How to use New York City Subway?

1. If you are looking for a subway station, look for these iconic green lamps (they look like a Poké Ball).

2. Before entering the station make sure the line you need goes through there. Also, make sure you are entering the direction you need (uptown or downtown train).

3. If you need to go uptown for example, and the sign says downtown, just cross across the street, usually you will find there the entrance you are looking for.

4. Before stepping on the train, make sure this is the train you want. You can find the letter or number of the train on the train's windows. Multiple lines stop on the same platform.

5. To ride the subway you'll need to buy a subway metro card. You can fill your card with either value or time.

6. You can pay separately for each ride $2.75. As long as you are not leaving the station it is considered a single ride. So you can switch subway lines without paying more money.

7. You can buy a 7 day pass for $33 or a monthly pass for $121

8. The trains are very long, the same station may have multiple exits. Your position on the train, front, back or middle can get you closer to the exit you need.

9. There is free wifi in all of Manhattan subway stations.

10. Navigating in the city is very easy with Google Maps or CityMapper apps.

You can check the live videos on my page - How to use the subway? Part I and Part II, there you can see exactly how is everything look like.

Also, if you like the subway you might consider visiting the New York Transit Museum. You can find more recommendations on what to do during your visit here: What to do in New York?

Let me know if you have any further questions, I would love to help!

Shoshi The Tourist

This weekend I took Shoshi to a photoshoot in the city. First stop was Union Square station, were we waited to one of the yellow line trains. 

To me, the subway is one of the city's most interesting and photogenic spots. The people waiting for the train represent a wide verity of cultures and styles. Also, dogs on the subway are not a common sight and Shoshi is exceptionally cute. The only down side was the low light conditions, but l already decided to embrace the graininess of photographing at high ISO.   

When the train came, Shoshi was very cooperative; during the ride she held her head high above her carrier and curiously examined the area. Shoshi is a people magnet and whenever I take her photos, if I also manage to get people into the frame, at least one of them will be looking at her. Obviously, some people can't fight the urge and get too close to her in the middle of the photoshoot. This presents a good opportunity to catch poeple's genuine excitement from meeting Shoshi for the first time.

We got off at Times Square station and headed to the frozen fountain at Bryant Park. The fountain is absolutely spectacular and together with the skating rink and the decorated Christmas tree they create a festive winter atmosphere at the park. I took so many beautiful and funny photos of Shoshi there, that it is hard to choose just one. One of my favorites was this one, with the look I got from Shoshi when it was time to go to a different location. I had the exact same feelings :)

From Bryant Park we headed to Times Square and stopped for a quick photo with the giant American flag. Shoshi is a proud American, so immediately I was able to get a nice photo of her with the flag.

The red stairs was our last and final spot, but I'm ending this post with a photo taken at 49 street subway station. I love the red bricks in the background and how the man's jacket is in a matching color.

I had a great time with Shoshi during the photoshoot and I would like to thank her proud (and sometimes worried) parents, Tal and Liel, for their cooperation.

No Pants Subway Ride

Yesterday I decided to check out the annual No Pants Subway Ride. I thought it should be a good opportunity to practice my street photography skills, as usually at these type of events people are very cooperative in front of the camera. Also, since this happens in the subway, I decided to embrace the graininess of photographing at high ISO. Usually, I like my photos sharp and clear, so I limit my ISO to 1600 and I never use flash. However, after listening to Mel DiGiacomo's lecture, I changed the ISO limit to 6400 in my 7D Canon camera. Around 4:00 PM, I put on my pants, took my gear and headed to Union Square Subway Station.

I didn't see any pant-less people on the subway ride towards Union Station but when I got there I knew I'm in the right place. Making my way through the sea of photographers and pant-less people was not an easy task. The place was so crowded that the station was even darker than usual.

The first person I noticed was a man wearing a Minimouse T-Shirt, high-heels and black underwear. I looked for a good spot, knelt down and started taking some photos of him next to all the other photographers. Little did I knew that although I'm wearing pants I too can become a victim of the paparazzi.

One of the photographers decided to turn around and photograph me instead of the "heel wearing guy" and he was promptly joined by the other photographers. I found the situation very amusing and I love the surprised look on the man with the jacket sitting next to the heel wearing guy. The combination of emotions displayed by the two men sitting on the bench is how I felt during the situation: shocked and amused.  

Almost always I find animals that helps me feel more comfortable among people. This time I found two; a dog and a bear. The dog was very cute and I liked the fact that he was surrounded by bare legs and that he too was pant-less. I took a few photos of the dog and the legs until I heard someone talking to himself saying: "There is a bear, knitting, with no pants on the subway! This is ridiculous! I turned around and I saw a knitting, pant-less bear.

All and all, no pants subway ride was a joyful event. The people were happy and smiley and very easy going. It was hilarious to hear comments by people who randomly walked into the station only to find hoard of photographers mixed with semi-naked people hanging around the premises of the station.

However, with all the commission and the build-up for this event, I was left with the feeling that this is just another day on MTA. To me, it seems that every day in this city is a "pant-less day".