The Subway

New Yorkers love to complain about the subway, but actually, the system is quite remarkable, especially allowing for the fact that it services a city that is not known for efficiency. We are all familiar with the negatives - rats, filth and litter, oppressively hot stations in the summer, no bathrooms, crowding, delays and rerouting etc. After all, the system has to service 1.5 billion riders a year (5 million a day) with the world's largest fleet of subway cars (6400). But look at some of the positives - it is one of the most extensive systems in the world with 660 miles of track and 468 stations in four boroughs. In conjunction with buses, one can get reasonably close to any two locations - and that's an achievement given the area involved. One can travel as far as 31 miles on the A train without a change of trains (207th Street Manhattan to Far Rockaway in Queens). Service is 24/7 - one of the few in the world and a tremendous convenience we take for granted - I remember a trip to Paris and being surprised that their system closed at 1 AM and having to find a taxi. Fares are good for trips of any length with free transfers - many other transit systems charge on the basis of distance traveled. Some stations have amenities such as magazine stands and food. Musical entertainment can be found at some of the larger stations. If you are interested in more details, click here for the transit's official site. I know - I should have written this after being stuck on a train during rush hour or being rerouted on the F :)