Both sides of my family emigrated to New York City shortly before the city’s subway system was inaugurated in 1904. So, I literally rode New York’s underground trains before I was born. Like most residents of the world’s greatest city we have had a long love/hate relationship with the subway. It has always been noisy, crowded, smelly, and dirty, but it’s the fastest and most convenient way to travel around New York.

Architect Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects  made this excellent video about the long and colorful history of the New York City subway system. He specifically noted how each station was built, the type of material that was used, how the different tunneling techniques used evolved over time, and the design of the stations and signs.

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