15 Subway Stations Worth a Stop

West 8th St./NY Aquarium, F, Q, Brooklyn   

Artist Vito Acconci used the Coney Island boardwalk and Cyclone roller coaster—both visible from the station’s platform—as inspiration for this structure, which juts out of the exterior wall like a wave crashing into shore.

14th St.-Eighth Ave., A, C, E, L, Manhattan 

The whimsical bronze figures that play along the platform are part of a permanent installation called _Life Underground,_ by artist Tom Otterness. They’ve been amusing subway riders since 2001.

181st St., A, Manhattan

The stone entranceway at Overlook Terrace and 184th Street in Hudson Heights looks of a piece with its surrounding high, rocky ground. The same station’s 181st Street entrance—adorned with art deco stylings—is similarly cool.

191st St., 1, Manhattan

You’ll have to travel deep underground to find what’s cool here. And we mean deep: at nearly 200 feet down, this station is farther below street level than any other in the City. The payoff: bright street art in a tunnel that connects the station to Broadway.

Smith/9th Sts., F, G, Brooklyn

The highest station in the New York City subway system—nearly 90 feet above ground level— features striking views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, including One WTC. In other directions, catch glimpses of the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge or Green-Wood Cemetery.

Van Cortlandt Park/242nd St., 1, Bronx

The unusual architecture of this Victorian Gothic station extends from the red control house to the ornamented stairs to the low-slung crew quarters (pictured here). It was designed by Heins and LaFarge, the firm behind St. John the Divine as well as the entranceway at the 72nd Street 1 stop.

86th St., Q, Manhattan    

Artist Chuck Close created tiled murals and larger-than-life mosaics of New Yorkers for the new Second Avenue line, including this endearing self-portrait.

Queensboro Plaza, N, W, 7, Queens  

From this windswept platform at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge, you can see the Manhattan skyline—especially stunning at sunset. Also visible is the Silvercup Studios sign, which marks the location of the soundstages where TV shows _Elementary_ and _Girls_ were filmed.

81st St./Museum of Natural History, B, C, Manhattan

This station is notable for its elaborate use of wall and floor tiles that depict scenes appropriate to the museum just up the steps; they’re part of a collective work called _For Want of a Nail_. Pictured here: a reef bustling with marine life.

E. 180th St., 2, 5, Bronx   

With its white exterior and Italianate palazzo design, this station house is easily the grandest in the City. Opened in 1912, the terminal was first serviced by a regional railway and, in 1940, became part of the NYC subway system.

World Trade Center, E, Manhattan   

The Port Authority has preserved the glass doors and a section of travertine hallway from the original World Trade Center that connected its concourse to the subway; they now mark an [entrance to the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/18/nyregion/a-vestige-of-the-original-world-trade-center-returns-to-duty.html). Note the spray paint that a search and rescue team made after 9/11.

Forest Hills, LIRR, Queens    

This station’s design mirrors the Tudor architecture of its eponymous neighborhood. Not a subway stop but a depot for the Long Island Railroad, its redbrick square looks relatively unchanged since Teddy Roosevelt spoke here in 1917, just a few years after it was completed.

Fulton Center, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, A, C, Manhattan   

The futuristic Fulton Center transit hub brings together seven different subway lines under a skylight that doubles as public art. The Sky Reflector-Net’s aluminum mirrors line a large oculus, helping light a multilevel courtyard of shops and restaurants.

Lorimer St., J, M, Z, Brooklyn

This outdoor station features stained-glass designs by painter Annette Davidek. The series of colorful windows superimposes botanical forms onto the buildings in the distance. Bonus: the trains run over the Williamsburg Bridge, offering a view of the Manhattan skyline.

161st St./Yankee Stadium, B, D, 4, Bronx

Seeing the stadium as you pull into the station with a carful of Yankees fans is exciting—unless you’re a Mets or Red Sox partisan. Before the old Yankee Stadium was renovated with taller walls in the 1970s, frugal fans could even watch a game from the platform.

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15 NYC Subway Stations Worth a Stop

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Check out 15 of the coolest New York City subway stations for their art, design and views. 


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