A/B/C/D Trains - 59 St.-Columbus Circle (Extra Days, stop #460)

Out:  See description of 1 Train - 59 St.-Columbus Circle.

In: Three platform, four track layout.  The center platform is unused by passengers but is currently undergoing major renovation.  It's not clear what use it could be for except for alternate boarding for the express trains in either direction.  The walls are white tiled with "59" in subtle tilework outlines. The color scheme is generally blue tile stripe down a white wall with burgundy columns.  There is transfer up two different staircases to the uptown and downtown 1 trains as this train cuts diagonally over the 8th Ave. line.

B/C Trains - 81 St.-Museum of Natural History (Extra Days, stop #458)

Out:  The exit here is at the south side of 81^st St., close to CPW.  The intersection is, not surprisingly, dominated by the museum here, even if the view is a bit blocked by trees.  

There are large high-rise apartment complexes along 81^st St. in all of their pre-war splendor.  There is a particularly grand building on the corner of CPW undergoing renovations.  

At the crosstown route across the park here there is the “Hunter’s Gate”.  

The people outside are similar to 86^th, with perhaps more tourists and kids, still definitely mostly white, but a few black and Hispanic here.  Also there are still no commercial spots here.

In:  The layout of the station is similar to previous stops, but there are a number of interesting features here.  The station entrance itself is unusually wide (essential the width of two typical staircases), as is the tree-lined sidewalk into which it emerges on 81^st St.  On the staircases and on the mezzanine there are elaborate mosaic tile murals of birds, insects, and other scientific specimens.  The floor is decorated with other tiles and the station is clean and in good shape.  The walls of the upper platform are still covered in tile pictures of animals, and there are no advertisements on the walls.  The staircase to the lower level is decorated with a large tile picture simulating the layers of the earth; the core is located at the bottom of the stairs.  

The walls downstairs have relief metal inlays of fossils.  There are also some mosaic tile station signs with “81^st St.-Museum of Natural History” on a blue tile background.  Definitely a great station! 

B/C Train - 86 St. (Extra Days, stop #457)

Out:  The area around the station here is similar to 96^th, but everything looks even fancier.  The station is still right next to the park, and there is plenty of traffic at the crossover here.  

The buildings are even more ornate here, and almost everyone is now white except for nannies of various ethnicities carting around white babies.  There are no commercial establishments except for a large office full of doctors in private practice.  

There are a couple of smaller buildings with interesting architecture undergoing renovations (see photo), but again most of the buildings are large residential towers.  I walk from here down to 81^st St.

In:  Similar to 96^th, but here there are exits at 87^th and 86^th, and there is some visible graffiti on the wall of the express track.

B/C Trains - 96 St. (Extra Days, stop #456)

Out:  Again the exit here is on the west side of CPW, right next to the park.  Now on the border of the Upper West Side, there are a number of towering residential high rises.  

The only obvious commercial activity is a guy selling hot dogs from a cart.  There is plenty of traffic looking to enter and exit one of the park crossovers here.  96^th itself here is a large street, with two lanes of traffic in each direction.  It is also lined by large high rises to the west, with a fewer smaller buildings interspersed.  

Some of the buildings look to be classic and pre-war, but others are clearly more modern.   There is also a large church on the corner here and a Tudor-style apartment building on 97^th.  

The people on the street are pretty mixed between white, black, and Hispanic, plus there are a number of tourists now.  There is a playground at the corner here with many moms, nannies, and kids.  There are not too many people in work attire, and more in workout clothes.  Definitely getting into the wealth of the UWS here.

In:  Similar to 103 St.

B/C Trains - 103 St. (Extra Days, stop #455)

Out:  The station here is next to Central Park, as the next many stations will also be.  It’s very residential here.  On 103^rd there are a number of brick tenements and some Puerto Rican flags flying.  On the block there are some older black and Puerto Rican men hanging out.  103^rd itself is quite small here, with just one lane of traffic.  

On CPW there are more people out and some tourists speaking a Scandanavian language, along with many other white people/gentrifiers.  There are also many people who look like they are just leaving the park after a run or other exercise.  There is also some type of protest going on about a block away (see photo).  

In the park here there are some large boulders across from the stop, indicating the rockier terrain in this northern section. On CPW there are basically only fancy residential buildings with many arches, bay windows, and other accents on the façade.

In:  The station is a bit dirtier than 110 St.  The color scheme is similar to the previous stops, with blue metal columns and a blue mosaic tile name, but the layout has changed.  Now the station is bi-level, with the uptown tracks on the top level, just one flight below street level, along with the booth and turnstiles.  On each level there is one platform and two tracks, with the outer track being the express bypass.  The platform wall has white tiling while the far wall is just black backing with no tiling.

B/C Trains - 110 St.-Cathedral Pkwy. (Extra Days, stop #454)

Out:  The exit here is at the NW corner of Central Park.  

There is a lot of construction going on in the not-yet-completed traffic circle here.  

There are now many gentrifiers around, and their presence is gaining when compared to the number of black people on the streets.  I can see the trees of Central Park along with two big apartment towers here, the “Towers on the Park”.  

There are also a number of other brick-fronted tenements around.  There is a cleaners, a grocery, a café, and a gas station here, but in general it’s much more residential than commercial.

In:  The mezzanine here is small with a dimly lit platform.  There’s a mosaic tile mural with the title “Migrations”, that is tasteful if a bit abstract.  The platform color scheme and layout is similar to 116 St., but here the express tracks are running below grade.  There is also a mosaic tile mural on the platform depicting Frederick Douglass.

B/C Trains - 116 St. (Extra Days, stop #453)

Out:  The area near this stop features some good Harlem architecture, with a mix of brownstones and well-maintained brick apartment buildings with art deco accents.  

The area around the stop is mostly black, with a strong Senegalese presence, as well as a good number of gentrifiers.  

There is a Halal deli, some Senegalese stores, and women in headscarves.  The local mosque, the “Masjid Aqsa”, is near the 99¢ store.  I walked down to 110 St. from here.

In:  The station walls here are covered in dirty white tiles, and the stop is dimly lit.  There are blue metal columns by the platform edge.  The layout here is two opposing platforms with four tracks and express bypass.  There is a blue mosaic station name in the IND style.  The paint here is peeling pretty badly at certain places.  There is only one exit.

A/B/C/D Trains - 125 St. (Extra Days, stop #452)

Out:  The exit here is on a busy stretch of 125 St., at the corner of St. Nicholas Ave.  There are plenty of people out and about as well as traffic, even on a Sunday afternoon.  There are many small businesses and fast food places, as well as larger chains.  

While 125 is almost all commercial with many stores and large billboards, there are many large apartment buildings on St. Nicholas.  The people around are mostly black, not surprising here on the main street of Harlem.

In:  The layout here is two platform, four track with both express and local access.  There are brick tile floors on the platform and green metal columns in the middle of the platform.  There is green tile stripe down the side wall and no mosaic station name.  The station in general is dimly lit and the tiles on the walls are dirty.  The mezzanine is also floored in brick tiling and extends for the length of the platform and there are multiple exits.

B/C Trains - 135 St. (Extra Days, stop #451)

Out:  This area is again very residential, with no obvious commercial activity nearby.  The main buildings here are large apartment blocks and tenements.  The interesting feature here is that one entrance to the train is built into a hillside (see photo) leading up to City College, whose buildings are visible over the top of the hill.

In:  The station here has a two platform, six (!) track layout.  There are two sets of express tracks that bypass the station, one for the A train and one for the D train, which reflect their positioning on different levels at 145 St.  Thus, the opposing platforms are very far apart here.  There are green metal columns by the platform edge and a green mosaic station name in the IND style.  There is no mezzanine here, just a booth at platform level and the exit one flight up.

A/B/C/D Trains - 145 St. (Extra Days, stop #450)

Out: The neighborhood here is very residential, with only a few small business nearby. The housing is almost all large tenements, but there are a few more architecturally interesting row houses/brownstones nearby. The area is mostly black with some kids near the stop looking like they are searching for something to do.

In: The station here is three levels. The bottom level has the B/D, the middle the A/C, and the top level is a long mezzanine with exits at 145 St. and 147 St. The levels with train access have a two platform, four track layout with local and express access. There are white tiles on the wall with a yellow tile stripe and yellow metal columns. There is no mosaic station name, just “145” lettering on small black tiles.

B/D/F/V Trains - 47-50 St.-Rockefeller Ctr. (Day 9, stop #389)

Out:  The buildings here are mostly office towers and other skyscrapers, and the people on the street are primarily office workers leaving to go home a bit early on Friday (~ 4 p.m.).  

There are also a good number of tourists here.  On the corner here there are ice cream trucks and small food stands, as well as some restaurants and shops at street level of the tall buildings, especially on the side streets off 6^th Ave.  

Near the stop is Radio City Music Hall and plenty of people relaxing by the fountain across 6^th Ave.  

Inside the shops at Rockefeller Center I manage to finally use the bathroom after basically walking underground all the way over the 5^th Ave.

In:  This station has lots of entrances, many built into the sides of the nearby buildings.  Also there are many retail outlets and food places on the upper level of the station, called “The Concourse”.  There are white-tiled dodecahedrons near the platform, and there are grey and white floors.  The long mezzanine level has red metal columns and Lufthansa ads. The layout here is two platform, four track with local and express access.  The platforms here are not at equal height, so it’s kind of strange to look at the wrong level onto the neighboring track.  The walls have small white tiling with a reddish tile stripe.  The station name “47-50” is painted on small black wall tiles.

B/D/E Trains - 7 Ave. (Day 9, stop #362)

Out:  This stop is again back into the thick of midtown Manhattan, as the surrounding buildings are almost all skyscrapers (some office, some residential, some hotel).  Most of the people are in office attire and on their way to work.  

There are some eateries around, “Lindy’s” diner, and the Sheraton.  This stop no longer has any character of Times Square, even though it’s only a few blocks north.  There is a mix of older and newer towers here.  The people who live here are doubtless mostly white with plenty of cash.  There are some very upscale restaurants which are likely geared toward the local businessmen or tourists, and there are already some tourists scoping out the area at this early hour.

In:  The station has a strange layout as well, with multiple levels for the trains.  There are two levels with trains, and each has a single platform and two tracks.  The E train and B/D trains arrive on opposite tracks and travel in opposite directions, strangely.  The lighting is dim, there are grey tiles on the floor, and blue metal columns on the platform.  The walls have a narrow, blue tile stripe.  The paint is peeling and the station is generally in bad condition.  There are many stairs to exit here; the station is quite far underground.  There is only a very small booth area and no real mezzanine level.  The booth itself is covered in white tiles and stainless steel, which is out of the ordinary.

B/D/F/V Trains - 42 St.-Bryant Park (Day 8, stop #359)

Out:  The exit here is right at the corner of Bryant Park.  Despite the late hour, there are still plenty of people lounging around in the park.  They seem to be mostly office workers who have gotten out of work recently.  

The streets are no longer too crowded, though, as it’s close to 8 p.m. and mostly past rush hour.  The nearby sandwich shops have closed by now.  The park is surrounded by the enormous modern skyscrapers of midtown; definitely in the thick of Manhattan here.  

Besides the office workers, there are some tourists around as well as people of all types (but most of them well-dressed).  Not too many obviously residential places here; definitely seems to be mostly office space.

In:  This station has better lighting inside, also with a two platform, four track layout.  There are grey floor tiles, white wall stiles, and red metal columns by the edge of the platform.  There is a red tile strips along the wall, following the grade of the platform.  There is a small “42” repeated frequently on black tiles.  There’s a long mezzanine in the station, with some included retails space (even though it’s currently unoccupied).  There’s a large mosaic wall mural containing sizeable brown tiles.  There is a quote as part of the mural: “Nature must not win the game but they cannot lose.  Jung”.  Not really clear what this environmental statement has to do with the subway, but whatever.