Subway Surf

The 2 Train

The 2 Train always seemed like an enigma to me. The only train on the red line to get upgraded with state-of-the-art cars, it runs through some of the most impoverishes areas in Brooklyn and the Bronx, while running express through Manhattan. To tell the truth, I always thought that Manhattan never really knew the 2 the way the other boroughs did. You can always expect your fair amount of hustlers, b-boys, and evangelists on this train. In other words, the people that make this city work.

The N Train

The N Train is the one John Travolta somberly rode in Saturday Night Fever. Shia LaBeouf got his mack on in it in A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints. Gene Hackman chased it down in The French Connection. In 2007, the N got upgraded with new cars that featured LCD subway maps and automated conductors. Put simply: it is The Hollywood Train. But don’t be fooled by it’s flashy express service in Manhattan. It’s still the train of choice to South Brooklyn’s Tony Manero’s and Astoria’s Catholic School kids.

The E Train

Every family has the child of ill-repute, and the E Train gets that award. Not to talk smack about anything, but despite the E‘s semi-reliable express service in Queens, there’s not much more to it. The E has always seemed to be the filthiest, worst-smelling of the New York City subway trains. It would be very punk rock, if it’s lack of dependability didn’t seem obnoxious. Therefore, let’s just say it’s very, very emo.

The Q Train

The Q Train is like the uncle in the family you never see. Mostly because it runs express in Manhattan and doesn’t go past 57 Street and 7th Avenue uptown. However, in Brooklyn it’s the train of choice for hundreds of residents, as it runs local through Flatbush, Midwood, Brighton Beach, and Coney Island. The Q is a beat-up, aluminum hull of a train whose residents can offer a diverse cross-section of New York; from Caribbean to Eastern European. Also, the graffiti is interesting to look at.

The F Train

The F Train is one of New York’s most popular trains. It cuts through three boroughs and runs local in two of them. The F is famous for being the train of the people, given that any day of the week, you’re bound to see a hot streak real estate agent, a Brooklyn hipster, or third generation Queens native trying to get somewhere. Sometimes temperamental on the weekends, it’s still beloved.

The D Train

The F train’s quiet brother, the D Train is fast and dependable. It doesn’t have much flash to it and it doesn’t need to. The D is your dad’s subway train. Unlike the N or the Q, the D makes a few extra stops downtown before making the express jump above 14th Street. You can always depend on it to get you where you need to go on East Houston Street.