Subways for a novice

Good Afternoon,

We will be traveling to New York in Mid-December and I am in great need of advice on the Subway System. I have never been on the subways before and am a bit nervous about the great potential for accidently ending up on the express route and spending an afternoon lost in Brooklyn.

How difficult are the subways to navigate for someone who doesn%26#39;t normally use mass transportation? Is there any benefit to figuring out the routes we will be using ahead of time using a service like www.HopStop.com?

Thank you for the kind advice!

Subways for a novice

Relax, you%26#39;ll do fine. Most folks who are freaked out about the subway write in their trip reports that it was easy, usually after only one day of trying it out. (Honestly, I can%26#39;t recall reading a trip report recently that said - ';couldn%26#39;t figure out the subway the entire trip, and I hated it.';)

Have you gone through posts like these? They are very helpful. Many say they print them out. Give them a read, and let us know what you think:

GWB%26#39;s ';Idiot%26#39;s Guide to the Subway'; post:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k405666-鈥?/a>

Another good summary with good sub-posts

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k770220-鈥?/a> Subway_tips_an_existing_sticky-

Subways for a novice

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k404879-鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k59937-S鈥?/a>

The subway is actually pretty easy and I%26#39;m no expert. But if you understand the concept of the ';lines'; and whether you are headed ';dowtown or uptown'; it gets easy.

Take a look at the maps on the MTA site. And don%26#39;t worry about getting lost the worst that happens is that you get off one train and change direction.

People with much more experience on this forum than me will give you some good advice.

It is not hard at all! Just pick up a small subway map and you will be golden! It never hurts to know something like how many stops you need to go - because sometimes with the older trains its a little hard to hear the conductor when he makes the announcement of the stop (think Charlie Brown%26#39;s teacher -- wahh wahhh wahh wahh). If you are travelling in a newer train (mostly the 6 line) there is a clear automated announcemet and a map that lights up to higlight the trains stops.

Also - New Yorkers are very friendly - so if you are unsure ask someone! (There is also usually an MTA employee in every staion during peak times).

You will be fine!

Just to emphasize something already in my ';Idiot%26#39;s Guide'; post -- keep in mind that we have both express lines, such as the A or the #4, and local trains such as the C or the #6. Express trains skip certain stops, while local trains stop at every stop on the line. Also -- don%26#39;t think of trains by color!! The same color can be used by both express AND local trains, and all trains of the same color do NOT go to the same place! All the color does is to make it easier to draw the map -- always think of, and look for, your train by NAME.

I did study www.hopstop.com before my trip for the subway routes that I was planning to use. I printed out the instructions from home and it worked very well. People at the stations were also very helpful.

If you do get %26#39;lost%26#39; in Brooklyn, consider yourself lucky. Here%26#39;s what you do, exit to the street and head to the first pizza place you see. Brooklyn pizza is even better than Manhattan.

Back to your original question, All you have to do is ask a New Yorker for assistance, and we%26#39;re there for you. Don%26#39;t worry.