The MTA subway, for most students, is the fastest, most convenient way to navigate NYC. Whether you’re traveling to Brooklyn for a show or a warehouse party, making the daily commute to campus from a different borough, or rushing to a job or internship after class, the subway is always there. However, being that we live in a crazy, sprawling metropolis, the subway experience is nothing short of normal. Living in New York, one is bound to experience some type of strange encounter every once in awhile. You’ll never know who you’ll meet or what you will see when swiping your card at the turnstile.
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One can be an accidental witness in total stranger’s disputes with one another, and the subway is one of the most common places for this to happen. Though these conflicts can be humorous, other times, they can incite fear within all bystanders.
Coleman Sisk, Sophomore in Dramatic Arts at Drama
“I saw two white dreaded homeless youths in a dramatic break up. They proceeded to fight over who got to keep their shared dog.”
Alexandra Vladescu, Sophomore in Fashion Design at Parsons:
“A couple years ago a crazy fight broke out between two people when I was sitting down with my parents. It started when this one guy came in our car from the other car. He then asked the passengers for money. At the next stop, a woman and her partner [boarded] the same train. She then proceeded to yell at the guy asking for money on the train, exclaiming that, “This is our turf!” referring to the fact that apparently she and her partner were the only ones allowed to ask for money on the train. The first guy turned and looked at her, but proceeded as normal. Enraged, the lady took her cane and hit him with it. He turned around and threatened to break her neck if she hit him again. One passenger came forward and gave each of them a dollar to break up the fight. It continued, and almost got out of hand. The woman was yelling that she had cancer, the first guy was preventing her from getting any money. In the end, her husband was successful in calming her down and the conflict ended.”
Or… you can witness something you would have rather not seen or heard.
Richard Supriano, Junior in Communication Design at Parsons:
“It was about 2:50 in the morning when I got on the 6 train at 77th. I was fresh out the hospital because of my throat ([I had] cancerous swollen lymph nodes in my throat) and I was not paying attention to my surroundings. The train came relatively quick, despite how late it was, and when I got on I saw three guys having sexual intercourse together. I assumed since no one else was on the train they’d do something like that. Funny enough, I didn’t notice until the guys started chuckling and I looked up. They proceeded to laugh and shout out, “He doesn’t even care,” which, to be honest, I didn’t. I just wanted to get home and I had my earphones in listening to music. One of the guys zipped up his pants and approached to try and talk to me. He was a bit drunk, but not too drunk, and he asked if I saw anything. I lied and said I didn’t and he then he threatened that he would ‘find me’ if I attempted to repeat what happened outside of the subway car.”
Danajha Davis, Sophomore in Theatre and Film Studies at Lang:
“This crazy man was shouting out absurd racist things! He kept exclaiming his hatred for Puerto Ricans and stated that they should all go to hell. I actually pulled out my phone and made a voice memo to use an inspiration for some of my writing. I actually still have it.”
Sometimes, you can find the oddest of acquaintances for the short, underground journey.
Camille Elliott, Sophomore in Design and Technology at Parsons:
“I was sitting next to a man who said he was a surgeon. I was paranoid that I had a bunion on my foot, so I asked him to check my feet. He agreed, and proceeded to take off my shoe and felt my foot. I didn’t have a bunion after all.”
Ray Reyes, Senior in Literary Studies at Lang
“[I saw] a group of guys on the G train pass around a blunt. (I may or may not have been one of them).
Hazel Sherin, Junior in Psychology and Fine Arts at Parsons and Lang:
“A girl next to me slid her hand under the bench, and I thought she was trying to be sly in attempting to steal my purse. I looked at her and yelled at her to stop. I thought for a second, then I just took her hand back slowly and said, ‘Sorry,’ in a guilty tone, and I looked down, feeling ashamed. It turns out, she wasn’t trying to steal my purse.”
Graphics by Richard Supriano