Once you’ve made up your mind about where it is you want to go, now you’ve
got to make sure you get on the right train. Boarding the right train is
actually pretty easy if you keep your eyes and ears alert. First off, the front
and sides of every train displays the number or letter of the train. For
example, the “A” train or the number 4 train. There are plenty of stations
throughout the subway system where more than one train stops, i.e., the numbers
1,2,3 as well as the N, Q, and R trains all stop at Times Square station, not
to mention the shuttle train that takes you from Times Square on the west side
of the city to Grand Central Station on the east side. You can see why you'll
want to be sure to read the route number on the front or side of the train
before you get on. You should also keep in mind that local trains make every
stop while express trains skip some stops, for example the A train is an
express while the C train is local. As you get on the train, please be careful
of the gap between the platform and the train.
Manhattan
New York City, also called Manhattan,
is accessible from all of the outer boroughs; these are Brooklyn,
Queens, the Bronx, and Staten
Island. If you’re taking a train from anywhere in Brooklyn
to Manhattan, you are going uptown
and so must take the corresponding train. If you’re in Manhattan
and you want to go to Brooklyn, make sure you take a
downtown train. Just make sure which part of Brooklyn
you want to go to before getting on a train! Any train going from Manhattan
to the Bronx is going uptown, consequently any train
going from the Bronx to Manhattan
has to go downtown. The Queens trains are a little
tougher. Some, like the A and the C, go uptown to Manhattan while others like J
or the 7 make it a little easier by stating they are Manhattan-bound. From Manhattan
to Queens, it’s just reversed with the signs going to Queens
reading Queens-bound.