What's up guys?
It's Jon
And a lot of us ride the subway in New York City
And never pay attention to any of the details
But let me tell you this place has a lot of history
Interesting stories
And even some secrets
So make sure to leave me a comment Because I want to know you're watching
Here we go..
New York City Subway Tips,Tricks, and Secrets
We're going to start this list off with an abandoned station
But it's not just any abandoned station
Ahh the mythical city hall subway station
Built in 1904
In use until 1945
This was once the gem of the entire system
It sat dormant for over 70 years
And there's just two ways to see it
One is to take an official tour
With the New York Transit Museum
It's going to run you 50 dollars
And these sell out really quickly
The other way is to get a free sneak preview if you're feeling a little bit adventerous
Here's what you do
Take the 6 train downtown to the final stop in Manhattan
Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall
Stay on the train
You'll likely have the whole thing to yourself
As the train wraps back around uptown
Look out the window
And there you have it
City Hall Station in all its abandoned glory
Just imagine riders from a century ago waiting here
This is New York City History Folks
If you're like me, you always have exactly 1 dollar left on your metro card
Well what if I told you, there was a way to beat the MTA
And put exactly , the amount of money that you're going to need
On your metro card
Check this out
I admit this math isn't mine
I was a journalism major so I can hardly count
It's from a statistician named Ben Wellington
There's two numbers to remember to put on a new metro card after the $1.00 fee
22.30 which is exactly 9 trips
27.25 exactly 11 trips
Both of these will leave your balance at 0 every time you need to fill up
Saving you just a little extra money
Beginning in 1953 tokens became the currency of the subway
As coins went out of style
And they were in service for 50 years until 2003
When the metrocard became mandatory
But i'm going to tell you something about tokens
That you probably didn't know
A little subway history and secret for you guys
My viewers who've lived in New York for a long time
Definitley remember the token slots at stations
You can still see them covered up at some places
Even today
There was an old scheme where criminals would jam the slots with gum wrappers
And then suck the token out
Netting them up a dollar fifty reward
Pretty gross, so in order to combat this
Some station employees would sprinkle
Chili powder or pepper spray on the slots
So the would be assailants would get quite a spicy surprise
Needless to say, this was still a common crime
Even until the last days of token use
This townhouse located in Brooklyn Heights
May look like every other one on the block
But i assure you
It's not real
It's actually owned by the city
And the MTA
And there's something intersting stuff going on inside
Look at the black windows
Lieing behind this is a hidden ventilator
For the New York City Subway system
As well as other equipment
It also serves as an emergency exit
This may be one of the most expensive decoy houses in the world
Considering the neighbors home is valued at 6 million dollars
And you'd never know it wasn't real
But I just told you..
This station may look familiar to you if you're a fan of music videos
Michael Jackson's Bad was shot here in 1986
They shut down the entire station to film..
A music video classic
And there's signs of it all around here
This has to be the pinnacle of Hoyt Schermerhorn station in Brooklyn's History
The place looks largely the same as it did back then
Unfortunately the platform that they filmed on is not available
To the public anymore
It's under construction on the other side
It's insane to think this 18 minute video
Took parts of 6 weeks to film
But the next time you walk around this station
Think about its place
In music history
The New York City subway has plenty of opportunities to see art
Sometimes you just have to look
Right out the window
A classic that I discovered once by accident is called the Mass Transiscope
Sit on the right side of the Q or B train from DeKalb Avenue heading to Manhattan
And enjoy what looks like an old fashioned movie projector
One of my personal favorites at 14th street and 8th Ave
station
Titled Life Underground by Tom Otterness
There's over 130 sculptures spread throughout the station
Otterness said a lot of work is about class,money, and crazy surrealist images
He really nailed it with these pieces
My favorites the sewer alligator
Track 61 located beneath Grand Central Station is a secret train platform
That had direct access to the now closed Waldorf Astoria hotel
It was used in the past to bring in visiting dignataries.
Including then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Whose car was lifted through the Waldorf's Elevators to hide his worsening case of polio
Rumor has it visiting President's today can still use it as an emergency escape route
You can only access it with special permission or if you're lucky enough
To do a tour with the New York Adventure Club
Need a get out of jail free card?
What if I told you that the MTA would write a letter to your employer if you're late for work
Head to the MTA's website
This could come in handy if you're boss thinks you overslept and you were really just delayed on the F train
This feature is utilized over 100,000 times a year
Pretty crazy stuff
Are any of you feeling like stepping back in time?
During the holiday season
You can take Nostalgia trains which are straight out of the 1930s and 1940s
Imagine standing at a station in the city
And having one of these old subway cars pass on by
You'd think it was 1935 but this is actually
Part of the Nostalgia trainline
Done every december courtesy of the NY Transit Museum
Check their website for more details
But these trains are the real deal
From the old fashioned seats
To the ads inside
Even the straps are from decades past
I've never ridden this myself
But i'm planning on dressing up and getting in on the fun this year
Say hi if you can find me
If you made it this far
How about some random facts to impress your friends
1
If you laid out the subway tracks in New York City from start to finish
You could go from New York to Chicago
A distance of almost 800 miles
The New York City subway is by far the busiest in the United States
With over 1.7 billion riders
Per year
But it's just 7th in the world
Tokyo is number one
With almost double the amount of riders
Did you know it's actually illegal to put your feet up on the subway?
And that people have gotten tickets and even been arrested for that offense alone
Guys let me know what you thought about the list in the comments
Hit like and be sure to subscribe for more awesome videos from New York City.
We've got a ton coming up
Thank you so much for watching as always
Until next time