Notes from the underground: How’s your commute?
Taking on the whole NYC subway
“To commute or not to commute?” is the real question on everyone’s mind at NYU.
While everyone agrees New York’s subway is a dirty malfunctioning mess, it’s still the best way to get around town. Our fellow NYU students scattered all over the five boroughs have tons of experience with subway and can tell you all about it.
Junior Naveen, 20, said: “It was easier living here but the rent in Brooklyn is much better.” Naveen lives in Borough Park and takes the D train to school every day, from 9th Avenue station to West 4th Street or Broadway-Lafayette.
When you look at the distance between the two stations, it seems like a long ride. Naveen assures us it’s not so bad, “the D train is pretty consistent. It runs on a dedicated line. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to classes.”
He says the distance is not so bad because you can take a nap or just to relax on the way to school, which normal students do in the classroom.
West 4th Street is one of the most crowded and dirtiest stations around NYU
If you think life beyond Brooklyn does not exist, you could not be more wrong.
Junior Candace, also 20, lives in Flushing, Queens. She takes the 7 train from Flushing Main St to Queens Plaza, where she transfers to the N train. Then Candace goes straight to 8th St, taking her an hour to get to school “on a good day”, and an hour and fifteen minutes when the day is not so good.
“It’s a long way, but I was commuting to high school as well, so I am used to it,” she says.
The NYC subway surely has its problems. Such crowds of people, dirt, strange characters offering you something or asking you for something, etc. But there are nice things about it – it lets us explore one of the most amazing cities on earth and get back home from parties at 2am. And it’s good enough.