Underground Movements: Modern Culture on the New York City Subway
This book talked about how the subway has helped to shape New York City today. It was said that the subway would define New York City in a new way and indeed it has. Before the development of the subway, many newspaper companies were conflicted between it being a life-changer for citizens of NYC or if it would cause more harm and damage than good.
I remember visiting a museum when I was younger and being told that the subways didn’t always look the way they did today. That it wasn’t always sensored, and that instead, when the doors would close, they would close for good no matter what was left in the doorway; whether a bookbag, a shoe, a leg… anything.
I remembered this experience when reading this book because it spoke about the changing of the subway over the years and how it shaped New York City today. I personally cannot imagine living in this city without the subway station. When I was younger, I was so used to easy transportation that I just assumed every city, state, and country had a subway until I visited Minnesota and realized it wasn’t nearly as easy to get around as it was where I live.
This made me think of what New Yorkers would be like without a subway station and tying it back to class discussion. What would it be like if everyone on the train wasn’t minding their own business as they were heading to their jobs and morning meetings in the city? What would the homeless people do who sold napkins and candy bars underground to passengers on the train? Would people overall have different attitudes in their day to day lives without the experience and use of a subway station? These are a few thoughts that crossed my head while reading and that I wanted to be able to share.
New York Times were always pro-subway before its development because it was pro-business venture and investment. They believed that like in Europe, the subway would be an urban underworld that consisted of shops and markets and other businesses. However, this only exists in limiting stations in Manhattan.
Another aspect that has changed through the years of the subway was safety. People around the country have this idea that the subway station is not a safe place for someone to be alone and especially not in the night. My parents still think so as well and don’t encourage me to ride it, however this may be true in any part of the city and not just on a subway. Something can go wrong at any time and it shouldn’t be a reason to not ride the subway. This may be because I consider myself a New Yorker and have gotten used to what to expect to see on a subway and how to deal with certain situations if I am on a crowded train etc. This brings me to how it connects to new Yorkers and how our discussions of the people of New York City are shaped and how the subway may be a huge part of shaping a New Yorkers life. The subway has connected all 5 boroughs to each other in multiple ways and multiple train lines. It has given easy access for New Yorkers to travel through the entire city with just a swipe of a metrocard. The subway has connected all New Yorkers together whether people think of it in that sense or not, but other cities may not be able to say the same. Public transportation isn’t easily accessible in other parts of the country and many people don’t interact with as much diverse people as New Yorkers can say they do. This is how subways connect to the People of New York City.
Questions:
- Would you consider the subway to be a crucial part of your life as a New Yorker or is it an aspect of your life that isn’t useful and slows you down?
- How is the subway connected to diversity of the people in New York in terms of connecting all 5 boroughs together?
