1 Train - South Ferry (Day 1, stop #42)

Out:  One of the most historic buildings in Manhattan, the shrine to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton,  is directly outside the ferry terminal as well as the impressive skyscrapers of the financial district.

The terminal building is very spacious, with large windows and a great view of the downtown skyscrapers as well as boats out on the water.  

Obviously a very new building.  Waited for a while on some benches in the large terminal atrium and saw lots of commuters sprinting to catch the ferry before they closed the large glass doors and ending access to the 5:30 train.  Some got turned away just as the doors closed…obviously disappointed, sucks for them.  From here I leave the terminal building and walk up to Wall Street & Broad St. to get on the J train.

In:  I can’t get off the train!  I forgot to move up to the first five cars, so the train stops and I can’t get out. What a pain.  Can see into the station, though, which has just one, long curved platform here at the point where the 1 Train turns around to head back uptown.  I end up riding back down from Rector St. a second time. There are chained areas to prevent people trying to access the train where there are very large gaps between the cars and the platform edge.  The station looks very old inside, and there is a horrendous screeching as the cars make their turnaround.  There is a mosaic station sign with a green background and green metal columns by the platform edge.  There are nice little accents with a boat from colonial times on the top of the walls.  The station exits directly into the Staten Island Ferry terminal.

1 Train - Rector St. (Day 1, stop #41)

Out:  Here we are in the heart of lower Manhattan, with large, labyrinthine office buildings and narrow streets.  

The sun is almost completely blocked out by these huge skyscrapers; I feel very towered-over here.  On the street are mostly businesspeople leaving work and heading home, as it’s around 5:15 p.m. now.   For the tourists I suppose they have these guides in funny uniforms...

Again they are of all races and here they are of all ages, from the 20’s on up.

In:  The station here is in good shape, with green/pink/blue tiling and tiled floors with bright lighting.  Green metal columns by plat edge.  The layout is again 2 plat, 4 track with express bypass.  No one is in the car with me after leaving Rector St., so I shot a photo.

1/2/3 Trains - Chambers St. (Day 1, stop #40)

Out:  The buildings here are lower-slung when compared to the more northern parts of Tribeca.  There is some new housing around, but mostly the buildings are made of older brick.  

To the east, City Hall is visible down Chambers St.  There are lots of people around as many of the nearby office and government workers have just gotten out of work and are heading home; many people in suits and business casual.  The crowd is of all races, but many people are on the older side.

In:  Layout is 2 plat, 4 track with express access.  There are blue metal columns by the platform edge, and renovations are currently underway on the platform restricting clearance in some areas, also creating plenty of noise.  Good thing the station is being renovated, because it’s mostly in pretty bad condition.  Upstairs there is a mid-sized mezzanine, also in poor shape, with multiple exits.

1 Train - Franklin St. (Day 1, stop #39)

Out:  Here there is a cool mix of commercial, industrial, and residential buildings that gives this part of TriBeCa its unique character.  

The streets around here are fairly empty, but the people seem to be divided among office workers, tradesmen, and women who look like models.  The streets are wide, so despite the tall buildings around there is not too much canyoning effect.

In:  The layout is 2 plat, 4 track with express bypass.  Unique 3-D displays of photographs of neighborhood streetscape, embedded behind glass in the wall of the station.  The mosaic tiles here are well-maintained in a green & pink theme.  The bottom of the walls have large, square brown tiles and the floor is dispersed tan tile pattern.  The station in general is in good shape and looks well lit and clean.  There is no crossover or mezzanine.  The entrance to the uptown 1 is very unique in that it covers the staircase in a green metal and glass construction that rises out of small island in the intersection.

1 Train - Canal St. (Day 1, #38)

Out:  Surprising number of touristy-looking people, but in general it’s not as crowded as farther uptown.  

There is lots of traffic trying to get onto the Holland tunnel here.  On the border of TriBeCa, everything here definitely looks more industrial.  Many of the buildings look more like factories (or former factories) than offices/residential.  

Given property values here, though, it wouldn’t be surprising if many of these retain their outer look but have actually been converted to other uses.

In:  The layout is 2 plat, 4 track with express bypass.  The tiling here looks kind of old and somewhat run down.  There is a gray, beige, & blue color scheme to the tile borders and tiled station names.  On the top border there is small image of a church instead of a “C” interspersed; not sure what it refers to.

1 Train - Houston St. (Day 1, stop #37)

Out:  Things here look somewhat dirty & dusty, as do the people; they are dressed shabbier and look sweatier out here in the heat.  Not as wealthy-looking as those a bit farther uptown.  The buildings here are larger and boxier and no longer look residential.  

There are some commercial establishments here but they don’t look particularly fancy, and mostly look a bit run-down.  

Also I witness two guys in black uniforms trying to lug an overladen cart filled with fancy catered food up the stairs of the subway station.  Don’t they own a van? Why were they riding the train with those things?

In: The layout is 2 plat, 4 track with express bypass.  There is blue & gold mosaic tiling for the station name and along the top border of the station (with “H” interspersed).  The station is dimly lit, but in pretty good condition.  There are yellow metal columns near the platform edge.  No crossover or mezzanine.

1 Train - Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq. (Day 1, stop #36)

Out:  The buildings here certainly have a lot of character, harkening back to Greenwich Village’s days as an entity independent of New York City.  

The buildings have a variety of facades, plus some are in triangular shapes at this 6-way intersection.  Some are more than 10-stories while the majority are between 4-6 stories.  

On the side streets there are a number of quaint, well-maintained row houses that the Village is known for.  

At this intersection there are many of commercial establishments and restaurants that look mid-scale and designed both for New Yorkers and tourists, with plenty of built-in personality (even if sometimes it’s a bit contrived).  The people here are not in professional dress, and seem a mix between wealthy- and not-so-wealthy, along with some out-of-towners.

In:  The layout is 2 plat, 4 track with express bypass. This station is in quite good condition, with clean tiling and mosaic station name and small mosaic images of a building (apparently, an old penitentiary according to nycsubway.org) on the top border of the walls.  There is also a touch of NYU naming, with purple mosaic sign saying “New York University” at a couple of points along the wall.  There is also some mosaic tile artwork laid into the wall at a couple of spots.

1/2/3 Trains - 14 St. (Day 1, stop #35)

Out:  Compared to the blocks north of here, the intersection of 14^th and 7^th Ave. looks a little worse off.  Some of the buildings on the corner show some signs of more ornate decoration, but for the most part the structures here are pretty unexciting.  

The retail outlets here are surprisingly lower-end, which I hadn’t noticed before; given the prices in this neighborhood I expected them to be more upscale.  When facing down 7^th Ave. things really seem to open up as the scale of the buildings are all quite small to the south.

In:  2 plat, 4 track layout with express access.  Station feels very old, with platforms in poor condition, tiles on walls dirty, with dim lighting.  On the walls there are no mosaic station names, but there are small “14”s interspersed within a mosaic tile stripe in brownish-purple.  There are numerous exits along the plat, and at the 14^th St. end there is a small mezzanine and a long tunnel to connect to the L and F/V at 6^th Ave.

1 Train - 18 St. (Day 1, stop #34)

Out:  The buildings here are still on a fairly small scale, and there are some construction projects underway near the intersection.  The architecture is mostly red brick.

Some smaller commercial places, but mostly looks residential. People on the street are pretty similar to at 23 St., but perhaps fewer obviously gay folk.

In:  Similar to 23 and 28 St., with concrete floors, poor lighting, and fairly narrow platforms.  The tiling on the wall is in a bit better shape, and the mosaic patterns on the top of the wall and the station names have a brown and tan color scheme.

1 Train - 23 St. (Day 1, stop #33)

Out:  The buildings here have suddenly transformed to a much smaller scale, as I enter Chelsea and leave midtown.  Here there are a number of 5-6 story apartment buildings along with some larger high rises.

  

Everything looks pretty residential.

  

The people are mostly upper-class looking, and of course there are a number of gay guys around (I mean, we’re in Chelsea, what do you expect?).

In:  Similar to 28 St., with concrete floors, poor lighting, and fairly narrow platforms.  The tiling on the wall is in decent shape, and the mosaic patterns have a similar color scheme to 28^th St.

1 Train - 28 St. (Day 1, stop #32)

Out:  Fewer people here, and the buildings are modest when compared with 34^th St.  The stop itself is right next to FIT, which hulks over the intersection in its boxy, behemoth-esque way.

For some reason the buildings here look very stereotypically “New York” (at least in my mind), as they are all ~30 stories and surfaced with drab yellow-brown brick.  These imposing buildings lead to significant canyoning effect, and there is not much gleaming modernity to interfere with this corner that looks like it easily could have been the same 40 years ago.  

When I tried to get back on the train here, there was some problem with the doors so I just walked to 23^rd St.  On the way I stopped and got a blueberry Yolato…pretty good innovation in frozen treat technology.

In:  Inside the station looks older and the lighting isn’t as good.  Mosaic tiling at top of wall, with burgundy and green theme.  Same for background on mosaic station name sign and “28” in border at top of wall.  Rest of wall is typical white square tile, but pretty dirty.  2 plat, 4 track setup with express bypass and no crossover.

1/2/3 Trains - 34 St. (Day 1, stop #31)

Out:  Surprisingly, the streets here are much more crowded than at 42^nd St.  It’s getting close to rush hour and the commuters seem to be flocking here.  There are definitely people of all races and from middle-class to wealthy.  Many people in office gear, but definitely not all.  

To the south it’s apparent that the buildings of midtown are fading into the smaller apartments and other buildings of Chelsea.  However, right by Penn Station there are still many large office towers as well as the enormous Macy’s with its large electronic billboard on the side.

In:  On the platform, there is a strange and almost unique layout: there is a three platform, four track layout.  On the center platform, there is access to both the uptown and downtown express trains.  To access the local trains, however, you must go onto an underpass (also at the same level as the Penn Station entrance) and then cross onto the local platform.  Very strange; not sure why this layout is like this.  But always extremely annoying on practical level.  The station is not very clean but the lighting is pretty good and the tiling pattern is brown & jade.  There is a real mix of characters here inside the station; always a good quotient of crazy/homeless folks around.  At the north end of the express platform there is a large tile mural of deer, bears, and other animals frolicking in a forest near a river.  Not particularly appropriate for Penn Station, but maybe it symbolizes that you could escape to wildnerness by hopping on a train here?

1/2/3 Trains - 42 St. (Day 1, stop #30)

Out:  At the intersection of 42^nd St. and 7^th Ave., the craziness that is Times Square is in full effect.  The streets are packed with a mix between tourists and office workers of all races.  A lot of business casual dress as well as plenty of extremely casual. 

Lots of people looking up in awe, a lot of languages and different American accents.  Of course, there is a plethora of loud neon signs and multimedia displays, bombarding the senses with pure consumerism.  While crowded, fortunately it’s still better than on the weekend.  

Man, I have to get out of here pretty quickly.  The entrance to the subway sign here is quite unique, embodying the Times Square spirit with its own large amount of flashing lights and circulating neon.

In:  The layout here is 2 platform, 4 track with express access.  The lighting is good with green metal columns on both edges of the platform.  The walls are predominantly white tile with a green border color scheme.  There are multiple exits and ways by which to transfer to other trains.  The mezzanine is extremely large and somewhat difficult to navigate.  On the mezzanine level there are a number of interesting touches, including a large frosted green wall with embedded artwork, as well as a designated area for performers that almost always attracts a crowd.  The station is very busy and crowded; perhaps the most important transfer point in the whole MTA system.

1 Train - 50 St. (Day 1, stop #29)

Out:  The exit from the station on the downtown side leads into a strange sunken courtyard with entrances to a gym.  Now it is very clear that I am in midtown.  Specifically, it’s apparent that I’m close to Times Square here at the intersection with 7^th Ave.  The buildings around are pretty much all large high rises, predominantly office buildings.  However, there are still some hints of the older, unsavory Times Square.  

There are also some spots that are fairly obvious tourist traps.  There are an extremely large number of tourists here, both American and international.  There are also many people who look like they work around here, mostly in professional dress.  Can’t tell who lives around here and who just works here.  Very crowded and many other people with cameras.

In:  The station walls are predominantly red brick offset with white tiles and a blue border.  The floor is tiled and the station looks recently renovated with predominantly bright fluorescent lighting, with some orange sodium lights at the south end of the platform.

1 Train - 59 St. (Day 1, stop #28)

Out:  The intersection is busy, at the circle which defines the intersection of Broadway, 8^th Ave., and 59^th St.  On the west side of the intersection, the gleaming Time Warner Center dominates the skyline with two huge towers and the upscale, non-Manhattanesque mall contained on the lower floors.  

At the part of the intersection where Central Park West meets Broadway, the famous gold globe stands outside the Trump Hotel.  

Directly to the East stands the entrance to Central Park and the large gilded monument to the U.S.S. Maine.

  

Of course, in the middle of the circle lies a large fountain and a statue of the Circle’s namesake, Cristopher Columbus.  There are a lot of people here.  There is an interesting mix of tourists, workers, shoppers, and people going to exercise in the park.  Most people look pretty upper class and of many different races, but there is definitely some mixing.

In:  The white tiled walls in this significantly curved platform are dirty and look like they have suffered quite a bit of water damage.  The platform is also dirty and dimly lit.  There is a mosaic tile station name (“Columbus Circle”) with a green background and tile border.  Instead of a small number on the wall for a station name, there are small tile pictures of a sailing ship in brown on a green background; nice touch.  There is a strangely shaped mezzanine on the same level with stairs downstairs to transfer to the A/B/C/D trains.

1 Train - 66 St. (Day 1, stop #27)

Out:  The buildings here are predominantly large residential and office buildings, with a 1960-70s style of boxy architecture in subdued colors and small windows.  Also nearby is the imperious white marble of Lincoln Center, mostly shielded from view at the subway station.  

The construction of a large addition to Lincoln Center takes up much of the west side of Broadway next to the station.  

There is some open space here in the median where Broadway meets Columbus and 66^th.  There are a number of upscale restaurants and a large Barnes & Noble.  The people around look still pretty wealthy, but there is a little more mixing and more people who look like they work, rather than live, near here, along with some tourists, which weren’t so apparent farther uptown.

In:  The white tiled walls have many small mosaic murals depicting scenes of cultural significance, a nice touch to the station nearest Lincoln Center.  The station name “66 St. – Lincoln Center” is in white on a blue background, laid onto large, square tiles instead of the usual mosaic tile.  Other parts of the station wall, on the top and bottom, are covered by a surface similar to brick.  The station is fairly well lit.

1/2/3 Trains - 72 St. (Day 1, stop #26)

Out:  Here Broadway is very wide at the intersection with Amsterdam & 72^nd St.  The intersection itself is accented by the subway station houses in the median.  

The buildings are of a decidedly mixed character.

  

There are some stately residential complexes along with more low-level buildings; many of these are now purely commercial.  The skyscrapers of midtown are beginning to come more into view, indicating the transformation from UWS-residential to midtown-commercial.  Predominantly white, mostly upper-class, unsurprisingly.

In:  The station house here is quite interesting, as the entrances are situated in the middle of Broadway instead of the typical east & west sides of the street.  The station houses (both on the north and south side of 72^nd St.) have clearly been recently renovated, with stone on the outside and refurbished metalwork.  Inside there is plenty of natural light along with the interior fluorescents.  There are tiled floors in the station houses and very narrow stairways leading down to narrow platforms.  There is a two platform, four track setup with express access.  On the station walls are white tiles with strange gold-metal doors interspersed in different places.  In addition, there is an unusual repeating concave pattern of the wall tiles, along with redone mosaic tiling taking up some of the panels.  There are rounded red columns in the middle of the platform.