Subway: Don't ask Subway ticket attendant for help

For those who have experienced the Subway I expect you will know what I am going to say so apologies advance for what you know but I have a couple of things to say.

1. The New York City Subway is the most difficult I have ever come across and I%26#39;ve been on subways in most of the worlds big cities.

2. On five out of six occasions my wife or I asked the ticket attendant for help we were given rude and the most unhelpful responses. I would not ask them for help.

3. There is an idiot鈥檚 guide provided by an ex-cop somewhere on the forum which is so so helpful and I would highly recommend you read this thread before you go. I come across it half way through my trip and it got me sorted.

Other than the unhelpfulness, NYC is amazing! NYC residents and police are the most helpful people to rely upon if you鈥檙e stuck.

Subway: Don't ask Subway ticket attendant for help

interesting...

this holiday we used Londons underground, the LA subway aswell as NYC%26#39;s....i found NYC%26#39;s easier than the other two - just need to know if you%26#39;re going uptown or downtown as to what platform you need to be on...

Subway: Don't ask Subway ticket attendant for help

I have to say we have been fumbling around on the subway for 10 days now and every question to attendants and the general public have been answered politly and with good humour.

We are loving the subway and the city

The Idiot%26#39;s guide was written by GWB, I believe he is still an active duty police officer.

But what about the subway was so confusing? I really don%26#39;t see why it%26#39;s that difficult, uptown/downtown. If you know that, you%26#39;re all set. The local/express is different that other cities and it%26#39;s very comprehensive, but I don%26#39;t see why it%26#39;s so difficult.

I%26#39;m just wondering.

As for the subway booth attendants, I honestly don%26#39;t know what purpose they serve, they are either on the phone or reading the paper. So, I agree with you on that.

Three cheers for Green white and blue%26#39;s guide

Link here tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k405666-鈥?/a>

I usually get lost walking past my front doorstep and in a week in the subway only got lost twice - and never got on the wrong train.

Hmmm.

Out of New York, Washington D.C., Boston, London, Paris %26amp; a couple others, I thought New York was fairly straight-forward. Still think London is the easiest %26amp; Paris the worst (talk about unhelpful people . . .)

Some of the people who work in the booths are truly miserable unhappy people. It is very rare that local people have to engage them for anything but when we do, well, let me speak for myself, I am left with a truly terrible taste in my mouth.

Some of them are mean, nasty and downright hateful. Many of them can%26#39;t be bothered and won%26#39;t hesitate to tell you they can%26#39;t be bothered. Some are good though.

The local people and the police will always try to help you. It is just the people in the booths, some of them are just really unhappy people.

Otherwise the subway is easy to use and most people can help you quite easily.

As noted, I%26#39;m not an ';ex'; ;o)

Part of the problem with asking clerks in the booth is the intercom system. They can hear you, but very often you can%26#39;t hear them. On top of that, old-time clerks are used to thinking of their jobs as being less about giving directions than about dealing with the payment and collection of fares. If you find yourself at a station that has TA personnel on the platform (such as Fulton Street on the 4), they are much better sources of information than the clerks. You can also ask any police officers you see in the station -- but make sure that you are asking one who is assigned to the Transit Bureau, rather than a precinct cop who happens to be passing through. How can you tell the difference? Look at his collar insignia: a member of the NYPD%26#39;s Transit Bureau will have ';TB'; on one side, and a number on the other (either 1,2,3,4,11,12,20, 23, 30, 32,33, or 34, to be exact.) Any police officer with anything else on his collar insignia does not usually work in the subway, and may know nothing at all about the system.

I would always just ask someone who was waiting for a train, too (';is this the right way to X?';).

My apologies for the ex-cop line. Honestly your guide was my saviour.

GWB - i%26#39;m an occasional poster here, but read often. Thank you for your service - I didn%26#39;t realize you were an officer. A local cop was killed in the line of duty last week, near me. It is devastating. I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell you how appreciated your work is.

mascara