Awesome Subways

Like most longstanding structures, the New York City Subway is an urban Ship of Theseus, gradually expanded and reshaped over the last 120 years. This evolution inevitably led to several once coveted corridors and tunnels being rendered obsolete. It’s History takes us through some of these forgotten paths and the stories behind them.

Chicago’s Drinking Modern pays tribute to Chicago’s “L” train, along with public transportation systems in London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, D.C., Boston, Philly, and Los Angeles. Each coaster set assembles to form a map of its urban subway or rail system. They’re made from white birch with a non-slip cork backing.

New York City’s public transit system carries millions of passengers each day, so it’s bound to have its share of items left behind on its seats and platforms. Vicente Cueto’s documentary short film tells the story of lost items and their owners, as told by Sonny Drayton of NYC’s Subways and Buses Lost & Found department.

This mirror-image video made from footage along one of Tokyo’s rail lines is more than a little reminiscent of Darwinfish105’s HyperDrive and the Tokyo Sky Drive series, but its slower and more relaxed pace lets us check out more detail of the surrounding environment.

The musicians of Apartment Sessions turn in an energetic rendition of Queen’s 1976 classic Somebody to Love, as performed in the cozy confines of a New York City subway car. While nobody will ever sing like Freddie Mercury, they make up for it with sheer enthusiasm.

If you’ve ever lived in a big city, you’ve probably spent a meaningful amount of time wandering underground tunnels on your way to or from subway trains. In Return’s engrossing short film takes us on a hypnotic ride through the public walkways of the London Underground.

For Improv Everywhere’s latest urban prank, they took advantage of the humid and oppressive Summer heat in a NYC subway station to turn it into a spa, complete with sauna and massage tables. We can imagine no place less relaxing.

New York’s 36 Street Subway Station is like any other big city underground stop – except for one thing – its staircase has one wonky step that’s tiny bit taller than the rest, making everyone trip on it.

(NSFW: Language) A scuffle breaks out between riders on the New York subway when a vigilante hero intervenes to break things up. Is it The Dark Knight? Nope, just some guy and his snack food.

Improv Everywhere took a break from causing a ruckus with their latest project. They placed beds in a New York subway car for tired commuters and even offered sleep masks and pajamas.

From New York to Paris, Sarah Klein and Tom Mason continue to capture the transition from the subway’s depths to the world above. We love the shot of the faces of emerging passengers.

To promote the 2nd season of Boardwalk Empire, HBO is running an authentic 1920s train in the 2/3 line of the New York City subway this September. This train’s first run was way back in 1917.

(NSFW: Language) We’re not quite sure how they pulled it off, but a group of supper-clubbers recently took a ride on a NYC L train for an elegant six-course meal, delivered stop-by-stop.

(NSFW: Language) This dude found himself completely alone on one of DC’s Metro trains and went a little nuts in his solitude. What would you do if you had the whole subway car to yourself?

There’s nothing like emerging from the bowels of the subway to find yourself in a new, vibrant part of the city. Sarah Klein and Tom Mason do their best to capture this in their all-too-short film.

Designboom has assembled a gallery of the unlikely beauty found in subway stations and tunnels around the globe. None of the underground “L” stations here in Chicago could ever compete.

Take 333 of the most important websites and the 111 most influential people and you have Web Trend Map 4; it’s mapped in the style of the Tokyo Metro and is limited to 1,000 pieces.