I’m not going to BlogHer, but I want to suggest that anyone who is coming to NYC as a visitor pay attention to some tips from an NYC import:
- Make sure that any printed, PDF, app, or website versions of the subway infrastructure you use for reference is updated to June 2010 version. If your version of the subway map includes a V train you’ve got an old map. (The V train no longer exists.) MTA.info has the latest map in PDF form.
- Make sure to read ALL posted signs about service changes, paying close attention to train letters/numbers, dates, and times and whether the times are in AM and/or PM. Service changes are very tricky, take the time to process what you read. Ask someone else if the sign confuses you.
- Don’t hang out on deserted parts of the subway platform alone. Just don’t.
- If you see a red glowing light at a subway entrance it just means there’s no human there to help you. Go in, it’s ok. If the station is completely closed there will be gates up to tell you.
- If something is barracading an entrance to a station DON’T GO IN. 
- Don’t flash your money or personal belongings around on the train, on the platform, going into the station, etc. unless you want to be robbed or followed then robbed.
- Your cell phone won’t work on the trains. Don’t rely on it to save you. Be smart, stay alert, all that good stuff.
- If you get lost ask someone who looks ok to ask. If that turns out to be a mistake, walk away and ask someone else. You have no obligation to continue engaging with a crazy person.
- We all get on the wrong train or end up going the wrong direction. It’s ok to be embarrassed, but it’s ok to get off at the next stop too. And it’s ok to look at a map.
- If people solicit you on the train it’s ok to ignore them.
- If someone makes you feel fear while you’re on the train, move away from them. Change cars at the next stop if you need to, but unless you’re in actual danger DO NOT go between cars via the doors that say not to use them. You don’t want to fall and you don’t want a ticket.
- If you drop something over the side of the platform do not jump down on the tracks to “save” it. That’s a death wish.
- Hold on tight while the train is moving. The drivers love to jostle us around.
- Don’t freak out at the turnstyle if your Metro Card doesn’t work. Just try swiping it 5 billion more times, and if that doesn’t work then run it through a card reader to the side of the turnstyles to verify it has money. If you were trying to use a single user card for multiple people the card is smart enough to know what time it was swiped and will deny you. You need to buy multiple cards.
- New York City is a grid. When you come up from below start walking in a direction that feels right. If the street numbers don’t go the way you were hoping, just turn around. It’s ok. You can turn around. No one even cares.
- Expect escalators and/or elevators to be out of service. That means you have to walk. WEAR SENSIBLE SHOES.
- The doors to the trains are operated by a human in the middle car of the train. They’re automatic in the sense that they re-open if they hit an object, but a person pushes the button to close them initially. So, be quick about getting on and off the train, but don’t FREAK OUT that you’re going to get stuck on the wrong side.
- Let people off before you get on, assert yourself off the train before others get on. Glare at people who violate these rules, but keep walking.
If I didn’t cover something you were wondering about subway navigation please ask me, please, please, I beg of you.
Friends who live in NYC – other tips?
This is a GREAT guide — even for the non-BlogHer crowds! Well done…
Well done! Especially the part about the service changes. That does me in every time.
Never accidentally take the 5 train to Yankee Stadium when clearly you meant to take the 6 train. You may wind up in a section of the Bronx that isn’t good for your long-term or short-term health. And you may need a nice police officer to protect you and ride back to 125th Street with you so you can catch the train you were supposed to catch in the first place.
This is purely a “what if” scenario. Never happened to me. Nope…never.
(Thank you, officer!)
Okay, I’ll just never go to NY. Perfect strategy!
I don’t plan on taking the subway at all, but this seems very helpful.
All of this is true…although sometimes you can’t help hanging out on a deserted subway platform if it’s 2 AM. Also, depending on the time of day, subways either come every 5, 15, or 20 minutes.
I love the subway in New York, and have been riding it since my very first visit. It’s actually a fast, safe, efficient, and CHEAP way to get around the city. It always shocks me when people don’t ride it because they think it will be dirty and unsafe, when I find the opposite to be true.
I love the subway, too. Although I’ve been on a deserted platform before – but I lived! YAY!
About 12 years ago, I went to NYC with my then-boyfriend and we rode the subway everywhere. When we returned to California, one of my guy friends could not believe that we *actually* took the subway. The thought terrified him. Maybe his idea of the subway is what he saw in Adventures in Babysitting
I recently was back in November and they were doing track service or something, and we ended up going the wrong direction so many times because we didn’t read the signs that were posted EVERYWHERE. They make it easy to understand, you just have to read the signs!! Great tips!!
You are awesome! When I come to NY (if I ever get there) you are the first person I want to see when I get off the plane.
Some trains have multiple end points, make sure you know which branch you need to be on. Unless you are going way outside of Manhattan this shouldn’t matter, but living near the A train meant I saw a lot of people getting lost.
Nah, I think you pretty much covered it
Although I have been told that small children sometimes lick the poles. That too is a no-no.