Friday, September 22, 2017

9 must-follow Instagram accounts for NYC subway lovers

Fill your feed with amazing subway photography

Instagram is the go-to destination if you want to peek at the most visually arresting images of the New York City subway. Whether it's looking at all new construction the MTA has going on, or the beautiful artwork installed inside several subway stations—or just checking out some hot dudes—we've got you covered.

Here now are nine of the best accounts for NYC subway lovers. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

MTA New York City Transit

Let's start with the official MTA account, mostly because it occasionally offers a behind-the-scenes look at what makes New York's transit system tick. (See: workers cleaning the tracks, flood barrier protection tests, and the like.)

MTA Arts & Design

Operating under the MTA umbrella, Arts & Design is responsible for the beautiful mosaics and museum-quality artwork found throughout the transit system. The org's Instagram account highlights those pieces, along with other happenings within New York City transit.

Transit Maps

A post shared by Transit Maps (@transit_maps) on

Not every map featured in this account depicts the NYC subway, but enough do to make it worth a follow if you love New York City transit. It's especially good for seeing rare or vintage maps, such as the "Wonders of New York" map from the 1950s.

The NYCTA Project

Photographer Brian Kelley has been collecting trinkets from the NYC transit system—maps, uniforms, MetroCards, and the like—for several years, and documenting them on this Instagram account since 2014. Taken as a whole, it serves as a kind of digital compendium of transit history; there's also now an IRL version courtesy of the Standards Manual imprint.

NYC Urbanism

A post shared by NYC URBANISM (@nycurbanism) on

This is the go-to stop to find vintage photos, old maps, and facts about New York City's past that you might not know about—like the proposal for a train tunnel from Brooklyn to Staten Island, pictured above.

Subway Signs

A post shared by Subway Signs (@subwaysigns) on

If subway signs and subway-related graphic design catch your fancy, look no further than this account. There are vintage subway signs galore, like this 1930s sign from the 42nd Street station—and you can buy most of them too.

Books On The Subway

Started by two New Yorkers in 2013, this is one of the most ingenious programs on the subway right now. Every week a group of volunteers (Emma Watson was one of them once) place 20 copies of a particular book at different spots throughout the subway. The idea is that you'll read the book, share it on social media, and then place it back for the next reader. The group has already distributed over 1,000 copies of 500 books.

Sunday Book Review

Every few days blogger Uli Beutter Cohen talks to a stranger reading a book on the subway, and then documents it on this account. Started in 2013 in NYC, Cohen also now interviews folks in London, Cairo and Mexico City—If you're looking to pick up your next book, look no further.

Hot Dudes Reading

Because we're not immune to the charms of attractive men on the subway (and other forms of transit) reading. Look, we're only human.

No comments:

Post a Comment