Moose in Wonderland

For the trepid subway visitor, there are countless guides designed to keep you on track. They will help you purchase the right MetroCard, board the right train, and successfully reach your destination. But I’m a moose in disguise. For a wandering moose such as myself, successfully reaching my destination is a bonus. As my fellow moose Alice knows, going underground can be its own adventure.

Experience the Culture

The New York City subways have developed their very own melting pot of culture. I could spend days down there exploring every unique station. The first thing you are likely to notice upon your descent are the sounds. Performing artists looking to make some extra money make a home of the subways. The haunting hum of a violin, the hopeful strumming of a guitar, or the pulsing beat of a stereo might fill the air as musicians, dancers, and living statues work to earn your spare change. As you begin walking down the stairs of your chosen station, listen for the music that might be coming from below. Remember that everything can be music to a moose. Those squealing brakes are the final chord struck by a string quartet, the stomping feet hurrying up the stairs towards you are the drum beats of an indie song, and the constant murmur of the crowd a chorus. One day as I was riding my train, the rushing, shuddering calm of the ride was broken by the festive blaring of a cumbia group as the train stopped and opened its doors, only to suddenly return open the closing of the doors. Should the music call to you, it’s okay to follow–catch the next train, change your plans, follow that white rabbit–don’t be afraid to experience life.

The next thing you’ll probably notice is the art. Many stations in the New York subways have murals in the tiles of their walls. Though they often aren’t hidden, they are easy to miss in the bustle of the subway. While staring at your maps might get you from Point A to Point B, it will also cause you to miss the stories echoing the artwork surrounding you. While the murals are wonders to behold, reflections of the culture of the station they are in they are not the only artwork present in the subway. Plastering the walls of every subway station are ads, posters, flyers, stickers, and graffiti. These are the art pieces that are most often overlooked as mundane or eyesores. Take a look and tell me what you see. I see the stickers of a skull, a smiley face, a heart, that passerbys left behind to let the world know they were there. I see the stickers from people’s favorite musicians or brands that they want everyone to know about and experience themselves. I see the artistry of a photograph taken for an advertisement, the lighting and angles that make you feel excited, awestruck, inspired, or curious, and I see the time and effort put into a flyer, its colors and lines drawing your eye across the text. That poster is hanging crookedly because the person who put it up was in a rush to put up several before going to work that day. That fairy sticker was dropped by a child as their parent pulled them onto the train. Those scrawled initials were left by love-sick teens dreaming about their future, those random spray-painted words a perfect calligraphy, and the curses someone left behind are filled with pain and anger that was desperate for a release. Art tells a story–it isn’t always pleasant, it isn’t always the same story to every person who experiences it, but it is always present. Don’t be afraid to stop and look at that pillar covered in stickers, to smile at the graffiti others consider ugly, or to actually look at that ad for face cream (even if you aren’t interested in ever purchasing face cream). Don’t be afraid to experience the mundane, to wonder why the roses are being painted red.

If you open yourself to the experience I’m sure you will notice many other examples of the unique culture of the New York City subways. Maybe that one station always smells like artisanal bread because someone fulfilled their dream of opening a corner bakery that just happened to be in front of the station’s entrance. Maybe that station often has sequins and fake feathers strewn about because a jazz dance troupe often performs in the theatre near there. I’m not going to lie to you. Sometimes the experience is less than magical. Sometimes it smells bad, sometimes that seat is empty for a reason, sometimes you’ll run into rude Duchesses, Mad Hatters, March Hares, and Dormouses, and sometimes you get lost when you really needed to not get lost, but that is part of the experience too. But like Alice, true moose know the journey can be wondrous all the same.

Wildlife Watch

While moose are mostly solitary creatures, it does not mean we do not appreciate the wildlife around us. Pizza Rat can attest to the fame of the New York City subway’s wildlife, so my peaked curiosity was understandable. One of my favorite things to do while waiting for my train to arrive was to carefully peer over the edge of the platform and down the tracks looking for rats. Often my labors were in vain, but I cannot thoroughly explain the excitement I felt when I caught sight of a scurrying form. I am not a fan of rats (I’d prefer their beady eyes, sharp teeth, and whip-like tails stay at least several feet away at all times) nor am I one to draw attention to myself, but I would search for their creepy little selves everytime and the one time I found a mischief (a group of rats A.K.A plague, swarm, or pack) my childlike wonder burst out and I was excitedly taking blurry photos to share with my family. I can’t tell you why the rats of the subway affected me the way they did, but maybe you’ll find wildlife in the subways that excites you as much as the rats excited me–remember people count as wildlife too (though I wouldn’t recommend taking photos of strangers as it might be considered rude). Like Wonderland, the New York City subways have plenty of wildlife to observe. And remember: we’re all a little mad.