In order to get a taste of New York City, you could make arrangements to see all of the well-known sites. Take a ferry out to the Statue of Liberty, see a high spectacle Broadway musical, or attend an event at the Museum of Modern Art (or any of the city’s museums, for that matter.)

Or you could just ride the train.

What lies beneath the Empire State is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a force that every New York native, new comer, and new sightseer will inevitably experience. In fact, there is an entire cultural institution dedicated to the mass transit way of life. Located in Brooklyn Heights, The New York Transit Museum is all about the history of urban transportation in New York.

For the City’s five boroughs and Long Island, the MTA is the main circulatory system that keeps life moving and people connected. And while the primary purpose of the subway is to provide a mode of transportation that is efficient and accessible to the public, it is much more than that.

Every ride is a potential adventure and, depending on the train and time of day, train travel is usually a reflection of what is happening in the city.

If you had no idea that there was a Yankee game taking place, you would by the time your train ride was over, since decorated fans are a common subway sight during the major league baseball season.

If fashion is what you adore, the subway is the perfect place to view all of the latest trends. On an hourly basis, stylish travelers parade their way around the underground concourses and platforms on their way to various destinations.

In fact, there are few places where one can hear Vivaldi’s Four Seasons live and view impressive acrobatic routines for free. In addition to art students sketching, jazz musicians blowing old tunes, street dancers with boom boxes blasting, or high school drum lines thumping beats (the list goes on)…there always seems to be a performance happening in this underground labyrinth that is just as bustling as the city that sits above it.

And there always seems to be a little deposit where travelers can show their gratitude by leaving some cash.

From strumming guitars to reciting poetry, people have always found ways to make an extra buck in the underground transit system, while riders seek to enter, exit, or just transfer. But one has to wonder - what would train travel be without these little vices?

My guess is rather dull.

While fascination or confusion often identifies tourists or those who take the train less frequently, seasoned commuters generally display jaded facial expressions. At least some entertainment (regardless of how terrible) during the otherwise uneventful trip can be appreciated, since so much time is spent on the train -commuting back and forth between work, home, and various nightlife venues.

However, underground entertainers are only one facet when it comes to knowing what to expect when taking the subway.

First of all, one must be agile and able to jump out of the way of a running commuter who is clearly desperate to catch a train. Speed is also important: “Move fast or get out of the way” is the common mantra during rush hour…or any hour, for that matter.

Also, having a sense of appreciation is key. Having personally spent much time waiting on a crowded platform, it is truly a small blessing when the train doors do stop and open right in front of you by chance. Being one of the first to board the train greatly improves the odds of getting a seat.

In addition, the train ride is rarely aesthetically pleasing, with the exception of a handful of stations that are uniquely designed. If you accept this little fact going in, it will save much disappointment when you find yourself cringing at a cheesy advertisement or wondering if the paint has been redone since the days of original subway construction back in the early 1900s.

Finally, forgo the idea of personal space.

For obvious reasons, it simply does not exist in mass transit.

Despite all of these minor (or, depending on your perspective, major) details, the fact still remains that the underground train is a major part of the New York lifestyle. Basically, for $2.00 you could go almost anywhere that is connected to the subway system. One glance at a subway map can tell you that’s a lot of places.

In short, you can’t really avoid taking a train in New York.

Unless, of course, you take a taxi.

But that’s a whole other adventure.

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