- In the Upper West Side area, you can find a unique picture gallery featuring New York's cityscapes, executed in ceramic mosaic form. This exhibition is notable because all the paintings were created by local schoolchildren, and not the most academically successful ones. You will learn more about this during our walk.
- Finally, we will pass through the historic City Hall station, which in 1904 saw the start of the very first New York City subway train. This station is now closed to passengers and is only used for train turnarounds, but passing through it is allowed. I will tell you more about the history of the opening of the first subway line. It is worth noting that this closed station surpasses any of the currently operating ones in beauty and can easily be compared even to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
I have listed only the main points of our walk. If you have time, in addition to the aforementioned stations, we can visit others.
