On ‘losing oneself’ in a Subway station and the delights of Art Deco (re)discoveries…
…from a photographer’s notebook
I guess it’s one of my many NYC kinks…
And those who know me will tolerantly toss it off as but one entry in my extensive catalog of Subway-eccentricities, but…
When I’m not rushing to get somewhere, I’ve been known to (intentionally) “get lost” in favorite Subway station complexes, such that, rather than seeking out a certain exit, I might just wander and see where I might “unsubterraneanize” myself, sometimes with pleasantly serendipitous discoveries.
I particularly enjoy doing this in the really complex, multi-leveled warrens in which lines intersect perpendicularly or diagonally, which, by the layout of the track and platform configurations, defines a rather large geographical swath under the Gotham street grid. A fine example of this is the 34th St-Herald Square complex, which serves the four lines of the [IND] 6th Avenue Subway and, on a diagonal, the four tracks of the [BMT] Broadway Line … and even connects to the 33rd Street terminus of the PATH system trains to New Jersey.
But the nexus of this particular “losing oneself” is the Grand Central — 42nd Street Station, serving the 4,5, and 6 trains of the [East Side IRT] Lexington Avenue Lines and the perpendicular running, very deep tunnel of the 7 train, connecting Hudson Yards with Flushing, Queens and also providing passage to the Times Square Shuttle. Thus, another quite extensive underground complex created by the track/platform layout, serving those ten- and (in the case of the 7 line) eleven-car trains and the need for exit points that include locations at or near the ends of trains.
Those majority of riders who merely use the trains to get from Point A to Point B in their daily routines seem to even know what part of the trains’ long consists to board to be able to detrain near the stairs, elevator, or escalator that will bring them closest to their office or apartment building or other destination. All well and good, and entirely practical for busy New Yorkers.
Then, there are the Subway geeks, like your faithful scribe, who find fascination in those subterranean mazes and in discovering where this or that not-previously-used passage or stairway might lead.
Deco Déjà Vu …
I had such luxury of time on a recent Christmas Eve, between some late afternoon photography around Union Square and Pete’s Tavern (looking at the latter so invitingly decked out for the Holiday Season, it was easy to imagine the lovely selflessness of Jim and Della, despite their impoverished state, around a certain Christmas, germinating into “The Gift of the Magi” while O Henry partook of a convivial pint on a similarly cold and bracing night long ago at his favorite haunt) and an evening engagement uptown.
And so, I chose an other-than-customary point of egress from the subterranean maze and serendipitously found myself in a most appealing Art Deco time warp … carrying me back to an almost forgotten venue first experienced as a teen Subway rookie who had just (also) discovered the realm of the 7 Train, so deep below 42nd St.
A possibly overlooked Art Deco gem…
As anyone who loves the city knows, New York has no shortage of impressive Art Deco design, whether in soaring skyscrapers or building lobbies, often combining both categories. Who can fail to be impressed by the implementation of Art Deco in the Empire State Building…or the multiple buildings comprising Rockefeller Center — and, speaking of intriguing extensive underground complexes, there is the Art Deco-accented maze extending beneath and beyond Rock Center with its network of business-lined passages (one even extending to Times Square, or so I‘m told!).
And here in the neighborhood of the Grand Central — 42nd St Subway complex, the most impressive Art Deco expression is, of course, the soaring form of the Chrysler Building, along the northeast corner of E 42nd and Lexington Avenue.
But cater-cornered to the Chrysler, occupying the southwest corner of Lex and 42nd — and part of the same 1920s/30’s building boom in Manhattan (and yes, the Gray Matter Gramophone is spinning up George Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, a.k.a “Rhapsody in Rivets” as I write this) — rises another Art Deco exemplar in the form of the Chanin Building, its high-ceilinged lobby with its proportionately tall chandeliers being a captivatingly handsome expression of their era.
As noted above, somehow, I found myself in that impressive Art Deco realm when much younger (and perhaps less able to appreciate just how special it was), as part of an early 7 Train experience. Well, I might have been too young to fully appreciate the aesthetics, but, quite obviously, they made an impression, such that re-discovery on that special Christmas Eve in 2019 was such a deliciously Déjà Vu Deco experience, somehow compressing a number of decades in the life of a life-long New York lover in a rather lovely manner.
As can be seen in the photo, some work was being done by custodial staff; otherwise, I would have explored further and captured more aspects of this impressive space. Also, I suspect, it being close to 6 PM on Christmas Eve, the public spaces were or would soon be off-limits, except for the short distance between the stairs from the Subway station and the doors to the street. Even so, I did get to admire some of that special Art Deco design that adorned even the exits to street.
The serendipity that so often makes the combination of travel and photography such a delight for me was most definitely present that evening. I did not necessarily know that my choice to exit the Subway complex by a more circuitous route would bring me back to the lobby of the Chanin Building, decked out in its Holiday Season finery at that, but — just as circuitously — getting back to my earlier point about those intriguing underground Subway complexes, it can often prove illuminating just to wander and see where one might emerge, including within impressive building lobbies, from the expansive maze that lies below.
©2021 Steve Ember
You may view more of my New York photographs (including lots of Subway and architectural images) by visiting here or
https://500px.com/steveember/galleries/new-york-city
Most of my photographs can be purchased or licensed by contacting me via my web site.
You may also view a sampling of my framed work, note cards, and other photographic iterations at https://steve-ember.pixels.com/
