Subway System in New York City Helps Riders Locate Themselves

For the most part, I think riding the subway in New York City is simple enough, but usually my brother tells me which train to take before I head out. There are the moments of standing beside a track wondering if I'm heading the right direction and do I need to turn around to go the other way, or go to another track entirely. I've managed to figure out how to read the maps posted inside the cars to follow the train's path. Where things have gotten dicey is when I get off the subway and am once again on the street. Even when following the directional signs underground to make sure I end up on top where I need to be, there's a moment of confusion when I step off that last stair and out of the subway's entrance. Even when I get off the subway at Union Square, the one I most commonly use, I have to orient myself.

"Which way is . . .?" is a question I commonly ask. Most passerbys are happy to point which way a particular street is to help me out. Turns out that folks who live in New York City aren't the only ones directionally challenged. According to this New York Times article, A LOT of New Yorkers often go through the same, "which way is . . . ?" scenario

Recognizing the navigational problems, even by seasoned Manhattanites, there is a new system being tried out. If you are at the subway stops near Grand Central Station, you'll notice directional decals on the sidewalk by the subway entrances. They tell the names of the closest streets and tell which way is north, south, east, and west. That's a neat idea. I think the decals look rather snazzy. If the system is helpful, it may expand. The photo by mihow posted on Flickr is of one of the Grand Central exits. She took the shots on the day "The Nanny Diaries" was being filmed. Scarlett Johansson was here on that day. That's what the orange signs are about. Just a New York happening.

Filed under: Stories, United States, Transportation