Happy Members Appreciation Month!
As a token of our appreciation for your generous support, we’re offering the opportunity to view six of our most popular digital discussions!
Women Influencers
Join New York Transit Museum Education Staff for a virtual walkthrough of some of the Museum’s iconic subway cars and buses for an inside look at our vintage fleet. Staff from New York City Transit will then showcase Learn about pioneering women in transit who challenged a traditionally male dominated field to thrive as transit workers, transit police officers, and subway operators. Explore the incredible stories of women who fought for equal access, argued for improved subway etiquette and even developed cutting edge technological improvements. We’ll also revisit forgotten histories like the debate over creating gender segregated subway cars.
The 1 Train
The 1 train travels along part of New York’s original subway line, connecting Manhattan with the Bronx. Riding the 1 train can take you from the deepest station in the New York City subway system to one of the last remaining elevated tracks in Manhattan. Originally known as IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Local, the line grew out of two monumental construction efforts. The first stretch opened north of 42nd St between 1904 and 1908; the second, south of 42nd Street, opened in 1918.
Hidden Histories
New York’s transportation history happened in phases, from early ships, trains and passenger ferries to more modern subways, trains, buses and cars. Transportation maps highlight the story of New York’s growth through the increasingly connected transportation With a rich history spanning over 100 years, it is no surprise that transit stories can be found in unexpected places all across New York City. From repurposed buildings, to secret laboratories, to Presidential whistle stops, the city is full of locations tied to transit’s past.
Drawn on the Way
Join the New York Transit Museum for an online program with Sarah Nisbett, author of Drawn on the Way, to learn more about how picking up a simple office pen and sketching fellow passengers on her daily subway commute changed the course of her life.
We spend so much of our lives “on the way,” rushing, commuting, running from task to task and place to place. Drawn On The Way is a collection of sketches — drawn live, in the moment — that celebrates the people, moments and objects often overlooked in the rush of our day-to-day lives.
Nisbett will share her work and how she taught herself to quickly sketch fleeting moments, as well as what she learned about connecting with others while riding public transit. If you’re looking for more opportunities for creativity and connection in your every day, Sarah will lead a drawing exercise with tips for getting started, looking closely, and being inspired by what is all around us.
A History of Social Action in Transit
Mass transportation has the ability to act as a great equalizer for the diverse population of New York City, and public transit has been used as a vehicle for social action throughout history. When faced with unsafe working conditions, unfair pay, or unequal opportunities and treatment, citizens have banded together and taken action to create safe and equitable work and travel for both transit employees and passengers.
The Chrystie Street Connection
The Chrystie Street Connection, running the length of Chrystie Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, was built to connect lines of the former Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and Independent Subway System (IND) divisions. In 1957, construction began on a series of five additions to subway routes between 57th St/6th Avenue in Manhattan and DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn. Opening in two phases, on November 26, 1967 and July 1, 1968, this connection enabled the BMT and IND to officially merge services between Brooklyn and Manhattan, and forming the lettered routes known today as the B Division.
Join transit historian and CUNY professor Andrew Sparberg to take a deep dive into the history of the Chrystie Street Connection. Explore the need for this project, planning and construction details, and the challenges and triumphs along the way.