Growing up in Pasadena, a part of the southern California car culture, public transit was never part of my existence. So after spending last week taking the New York subway to work each day from our apartment in Greenwich Village to the Hilton in mid-town, I was struck by a couple of things. First was the sheer volume of people that the system moves. The second was how crazy it was for Los Angeles to be spending millions and millions of dollars to try and create some shell of a train system I do not believe it will ever work. We’re too used to our cars for starters and even though the route system is improving, they can’t build it fast enough to make a real difference.

 

NYC is another story. Here there is an intricate link of under and above ground trains that moves over 4 million people a day, 24/7! You can get most anywhere on the island of Manhattan and four of the five boroughs for a couple of bucks! Now the New York system is not the only one I’ve been on and in fact it’s not my favorite rail line. That distinction goes to the Metro in Washington D.C. Though it is not as large or famous as New York’s, its newer, cleaner, easier for an outsider to use and the stations are cleaner. Of course there’s also the “L” in Chicago where you can get all the way from O’Hare to downtown for a $1.50 and I’ve also had a chance to ride on the “T” in Boston. However, no matter which of these cities you’re in, you’ll be missing a lot if you don’t go for a spin on the subway. For sheer convenience of travel you just can’t beat it!

 

Here then are a few tips for the subway novice, from someone who still considers himself a novice:

 

• Buy a Metro Card (or whatever the local version is called). Tokens may seem nostalgic but they’re a pain to carry. In Washington D.C. you don’t have a choice, you have to buy a card. They’re rechargeable, easy to keep in your wallet or purse and even provide for discounts at certain amounts. For instance in NYC when you put $20 on a card, you get $22 worth of credit.

 

• Get a subway map, all of the systems have information on-line and study your route BEFORE you go down into the stations. It can get a bit confusing down there. If you get lost, ask a station operator or a policeman but it’s better to plan your route first so you don’t draw unneeded attention to yourself.

 

• Let people off before you get on. I swear this is an idea lost on most New Yorkers but it makes for smoother boarding!

 

• Don’t spend a lot of time striking up conversations or staring at folks. Not counting my wife, I think I’ve had a grand total of two “conversations” on the subway and let’s just say both took place with folks that were “interesting.”

 

• If you can find a seat, take it! If not, hold on. Nothing worse than getting knocked off your feet when the train lurches to a halt. Trust me, this is no time to be cool.

 

So, take the subway, it’s fun and where else can you travel all the way across town for less than two bucks? Not in L.A.!