I visited all 472 subway stations in New York
Check out my station log and photos.
My friends told me not to attempt this. New York’s subway system is the largest in the world, covering 600+ miles of track. It cuts across bridges and through underwater tunnels, carrying over five million people each day.
The numbers don’t do it justice. By almost every measurement, the subway is an outlier, offering one of the most effective public transit services in the world. So four months ago, not long after moving to New York, I decided to explore the city in a special way.
There are over 400 subway stations. I wanted to see them all.
1. The Rules
My goal was to take a picture in every station. I set some rules:
- Each picture must include me with an identifying sign in the background.
- Each picture must be taken within “fare control” (past the turnstile).
- I cannot take a picture from inside the train car; at least one foot must touch ground in the station.
No one is monitoring these rules. But you can see every photo I took, so let’s move on to the planning phase.
2. The Map
There are plenty of ways to traverse the subway system, but without careful planning, the journey can take years instead of months.
First: we know there are 472 stations. I planned to use an “out and back” method, where I would take one train to its final station, then transfer to another train that terminates nearby, and ride that one back. This meant I would rarely need to visit the same station twice.
But as I prepared my route, I found something strange: there are fewer than 472 stations.
If you look closely at the official list, you’ll see that Grand Central appears three times. Times Square appears four times! Any New Yorker will tell you these are single stations, where riders can transfer freely under one roof.
So what’s happening here? In the early 1900s, New York was home to three subway companies. These companies sometimes operated stations close to each other, and when the MTA absorbed all three companies, it merged some stations. But the agency has continued to count original stations in its official record.
By my count, there are 441 stations on the map to visit. I created a route that would reach each station, optimize transfer time, and offer mini-adventures so my friends could join.
3. Getting Started
Ready? My first train took me to Coney Island. I hopped on the Q train, accompanied by my buddy Ted, and began taking a selfie at each station.
We immediately became a spectacle. People stared as we moved in and out of cars, and I could see passengers laugh while others looked confused. That didn’t bother us. After 25 stops, we arrived at Coney Island and bought tickets for the Cyclone, one of the oldest roller coasters in the country.
Ted and I reached 63 stops that day. By the afternoon, we had refined our strategy, learning to ride in specific cars that placed us near station signs (for a quick photo). At every station: jump out, find the sign, jump back in. It was like clockwork. Everything was going according to plan.
4. Off the Rails
It didn’t take long for things to fall apart. On Day 2, the MTA suspended me. I spent days unwinding the issue, trying to figure out if I had done something wrong, only to learn it was a system error that had nothing to do with my journey. This happened several times. You should know that the subway’s new fare system (OMNY) is wonderful, but occasionally a pain.
Then on Day 6, I discovered New York had closed all of its subway bathrooms due to the pandemic (I won’t elaborate on how I learned this). On Day 78, I took a train nearly two hours into Queens, only to find the train I had planned to ride was out of service.
But one experience in Brooklyn was far more jarring. At one point, late at night, I found myself alone at Livonia Ave. I needed to transfer to Junius Street a few blocks away. So I left the station, crossed a creepy bridge, and walked past suspiciously empty lots.
I knew something was off. Arriving at Junius, I felt so unsafe that I decided to do a quick search on my phone.
Here’s what I found: I was in a neighborhood dubbed “the murder capital of NYC.” Its homicide rate is the worst of all 50+ districts in New York, and the city clearly knows about the problem. The bridge from Livonia has “terrified” local residents and been the site of muggings.
But I started my subway journey to better understand New York, not to see a highlight reel of safe attractions. So I don’t regret this late-night stumble at all; it revealed inequities in a system that should be serving New Yorkers equally. In fact, the MTA almost built a safer bridge and transfer, but has delayed the project for years due to low funding.
Meanwhile, billions of dollars have been allocated to projects in wealthier neighborhoods.
5. The Most Impressive Train
Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I was back in good standing with the MTA and ready to go big. I decided to try the longest route in the subway system. This was my opportunity to complete 15% of all stations in one day.
The A train stops at almost 70 stations when it runs locally, spanning 32 miles (in each direction). Over decades, the train has become a staple in pop culture and has carried passengers throughout New York. But I found that none of the passengers had the patience to ride end-to-end.
Well, except me. The round-trip took 5 hours.
There are parts of the A train that are strikingly normal. In Manhattan, the train is an express route down the west side. But below Manhattan, the A train is a sprawling achievement — stretching across Brooklyn, reaching up near JFK Airport, then traveling across Jamaica Bay to the peninsula of Far Rockaway. Here’s the view from the train as it crosses the bay:
It’s hard to believe this is the same train that darts through Times Square earlier in its journey. Absolutely worth the trip.
6. The Secret Station
You may have heard about New York’s original City Hall station. This station opened in 1904 as one of the crown jewels of the subway system, but closed in 1945. Public access is not allowed.
But famously, there’s a way in. On a cold day in January, I boarded the southbound 6 train at its final stop. I ducked as MTA workers cleared passengers off the train. Notably, the 6 train ends its journey near City Hall, but it needs to turn around. And it happens to do so by using the tracks in the old City Hall station.
So with everybody off (except me), the train lurched forward into the darkness. I could hear the wheels screech as we approached a station that had not served passengers in 77 years.
City Hall station is literally a loop—in fact, it was shuttered because the turn is too sharp for modern subway service. It was beautiful, brief, and even thrilling. I took some video to capture the moment. While I’m not counting this as an official stop, I suppose it earns me bonus points.
7. The Finale
Throughout my journey, I saw the subway as New York’s community hub, bringing together people of all backgrounds. I had seen struggling musicians ride next to powerful bankers. I had seen celebrities stand among commuters (LeBron James famously did this in 2017). The subway takes each one of us home, and that’s precisely why it needs to stop at over 400 stations.
And so — in the spirit of togetherness—my friends joined me for the final stop. We reached Hudson Yards on January 21st, 2023:
I was exhausted. The subway is wildly convenient, but it is not a playground for adults. Each part of my journey was an hours-long mental exercise (in planning and timing) that would leave me completely drained. Some days I would cover 7–8 miles on foot and spend so many hours on the moving train that I developed a “sea legs” sensation back on solid ground.
I’ve been asked what my next adventure will be. Will I ride every bus in the state? Will I complete the whole subway in a weekend? Absolutely not. I‘m fascinated by public infrastructure, but I think I’ll spend my time walking for now.
You, on the other hand, might have a new perspective on the subway. The world has thousands of stations. Why not visit a new one?
