Beyond the smell of urine, the claustrophobic rush hours, the homeless beggars, and occasional freak shows, sits a stunning NYC institution… the subway.

I got rid of my car shortly after moving and now use the subway every. single. day. I actually, for the most part, prefer it. The subways are filled with a beautiful mix of people, a whole community riding 1,2,3-4,5,6-F-N,Q,R-S up, down, express, or local. Ridding myself of that car was certainly bittersweet because few things in life are better than a good, long road trip. A car ride is essentially a designated time and place to practice dance moves and sultry singing skills. I thought, for sure, I would miss that. I don’t (and neither does anyone who’s ever witnessed those moments). However, the subways offer plenty of reasons not to miss my own set of wheels…

Top 5 Reasons the NYC Subways Are Better Than Driving:

1)      Good Samaritans.

One thing that brings a smile to anyone’s face is witnessing someone do a good deed for a complete stranger, or doing one yourself. On the subway, you’ll often see strangers leading the blind, adults getting out of seats for children or their poor parents toting around more bags than a Scottish pipe band, strangers helping struggling mothers lift strollers from the platform up the endless flights of stairs, and strangers assisting disabled. I have seen at least one of these moments almost every day, and it makes me smile each time.

2)      Entertainment.

So on one of my rides the overhead announcement instructed passengers not to give money to beggars, in order to keep our subways free from hustling hasslers. I’m paraphrasing here but it said something to the effect of “Do not feed the wild animals.” I do not endorse that message one bit. Some, yes, please go away. But a lot of the musicians and dancers are really very talented. Side note: I have an Oscar worthy screenplay written in my mind that was formed on one hysterical subway ride. It began with a conspiracy theory about these talented “homeless” people and whom they report to *eh-hem* Splinter, but the details of this underground boot camp will make me a thousandaire, so I digress… Many of the subway beggars are really great at what they do. I heard the best freestyle of my life on the 1. He called himself a poet, and was not a fan of the direction hip-hop has gone. I can respect that, homie. If it was made in or around the 90’s, it’s very likely on my iPod. Clearly, he caught my attention with this approach and did not disappoint. A poet he was; every line spoke right to me. Richard Branson needs to get out of the sky, I wanted to sign that guy on the spot.

3)      Quiet Time.

No cell service means no calls, no texts, no emails (except to catch up on reading them), no annoying phone conversations from the loud talker to your right. It also offers excellent excuses: “Oh you couldn’t get a hold of me? I must have been on the subway.” Or “I have to run, I’ve got to catch my train.” Some lines are getting service and WiFi, for which I have mixed emotions. I was telling my lovely roomie how I was not thrilled about cell service entering the subways on the way to meet our third half in Times Sq. We needed to find each other underground, and we would still be searching had we not entered a hot spot. The universe shut me up real quick, proving subway cell service can be incredibly useful… I just pray for restaurant-style, movie theatre type of respect from my co-riders. Pretty please and thank you.

If you are a reader who suffers from FOMO, here is the list of stations with service and others that will soon have it.

4)      Finding Kind Eyes.

The subways are prime people watching grounds. You have no choice; the seats are set up for it. You can easily scan the room for the “kind” eyes, the dreaded faded eyes, or even worse, the angry eyes.  I am admittedly unobservant, somewhat blind, and generally, in my own world, so it may be surprising to hear that my first impression of someone is usually based on their eyes. You can tell a lot about a person by their eyes and on the subways you can scan the room pretty easily without seeming like a creep, or even if you do seem like a creep, no one would bat an eyelid to it.

5)      Natural StairMaster

She didn’t get it from her momma, she got it ‘On The 6.’ Yes, ride the subway for a week and you too will learn how J Lo got that booty, and it will make complete sense that she dedicated a whole album to it. The subway stairs are intense, especially when running late or riding multiple trains, multiple times a day. So take the subway, and your glutes will soon thank you.

You can’t talk about NYC’s underground without bringing up Grand Central, who turned 100 this year.  Here is a wonderful poem, I first read on the subway, that beautifully describes its significance:

The City orbits around eight million centers of the Universe.

And turns around the golden clock at the still point of this place.

Lift up your eyes from the moving hive and you will see time circling under a vault of stars and know just when and where you are.

Billy Collins, 1941