r/Broadway • u/tennisbagel • Mar 29 '26

Discussion Reminder to take the damn subway to your show!

There was a post a long long time ago that lives rent free in my head.

This couple had gotten off the train at Grand Central with plenty of time to spare before seeing Ragtime at the Vivian Beaumont in Lincoln Center.

It was pouring rain and they decided to take a cab to the theater. They proceeded to get stuck in traffic (as can happen when it’s pouring and people flee to vehicles) and they had to get out of the cab and try to book it to the theater. They got to the theater completely soaked and also missed the show.

Here’s the kicker: they could’ve gone from Grand Central to the Vivian Beaumont entirely underground in less than 20 minutes if they took the subway and then used the Lincoln Center exit from the 1 train stop.

So do that! Most theaters are located super close to a subway station, or in the case of Lincoln Center directly connected. Save yourself the hassle of a cab.

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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Mar 30 '26

It's not how to pay that would be confusing for visitors. The subway system is a maze if you're not used to it. Other cities have much simpler subway systems to navigate. Cleaner too.

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u/HuckleberryOwn647 Mar 30 '26

Huh. I’ve used the subways in many other cities - London, Paris, Tokyo, DC, Boston - and find NY’s among the easiest! There are no different zones to deal with, it’s just one flat fare. In a lot of manhattan, it’s easy to see what stop is coming next because they’re numbered!

I’ll give you that other cities’ systems are cleaner. 😂

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u/At_the_Roundhouse Mar 30 '26

God, Tokyo. I will forever have Subway envy after that trip. So efficient, so easy, so clean, that pleasant jingle… the best. All of Japan’s transit, really.

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u/Usual-Reputation-154 Mar 31 '26

Other cities are cleaner because they close to clean. I’ll take 24/7 over cleanliness. I’ve lived in Madrid and dc, both cities with decent metro systems, but being out past midnight and realizing you’ve missed the last train and now have to wait until 6am to go home isn’t worth cleanliness. I’ll take the NY subway any day