On an average day in NYC 4.3 million people pass through the turn styles on a journey from one place to another below ground. They would not choose to be in the subway system other than to get some place else. If these 4.3 million people were a city by themselves, they would constitute the second largest city in the United States, second only to New York City itself. What is the culture of this temporary "transient" city like? Total strangers travel together often times without speaking or even making eye contact with one another. At times people are standing within millimeters of total strangers, or even pressed together in the crush of "rush hour." Although they are pressed together in extraordinary numbers, somehow each person manages to create a sense of privacy. Sometimes that privacy is created by body posture, facial expression, placing objects such as brief cases and bags on the adjoining seat so no one else can occupy it. Sometimes it is done by reading, sleeping or having head phones in the ears.



People who don't know NYC or the NYC Subway system often perceive it as a dangerous place. And perhaps it can be dangerous. However, it is evident that people feel a sense of security among strangers. It is not unusual to see people asleep on the train, possibly even leaning on a stranger. That is a sign of trust and a willingness to be vulnerable.



Somehow these millions of people who travel underground each day understand, accept and abide by this culture. Yes, there is a transit police force, but somehow, 4.3 million people have found a way to coexist and govern themselves without too much of an imposed organizational structure.



This book captures this culture in a wonderful series of photographs by Herb Bardavid