Craziest Thing You've Ever Seen In the Subway (New York, Union: school, cost of)

[Joe Bama!]

As a young Graffiti artist in the 90's I walked down the tunnel from DeKalb Ave to Grand Street over the Manhattan Bridge. In between Dekalb Avenue and the bridge I came across an old abandoned station called Myrtle Avenue. The station was fully in tact with wood finished turnstiles and token booth. The station was fully lit like a blast from the past straight out of the 1950's.
I believe the station is still there, but I don't know what kind of condition its in, I still pass it on the Q-train and remember that night.

[Vertigo7]

Originally Posted by starplow

I saw a guy running across the tracks as a train was about to be coming, and it got me thinking about all the crazy stuff people must see everyday either in the station or on the subway train... So what's the craziest thing you've ever seen in the subway???

SUBWAY EROTICA
Okay, I was living in Brooklyn in the mid 1980's, and I wanted to take my beautiful wanna-be actress friend, visiting from Hollywood, out to see Coney Island, in all its magnificent deteriorated state. It was the first day of her visit and I wanted to hit something local first. It was a warm weekday afternoon in September, and we got on the D train to head out to Coney and there were only about 4 people in the subway car with us.

As we were sitting there chatting away, we both pretended not to notice it, but the old man opposite us had taken his hee haw out of his pants and was doing you know what, staring at my friend. Being very sophisticated, we kept on talking for a few minutes as if nothing was happening, but got up at the next stop, and went into the next car, started laughing about it together. One of those "only in New York" kind of things. She grew up in a small town outside the city and was used to seeing the usual New York things, like people holding conversations with themselves. And God knows, no matter how she dressed down, in Manhattan especially, we couldn't walk down the street with about a hundred guys stopping in their tracks, and rubber necking to look at her. But this was a first. Did she ever make it as an actress? No, but she made it as a director.

MEETING FAMOUS PEOPLE
Another funny thing...Once I struck up a conversation with a stranger on a subway -- something I did rarely -- and he mentioned that he was Tiny Tim's agent. Tiny Tim, of tip-toe-through the tulips fame. Of course, this was about 20 years after anyone had seen Tiny Tim on TV. You can meet anyone in New York, and anything can happen.

BAD SAX PLAYER
Guy gets on a crowded train with a saxophone and starts blowing a terrible tune, more noise than song, over blowing, out of tune, loud, squeaking his reed akin to nails on chalkboard, and people give him money just to get rid of him.

ONE PENNY GUY
Guy has a schtick where he ends up whining for "one penny...ooooone peeeennnnyyyeeeee." A friend did imitations of him for years when he wanted to express NY insanity.

[WestburynLI to BronxnNYC]

Talking about fights

In the summer, i was taking the 4 uptown.

A tranny and some other guy(gay?) where fighting with some older PR woman and her daughter. they where yelling at her saying ill beat u and things like that. Then one of the friends was behind me standing up, and kept bumping into me. So i shoved him. Bad choice. I got attacked by 5 guys/girls(who knows they where all gay/trannys!)

Not my proudest moment.

Mind you the train was packed packed and everyone cleared by the time i got up. Should have seen the look on there faces when i stood up , throwing them off of me! One then proceeded to get up on the bench, swing around the pole, and kick me dead in my head. They all ran of at...86th street! the train sat there with the doors open, and the tranny came back and hit the lady in the head! Still yelling she gonna beat her up!

People on the train were yelling at them" your guys your guys thats assault!"

I think homosexuals are doing what minorities used to/still do. Acting as if because they are different they can act reckless. Damn hate crimes.

[Vertigo7]

I just finished reading through this thread, and some of it was pretty interesting. I loved the guy who performed MY WAY, and the passenger who said "Your way sucks."

When something crazy is going on -- for example, a guy taking a dump in the subway car -- you have to use your own judgment as to what to do about it. It is unlikely you can teach him not to do that, or that it is not nice or whatever.

About panhandling though...I have this advice. Give if you want to, but ignoring politely is probably the safest. I once had a guy on the street stop me and start talking in a very strange voice, holding a sign saying he was deaf. I know the way deaf people talk and he clearly wasn't deaf. It was a terrible imitation. He was well dressed, and didn't look homeless. Because we were the only two people on that section of the street, and I was approaching the front of the theater where I was meeting a friend for a concert, I thought I'd give him all the change I had, which was about 45 cents, to be rid of him.

Here is where I made my mistake. Instead of just giving him the money, I called him on his deceit and told him that I knew he wasn't deaf, while giving him the change. The devil made me do it. He went ballistic, shouting at me, "I HAVE NINE KIDS AND CAN'T FIND A JOB...." and proceeded to follow me down the street talking angrily as if he was going to hit me. I had to run to get away from him. The lesson I learned was that you never know what you are dealing with. Yes, it could be someone who is just needy, but a panhandler could be insane, or aggressive, hopped up on a drug. And you can't reason with an insane person, and you've got to be careful about saying something that might humiliate them.

[Fred314X]

After five and a half years as a conductor in the subway, I can tell some stories, trust me. I could, if I suddenly felt inspired, tell you about the couple engaging in sex right there on the Q train in Manhattan. (When they finished, they exited the train at 34 Street, although the guy left a souvenir--his condom hung carefully on the grab bar).

Joe Bama--what you came across was the old BMT Myrtle Avenue station. Hasn't been in service for about 50 years now. There are several other abandoned stations around the city.

[makossa]

Back in the hey day of Graffiti my friend and I were on the A train about 6:30 AM on a Sunday morning heading to Far Rockaway, after a very memorable night of partying in the city.

Somewhere in Brooklyn well before the Euclid Avenue transfer to the Rockaway Shuttle, about a dozen young creative taggers came aboard. They were running through the train (back when the doors between the cars stayed open) looking for a car that still had some inside available canvass space.

They chose the car behind ours and then proceeded to escort the few passengers in that car off to the next car. Only one person remained. He was dead to the world sleeping on the seat.

Because I love Graffiti and street art, and being the outgoing person that I am, I peered through that end door window and watched them do their thing. They were unbelievable, good stuff, the funny part was, and I’m not kidding, they even tagged the guy sleeping on the seat. You had to be there to really appreciate the humor in it.

Now, same trip, on the A Shuttle to Far Rockaway, somewhere in Queens, about thirty beach goers board the train all in our car. My friend and I were really hung over but the beach goers (all Spanish speaking) insisted we join them in a game of “Subway car beach ball.” Actually, we had a great time. We all communicated extremely well using only body language and gestures. Smiles and laughter bring on some really good positive energy. Great night.

At Grand Central on the shuttle to Times Square a nice young couple gets on and sits right across from my wife and I. She seems very meek and mild and he’s decked out like true Hip Hop, bling ‘n’ all. Once the doors close he breaks out in this (I think) freestyle rap. You had to hear this guy, he was great. His rap closed perfectly once we arrived at Times Square. Again, this is one of those things you had to be there to really appreciate. His girl in a low meek tone tells him “you too loud.” He comes back (loud) “B*t*h , what you talkin’ bout”. They actually strolled off holding hands. Love on the shuttle.

A lot of bad stuff happens on the subway, but there are some positives that truly reflect the energy and spirit that is only in New York. A few months ago while riding the uptown 2 train north of Times Square, a group of young men bust out the box and play some really upbeat trip-hop, hip hop, break beat fusion. I don’t know what it was but it had a great tempo. Meanwhile, they’re performing some new version of break dance combined with what could only be defined as “hip hop aerobics.“ They were in a word - AWESOME!!!

[gradstudent77]

Some lunatic is mumbling and screaming all sorts of random stuff for the whole ride. On his way off, he has to pass by me and says "excuse me, I have a big Mod cut: languagein the voice of an english gentleman.

[StrugglingMusician91]

saw an uncle and nephew gymnastics team (actually crazy)
so 2 guys fight one using a bicycle as a weapon

[awleavingNYC]

human feces. yesterday on the uptown 6 train. my husband saw the same thing a few weeks ago!

[thelazyone]

Probably not the craziest, but on the morning on 9/11 I had missed the last train into Brooklyn from the whitehall station. People including NYCTA employee's, hoped down onto the tracks and onto the gang walk, slowly making their way towards brooklyn. I was too chicken to follow.