Historical question about 42 st and 8 Av subway station (Union: buy, shop)

[rlrl]

Today the 42 street and 8 Av subway station has these generic type jeans stores and a barbershop when you walk in the passageway to goes to 43rd and 44th streets

I have often heard about the old penny arcades( the site of gang rampages and other horrors) in the station but never dared to venture down there back in the 70's as a teen or even in the 80's.

was this 8th Ave passageway where the penny arcades were long ago? was this passageway leading to 43rd and 44th streets there even before the Times Sq cleanup? if so, it must have taken a lot of courage to walk in the passageway back in the day

[Doobage]

I'm kind of curious to know this too, I'm a sucker for anything relating to subway history.

[rlrl]

the 49th street/7 Avenue station on the N line was made red/orange brick in late 1973

[rlrl]

i think there is a big website about all the lines but i don't know if they talk about the penny arcade

[nycjap]

I can't contribute anything from my memories about the PA Terminal subway station, but I do recall:

1. the snack stand that used to be at one end of the shuttle station at Grand Central, the one featured in one scene in "The French Connection"

2. A soft pretzel stand and another snack bar inside the Union Square station

The pretzels were great and always warm and soft, and the snack bar had the best soft serve ice cream cones, especially the chocolate.

[UpsonDowns]

Perhaps they have the info you are looking for at the Transit Museum?

[Fred314X]

I don't know about the penny arcades, but the passageway to the Times Square station has been there for decades--quite probably since the 8th Avenue subway opened in 1932.

[WaltHowe]

Originally Posted by rlrl

Today the 42 street and 8 Av subway station has these generic type jeans stores and a barbershop when you walk in the passageway to goes to 43rd and 44th streets

I have often heard about the old penny arcades( the site of gang rampages and other horrors) in the station but never dared to venture down there back in the 70's as a teen or even in the 80's.

was this 8th Ave passageway where the penny arcades were long ago? was this passageway leading to 43rd and 44th streets there even before the Times Sq cleanup? if so, it must have taken a lot of courage to walk in the passageway back in the day

No but my father told me that there was a great record store there once known as Times Square Records and it was a place where collectors would buy rare DooWop songs and where vocal groups would harmonize.

[rlrl]

was in the Times Sq kiosk of the 1,2,3, N, S, 7 lines of the IRT/BMT station. The penny arcade however was supposedly right under the 8th Avenue IND station

the passageway you mention linked the above station to the 8th Avenue station underneath 41 st street

the passageway i posted about was under 8th Avenue and ran from 40th to 44th streets under 8th Avenue

[GooseNeck]

There was a small arcade and barber shop at the north side of 42nd st and 8th avenue 1 set of stairs down into the subway.

Lot of drug dealing, chicken hawks and robberies there - oh my