Subway Nostalgia New York

My first ride on an MTA subway train coincided with the beginnings of the NYC graffiti and Hip Hop movements. The 1974 film Style Wars exposes the artists who painted those trains—inside and outside.

Then, the 4 Train was made up of old cars from as early as the 1930s, and 1940s. The seats were covered in rattan, there were ceiling fans in every car and in summer all the windows were open. Passengers moved freely or stood (illegally) between cars—the clatter was deafening.

The New York Transit Museum—a decommissioned Subway Station in Brooklyn—has stationary exhibits of rolling stock from the 1910s through to the 1950s and plenty of busses, too.

A bigger deal is their Nostalgia Train: everyone’s opportunity to ride on a vintage train. This is a little-known adventure and a fun way to experience the largest subway system in the world. Its 457 stations is 150 more than the second-largest, Paris.

Further, The Transit Museum has broadened its offerings with a series of walks and talks, like their Transit Walk: Gowanus and Carroll Gardens, Old City Hall Station — Jewel in the Crown and Women Artists in the Subway. Among the woman artists is Yoko Ono who decorated the 72nd Street Station (IND) adjacent to her home at The Dakota.

The nearest station to the museum is Borough Hall, on the 4 or 5 Train.