N/R/W Trains - 49 St. (Extra Days, stop #464)

Out:  At 49 St. and 7 Ave. the craziness of Times Square is nearing its northernmost extent.  There are still huge ads and neon lights, but looking north it really fades out past 50th St.  Most of the people on the street are either tourists or guys trying to get them to buy stuff (hats, sunglasses, tickets, etc.).  Right above the stop is the Hawaiian Tropic Zone as well as nearby chintzy souvenier stores along with the typical-type deli and coffee shop.  

To the south are large, new-ish looking office towers while to the north some of the buildings become markedly older-looking, possibly residential but likely still office space.  On the street, one of the entrances even has the glossy-brick facade.

In:  The layout here is two platform, four track with express bypass.  The walls are in glossy-red painted brick here, similar to some of the E stop at Lexington (if I remember correctly).  Besides that nothing too remarkable; there are no columns by the platform.  There are exits out to 47 and 49 Sts. on 7th Ave, with a small newsstand at the 49 St. end.

N/W Trains - 39 Ave. (Day 9, stop #384)

Out:  Here there is a mix of Hispanic, white, and black people.  The surrounding area is suddenly much more industrial, with lots of factories and only a few small businesses.  

It definitely feels more desolate over here, as I can see parking lots, empty lots, and weeds coming out the sidewalk.   

The few establishments include the “Chicago Night Club” across from the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, which is something of an odd juxtaposition.  

To the west I can see a number of row houses with smokestacks jutting out behind them in the distance.  There may be a couple small apartment buildings around, but not many.  The sidewalk is poorly maintained here and the pavement is disrupted by cracks and weeds.  I put my camera away at first as I start walking over to the F stop at Queensbridge.  Out on the streets of L.I.C., I notice a number of interesting things.  There are a whole lot of factories, including some that are still functioning but many that have closed down.  There are hardly any people on the street except for a few workers.  I was surprised to find a warehouse where all the coffee carts go to park in the afternoon once they’re removed from the streets of Manhattan (I wanted to take a photo but the guys in there were looking at me funny).  There are plenty of unpaved sidewalks and lots of broken glass around.

In:  Similar to previous stations, except here the metal panels extend the length of the platform even though part is not covered by the awning.

N/W Trains - 36 Ave. (Day 9, stop #383)

Out:  Now the neighborhood is more Hispanic-feeling, and less Greek.  This is the southern part of Astoria, and getting into Long Island City.  There is the “Melao” supper club over here, “Poratra’s Lounge and Bar”, “Copacabana” pizza, and “Ipanema” salon.  Definitely a Brazilian vibe, I would say.  There’s also a some place called the “Tantra Lounge” as well as “Quijote” tapas bar.  

There are some gentrifiers around as well as many Hispanic and whites and some Middle Eastern presence.  There are still mostly low-slung houses and apartment buildings for housing, but there are a few larger tenement-style buildings around.  

In:  Similar to Broadway, but here the metal walls only cover ~1/3 of the platform sides.

N/W Trains - Broadway (Day 9, stop #382)

Out:  There isn’t quite as much commercial activity by this stop as at the previous three in Astoria.  The surroundings may also be a little bit dirtier, but the area still seems quite safe and residential.  There is an upscale-looking Brazilian restaurant, “Sanford’s” restaurant, and a good sports bar I’ve been to before, “Broadway Station”.  There are Greek and Cypriot places around as well.  Everything is still low-scale and ethnically mixed.  There are lots of white people (i.e. non-European or gentrifier) around, maybe more than before.  There are also still a good number of Hispanic, European, and Asian as well.  The organic food market is a sign of gentrification, even though it isn’t too obvious by the people on the street.

In:  Similar to 30 Ave., but in slightly worse condition. 

N/W Trains - 30 Ave.-Grand Ave. (Day 9, stop #381)

Out:  The area here is ethnically quite mixed.  There are lots of white, Europeans, gentrifiers, with some Hispanic and a few Asians.  I even see a couple of possible South Asian and Middle Eastern people.  There are lots of small stores, some with a Greek theme (Athena’s nails, Akropolis meats, Hermes travel), as well as a bagel place, banks, delis, Carvel, and organic grocery. 

There’s an Irish pub right by the train, and the “Athens Café” looks kind of upscale.  

All the buildings around are fairly low-slung.  I see an old dude hollering at girls on the street; I don’t think he has too much game, though.  

In:  The layout here is two platform, three track with express bypass.  Here there are the typical off-white metal ridged panels on the side, which go all the way to the end of the platform.  The roof is white with green metal supports by the platform edge.  The station house here is smaller, a more typical size for an elevated station.

N/W Trains - Astoria Blvd.-Hoyt Ave. (Day 9, stop #380)

Out:  More Greek-looking people here than at Ditmars.  Also a busy and large intersection, as Astoria Blvd. is quite wide and it leads into the onramp for the Triboro bridge.  The people outside are a mix of white, gentrifiers, and Hispanic.  Some of the places around are typical middle class stuff, including a deli, bagel place, pizzeria, and small offices.  The housing is mostly small apartments in brick or houses in brick or siding.

In:  The station is again elevated; the roof is made of red metal with some green metal underneath, with narrow green supports by the platform edge.  The setup here is two platform, three track for express and local access (even though there is only local service up here; it seems that the middle track is more a place for trains to lay up before going to Ditmars to begin service).  The station looks to be in good shape, with a recent paint job.  There are two supports for the sloped roof, which covers ~2/3 of the platform length.  The platform has no walls, and directly next to the station I can see the headquarters for a Greek-American newspaper.  Again there are black benches next to the black signboard with the station name.  The station house is still quite big for an elevated station.  There is a long pedestrian overpass attached to the station, allowing people to cross over Astoria Blvd./the Triboro Bridge approaches, even without using the turnstiles.

N/W Trains - Astoria-Ditmars Blvd. (Day 9, stop #379)

Out:  The area is a little dirty because of construction, but it’s pretty clear that in general this is a well-off and primarily residential neighborhood.  There is a mix between Greek, Italian, white, gentrifier, and Hispanic people.  On Ditmars Blvd here, which is actually a two minute walk north of the station, there is a main commercial stretch; there are also many stores on 31^st St., where the train runs. 

Some of the commercial places include banks, bakeries, “Olympia Vitamins”, an Italian bakery, a diner, burger place, and couple upscale-looking restaurants.  Most of the residential buildings are low-scale houses and apartment buildings; some look pretty old but well-maintained.  There are lots of guys around with slicked-down hair; must be the fashion here.  I see a number of older guys chomping on cigars.  There is also a disturbing number of women with mustaches.

In:  To get over here, I took the 7 train from 74 St.-Bway to Queensboro Plaza, then got on the W train to the end of the line in Astoria.  The station here is elevated, with a single platform and two tracks here.  The booth at the end of the platform is covered in bright orange and red panels, which is strange.  The station looks old.  There is a sloped roof with two green supports, and there are black wooden benches and black panel board with the station name.  Part of the platform is actually underneath an overpass for other trains (presumably Amtrak).  There are no walls here, and the view of the side is of houses and industrial facilities.  To exit the station, I travel through a corridor with some attached shops such as an internet café, chiropractor, and tax preparer.  The station house is quite large with concrete floors and white wooden walls.

N/Q/R/W Trains - 57 St.-7 Av. (Day 7, stop #310)

Out:  Now back to the big skyscrapers of midtown, including the Hearst Building just a block away.

It’s pretty dark outside so it’s tough to take good photos.  There are also affluent apartment buildings as well as Carnegie Hall.  There are a few quick-food places and upscaled shopping spots.  The mix of people is similar to 5 Av.

In:  The layout here is two platform, four track setup; the middle tracks are for the Q train to begin/end its run.  The floors have grey tiling, and the metal columns on the platform are painted white, but it makes the station look a little bleak.  The walls are primarily covered in white tile with some small mosaic tile bordering on the top with “57”.  There is some jazz- and classical-related artwork in the station, presumably because the stop is right next to Carnegie Hall.

N/R/W Trains - 5 Ave. (Day 7, stop #309)

Out:  At the corner of Central Park S. and 59 St.  There is the unpleasant smell of horses in the air (those damn tourist traps), lots of trees, and still a number of people out after 8 p.m.  There is a mixture of people in work clothes, shoppers, and tourists.  

Almost everyone I see is white here.  The Plaza Hotel is right here, as are a number of very upscale stores, homes and offices.

The Apple flagship store is also right here on 5^th Ave.  While I was outside I noticed that there was someone who had collapsed to the ground near 59 St. and was being transported into an ambulance.

In:  The layout here is two platform, two track.  The walls are covered in white tiles with a gold and brown border.  There are many mosaic tile station names and mosaic tile borders on the top of the wall with “5”.  The floor is tiled.  The walls on the mezzanine and exits also have mosaic pictures of horses, butterflies, snails, rabbits, penguins, and polar bears (in a reference to the Central Park Zoo, presumably).

N/R/W Trains - Lexington Ave. (Day 7, stop #308)

Out:  This area is very similar to the 6 at 59 St., not surprisingly (see that description), as I am just one block away at 60^th and Lex.  There are tall office buildings, Bloomingdale’s, etc.  the light is getting pretty low and it’s getting tougher to take photos.  The people around are mostly office workers and shoppers.

In:  The layout here is a single platform with trains in both directions.  The walls have white tiles with red tile borders as well as “Lex” written in small red letters.  There’s also mosaic tiling at the top of the wall saying “Lex”.  There are green metal columns near the edge of the platform, and the lighting is ok.  There are connecting tunnels to the 4/5/6 here.  This stop is still pretty crowded, even though it’s the tail end of rush hour (almost 8 p.m.).  There’s an escalator up to the mezzanine and the 6 platform.

N/Q/R/W Trains - 42 St.-Times Sq. (Day 5, stop #245)

Out: Times Sq. here is crowded with tourists, shoppers, and workers of all types.  Surprisingly, it is actually less packed than Herald Square, though.  

However, there is still the usual and expected Times Sq. craziness, with its overloaded mess of flashy buildings and attention-catching advertisements.

In: The platform itself is very similar to that at 34 St., but it’s slightly dirtier.  The color scheme is blue and green.  There is a very large mezzanine here at Times Square, with lots of passageways and open areas for transfers to the other trains on a couple of levels.  In one wall made of green frosted glass, there are strange little insets of tile, depicting aspects of Broadway and other Times Sq. scenes.  There is also Lichtenstein-style pop art near the escalators up to the street.

N/Q/R/W Trains - 34 St.-Herald Sq. (Day 5, stop #244)

Out: Herald Square here is shockingly crowded.  It’s difficult to even reposition myself on the sidewalk to take a picture.  

The people out are mostly shoppers, hitting the plethora of large stores along 34 St. here, including Macy’s and the Manhattan Mall.  There’s also plenty of commuters and lots of traffic, as it’s rush hour.  There are also lots of Koreans going over to K-town. The streets are packed!  I directed some people to Penn Station in German, which is my second mitzvah of the day.

In: The layout here is two platform, four track with express access.  The platform floor is tiled, and there is white tile on the walls.  One of my favorite subway features, this station has the musical instrument that plays various tones when you move your hand around in its vicinity.  There are mosaic tile “34”s on the side walls, but no pictures like at previous local stations.  The metal columns on the platform are painted burgundy, and there’s a large mezzanine that allows for transfer to the 6^th Ave. line; there are some performers on this mezzanine area.  To transfer, though, you have to go down a bunch of ramps which is pretty annoying.  Also, it’s abnormally hot in this station.

R/W Trains - 28 St. (Day 5, stop #243)

Out: This stop is definitely in the garment district, with lots of firms doing import/export/distribution/wholesale of clothing (or at least the ones that haven’t been priced out yet).  The streets are still crowded over here, and many people look a little bit shadier than farther downtown.  

There are lots of South Asian/African/Middle Eastern dealers and traders hawking their wares.  There are shoppers of all types, but not as many tourists.  There are lots of office workers around here as well.

In: Similar to Prince St., nicely renovated with green/blue trim.  The walls have whimsical mosaic tile pictures of imaginary and strange toys.

R/W Trains - 23 St. (Day 5, stop #242)

Out: The exit here is right next to Madison Sq. Park.   A big line of people is hovering by the Shake Shack.

There is good open feeling because of the large intersection of 23^rd St., Broadway, and 5^th Ave.  The Flatiron building is right on the intersection here, and there are other architecturally impressive buildings around as well.  

They all come together for a good effect.  There is still a decent amount of upscale retail here, and a fair number of shoppers around along with office workers.  It’s hard to identify any residents here, probably because most of the people around here look pretty wealthy.  Except for the homeless dudes the park, that is.  I walked up Broadway to 28 St. here.

In: Similar to Prince St., with designs on the tiles depicting lots of hats (perhaps this is some reference to a hat-specific portion of the garment district? Not really sure).  The blue/green/gold color scheme is appealing, and the station looks good overall.

N/Q/R/W Trains - 14 St.-Union Sq. (Day 5, stop #241)

Out: See 4/5/6 trains - Union Sq.

In: Renovated station with two platform, four track layout with express access.  There is white tiling on the wall and green columns on the platform.  There is mosaic tiling trim on the top of the walls.  The lighting is good, and overall the station looks to be in good shape.

R/W Trains - 8 St.-NYU (Day 5, stop #240)

Out: Close to NYU, with a mix of clothing stores, restaurants, and the Strand bookstore.  It’s not nearly as crazy as SoHo, but still pretty crowded over here.  

There are lots of college-age folk, but still feels a bit B & T.  There are not as many tourists over here.  It’s also windy as hell at this intersection; I’m not sure why, but it’s always like this!

In: Again, a nicely renovated station, similar to Prince St.  There is a burgundy and green color scheme here and tile mosaic pictures of various buildings and historical scenes in New York (I like one of a beaver in particular).

R/W Trains - Prince St. (Day 5, stop #239)

Out: Outside the station here I’m on the streets of SoHo.  The sidewalks are ridiculously crowded with shoppers (especially the bridge and tunnel variety), tourists, and people who work around here on this Friday afternoon.  

There is a great variety of architecture and plenty of goods being hawked on the streets. Definitely feels like a wealthy area, no doubt.  I felt good getting off these crowded streets and back onto the train.

In: This station also has new tiling on the walls, with a mosaic street name in drab blue and green.  The layout is two platforms facing each other, with two local tracks and two express bypass tracks separated by columns.  The platform is well-lit and there are new tiles on the floor.  The walls feature many small silhouttes of people doing daily actions (working stiff walking with a briefcase, homeless guy rummaging through trash, etc.).