The Subway Shuffle: Navigating the Transit Quirks of New York City

Commuters at the 34th Street subway platform try to guess which of two trains will leave first, darting across the platform with mixed results.

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[IYQUC (read those letters)]

Very nice look at one aspect of life in NYC that non-New Yorkers wdn't ever guess! Well done.

[muchbanter29]

I did this for 24 years in London and honestly it is no way to live.

[Eagleman44]

I work on the subway. I work afternoons. It can be different each day. Most days, the N I am riding on gets in first followed by the Q across the platform. Most days, my N leaves first. One day last week, the Q left first. I wasn't late. People would have time for coffee and not be late if they left early and anticipated delays. I am always at work 30-45 mins early!

[w584450]

LOL. Just the thing you need after a rough day at office.

[Spitfire995]

It's not about which train leaves first, if a local and pulls into the station and an express also pulls in, people will usually transfer for the express for the reason that it'll get 'em faster to their destination.

[nicolecreature]

it is Flight of the Bumblebee

[Steven Brant]

"Flight of the bumble bee"

[Steven Brant]

You should also go to 34th and 8th Ave... where the local and express trains are on platforms that are connected only by staircases. I spend many years trying to guess if the local would arrive first or the express. And if I guessed wrong, I would make a mad dash down the flight of stairs and then back up the flight to the other platform. All this because - especially late at night - missing the uptown train on the "other side" could mean a long wait for one to arrive on "my side".

[TheHolyFlipster]

That's crazy I've taken the Mta subway all my life and never had to with this lol!

[varun prasad]

Great video. However, in reality, it is only a matter of a few minutes. This is opposed to most other cities where you spend hours sitting in traffic. At least in the subway I can read a book, and most importantly, it is far less stressful.

[worldisstart]

let me know background music!~

i need that sound

[igivenofux]

2:04 it's not 2012 anymore NYTimes...