Did you know that the New York City subway turns 120 years old on October 27? The New York Transit Museum is commemorating this major anniversary with a special exhibit, inviting visitors to consider the endless ways to complete the sentence, “The Subway Is…” The exhibit opened on September 26, and will be on view this fall at the museum, which is located inside the decommissioned Court Street station in Boerum Hill. To celebrate the subway’s birthday, the museum is also hosting four special Nostalgia Rides on 1917 subway cars in October and November.
Best for ages 7 and up, the exhibit explores the subway’s impact on the city since its inaugural rides in 1904. Bringing together a wide array of images and objects from the museum’s collection—from historic photographs to model trains to vintage MTA uniforms and decorative tilework—the show celebrates the subway system and how it has shaped the very fabric of the city and the lives of New Yorkers.
Learn about the origins of the city’s underground railway, the laborers who built the first tunnels and tracks, how the signal system works, and how the subway continues to grow and evolve today.
The exhibit also includes some beautiful decorative tilework from New York City’s stations, as well as other examples of art and design in our subway system.
Admission is $10/adult, $5/child (2-17 years). Starting in October, the museum is expanding its hours to be open on Wednesdays! Hours are Wednesday–Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Keep in mind that the entrance to the Museum is down two flights of stairs, and there is no cell phone reception. A second wheelchair-accessible entrance is located on the corner of Schermerhorn and Court Streets.
In addition to the special exhibit, the museum is also hosting four special rides on vintage Lo-V subway cars from 1917. These Nostalgia Rides will travel along segments of New York’s first subway line, and passengers will get to pass through the historic Old City Hall station, experiencing the subway as New Yorkers did over a century ago. Click here to see all upcoming programs, including the Nostalgia Rides. The rides on October 27 rides have already sold out, but there are still tickets remaining for the morning ride on Saturday, November 16, from 10am to 12pm.
And while you’re at the museum, don’t miss out the permanent exhibits, which include an amazing collection of vintage subway cars, plus MTA buses that children can play in and pretend to drive!
Updated: October 2, 2024.
