Getting to Broadway Via Subway

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 12:39am

I'm going to the city on Saturday with a friend who can't walk long distances. We want to take the subway from Penn Station to Broadway (we're going to New World Stages, West 50th Street to be exact). Thing is, I've never taken the subway before nor has anyone in my group. How would I go about getting subway tickets and what route would I take to get us the closest possible. Will there be a worker there who I buy tickets from that will direct me or is it all computerized? Also, how much is the fare for a roundtrip? Last time I heard it was $5 a ticket. Sorry if this is not the right place to post this. I need an answer and yahoo answers is never any help.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 12:42am

Penn Station to Broadway is a very short trip. If your friend cant walk long distances, I recommend getting a cab. It'll probably work out per person a lot cheaper than the subway and easier on your friend's feet.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 12:43am

From Penn Station, follow the signs to the blue A/C/E subway lines. You may take either an Uptown-bound A or C train, or a Jamaica-bound E train, and get off at the 50th Street station.

You will exit at 50th and 8th avenue, which is literally the exact location of New World Stages.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 12:44am

If you put in your destination on HopStop.com, it'll give you precise directions. In some stations, there are booths with actual employees inside who you can purchase MetroCards from, but in all of them, you can buy your MetroCard from a machine. Each trip is $2.50.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 12:47am

The subway fare will be $5 roundtrip. If you find a manned kiosk, you can buy from there or you can use a machine.

However, I do like SeanMartin's advice about taking a cab. It will probably be ~$10 each way, pending on traffic, and you will not have to deal with the subway stairs and crowds.

Also some advice -- if you are looking to grab drinks or a quick bite, there are two small (but excellent and popular) restaurant/bars in the same plaza as New World Stages. They're called Blockheads and Mother Burger. If the weather is nice, they both will be crowded and have a lot of outdoor seating (very limited indoor seating).

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 12:49am

Just as a warning, if the weather is nice Blockheads and Motherburger usually have an hour wait or longer.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 1:06am

Also agree with SeanMartin to cab it, but you did say "group" and cabs will usually only take 3 passengers. Sometimes they will allow a fourth to sit up front.

If you do opt to take the subway, take the "C" train: if you take the "A" train you'll have to transfer, since it's an express train and does not stop at 50th, and if you take the "E", your friend will have an extra flight of stairs to negotiate.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 1:30am

Yeah, me and 4 other people are going to the show. I'm not sure I would want to take a cab either since I don't want to risk being late for the show. I'm going with people who like to 'take their time' as it were, so that may deem problematic anyway.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 1:35am

I'm probably going to end up taking the subway. It's a lot cheeper than I thought it would be (I'm used to train fare which is absurd in my opinion.) I'll either take the C train or the E train as ghost said. My friend is able to handle stairs it's just walking lon-ish distances she has a problem with. I guess I'll have to see the schedules when I get there and everything. Sorry for being so in the dark about everything, too. It's all new to me. Thanks for all the help! I feel much better knowing that I'm not going into the city blind. :)

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 1:53am

Penn Station is a zoo, though. It can be awfully confusing.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 2:01am

There is technically a schedule, but trains rarely stick to it. Depending on the time of day, the trains run pretty frequently. During the day, that will mean usually every 10-20 minutes. At night the wait could be a bit longer. The trip you are taking is a very short one - only two stops.

The station at 34th st (Penn station) is a little different than most for some reason. If you go up the first set of stairs from the station itself, you are on the platform to catch the local trains, the "C" and the "E", going uptown. The second set of stairs takes you to the "A" platform, the express train, and it runs both up and downtown on opposite sides of the same platform.

It's an easy enough transfer from the "A" to an "E" or a "C" at 42nd st (it's directly across the platform) but it's less complicated to just take the "C" or "E" to begin with.

Your ride back will be much simpler. Just get to the 50th st station on the opposite (headed downtown) side you came out of (important, because you can't cross to the other side once you've paid your fare), and take whichever train comes in first. Any train stopping at 50th st will stop at 34th st.

Good luck.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 2:34am

Those steps that take you up to the sidewalk are unforgiving too.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 2:42am

hopstop has a great iPhone app.

[bobs3]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 3:33am

You could try hailing a minivan cab -- they are becoming more and more popular. Officially they hold 4 people (plus the driver) but if some of you are smallish it can fit five (the driver will usually look the other way if you offer him a nice tip).

Exit Penn Station at 8th Avenue and tell the driver to take you to 8th & 50th. Earlier poster was correct it will be about $10-$12. If the driver doesn't object to 5 people in the van give him a $6-$8 tip.

By the way, by 2018 all of the four-door sedan cabs in NYC are expected to be replaced by Nissan NV200 electric minivans.

Updated On: 4/12/13 at 03:33 AM

[Patash]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 8:29am

Why on earth would anyone take the A train and then need to transfer instead of just taking the E or C train and not having to transfer. You can say the transfer is easy -- but not NEARLY as easy as no transfer at all.

One small point. If you take the E you have two flights of stairs at 50th street. If you take the C train, you only have one.

So my suggestion is to take ONLY the C train from Penn Station to 50th Stree, and it's only one block from there. Actually only half a block.

By the way, when you return, assuming you are doing the same, there are escalators and elevators at the 50th Street station going southbound to Penn Station.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 8:41am

Patash, that's EXACTLY the same thing I said in my first post. I didn't mention the escalator (at the 50th st entrance) or the elevator (at the 49th st entrance) on the return trip because OP said the friend didn't have a problem with stairs, only walking longish distances.

Now go have a cup of coffee


eta: Just to micromanage this thing to within an inch of its life, when you get on the train at Penn Station, get on a car towards the back of the train. When you step off, the turnstiles to exit to 50th st will be right there. If you're too far forward, you'll exit at 51st. Enjoy your show, OP.
Updated On: 4/12/13 at 08:41 AM

[Patash]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 10:38am

ghostlight, of course I saw your post. Yes, we agreed. Does that bother you? Are people not supposed to repeat and clarify reasons within threads to make them even more clear to people One person says take the A and transfer, someone else says don't transfer. Isn't another agreement NOT to transfer a good thing? Sorry if you thought my post was redundant. That was kind of the point.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 10:51am

HopStop has saved me a TON of cab fare.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 11:06am

"By the way, when you return, assuming you are doing the same, there are escalators and elevators at the 50th Street station going southbound to Penn Station."

You can't take that escalator down to the southbound E train, as it is always going upstairs, at night at least.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 11:53am

It was in jest, Patash, hence the face. Sorry if you took offense.

Now that I think about it, Jane is right. The downstairs escalator has been under construction for months. The elevator on 49th was working last time I checked, but with the MTA, you can never be sure.

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 4/12/13 at 12:34pm

I usually stay in the theatre district because it is central to family and friends and I always cab it from Penn Station (having arrived from EWR)