New York is the largest city in the United States, and as such, it is obvious that it is full of secrets, like its beautiful abandoned metro station City Hall!
New York is the most popular tourist destination with Los Angeles and Miami , and Big Apple is probably the city of the United States containing the most secrets. Among them, there is one that is easy to visit during your trip to New York: the abandoned City Hall metro station!
It is one of the first stations in the city that opened its doors to New York in 1904, and closed in 1945, after the Second World War. In order to make you discover this magical place, Wanderlix has concocted an article on this unusual place with the information necessary to prepare a visit to this place out of time!
In the footsteps of New York City Hall Metro Station
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Felix Lipov
To understand the interest, but also the history of the abandoned City Hall metro station, we must go back to the construction of the first metro lines in New York. If it covers hundreds of stations and has several dozen lines today, during its opening in 1904 , he then counted only a few lines serving the main points of interest, industry and trade.
A few stations were built, and the City Hall Station was one of them. Specifically, it was the terminus of the very first metro line commissioned the 27 October 1904 , and above all one of the most beautiful of all.
But why did she become an abandoned metro station, you'll probably ask? It is important to know that with the popularization of public transport and the ever-growing number of New Yorkers boarding the metro every day, the cars were changed and made longer and wider, as well as for the doors and rails.
As a result, the station was no longer at the standards to ensure the safety of passengers and the passage of the subway, and it would have been necessary for the city to invest in the expansion of the tracks and to develop the station to ensure that it could once again accommodate the metro. But this represented an investment too important to the station's income. This was only a few hundred passengers at the time, which was much less than the other stations on the line.
The City Hall Station has thus finally stopped being used in 1945 , but metro n°6 always goes through this station after reaching Brooklyn Bridge, which allows you to briefly see this place.
What's behind the abandoned City Hall metro station?
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Felix Lipov
The City Hall Station is a magnificent metro station that has not changed since its construction in the early 20th century. This will allow you a few moments of relaxation and wonder in a real jump in time thanks to its extraordinary conservation.
This station with vaulted roofs is simply out of time: its large semi-transparent glass windows give a warm atmosphere when the sun illuminates the station, its green and white paved walls are magnificent, and the few plates adorning the walls remind the names of the members of the Chamber of Commerce who have authorized the construction of the metro.
The ghost of City Hall
Note that if you love ghost stories, the City Hall Station has — of course — also its own story. According to urban legends, this happened in the first years of the construction of the metro.
During its construction, at the very beginning of the twentieth century, the workers working on the site often mentioned strange noises, similar to a complaint, but not truly identifiable. These sounds were always heard late, well after sunset. Many were the workers seeking to know the origin of these, wondering if anyone had returned to the construction site and had settled in the tunnels, but it was in vain.
The sounds continued for several weeks, until a new worker from a tribe named Leni Lenape Get to work in this subway station. When the night fell and the complaints were heard, he recognized the sounds as a language of a tribe who had lived on the lands of New York.
After some research, it was discovered that the City Hall station was in fact built on a former war field where many American Indians lost their lives, and the sounds heard were actually the lamentations of the warriors’ spirits who had perished in these places and had not been entitled to correct funerals.
The workers, worried by what they had just discovered, decided to appeal to a shaman, and he carried out a ceremony to give peace to the wandering spirits of the warriors. Since then, ghosts would be in peace and no lamentation would have reappeared. Or at least, no one is there to hear them and, who knows if other ghosts have not made their appearance in this place left to abandon for more than 70 years.
To go
If you want to see the City Hall Station by yourself, we have gathered you some useful information to prepare your visit.
How?
There are two ways to access and admire the station, some of which are risky to the law.
Metro #6
Indeed, the easiest way to admire City Hall Station is to stay in metro n°6 while it turns around, as it passes twice by the old station. However, remember that this method is illegal, although many tourists seeking to see for themselves City Hall brave every day the law.
In this case, it is advisable to choose the 7th, 8th or 9th car the metro to have the time to see the station come, but also to choose a sunny day to enjoy the illuminations of this station.
The New York Transit Museum
The other way, totally legal this time, is to participate in one guided tour of the Transit Museum from New York, which will allow you to see from the docks the magnificent architecture of the Old City Hall metro station.
The Transit Museum is a little-known museum of tourists, but also of most of the premises, which is dedicated to the history of the construction of the metro lines, but also contains many metro cars of all ages.
When?
Visits organized by the Transit Museum take place once a month at most, and you will need book in advance your ticket, because they leave very quickly, sometimes in just 15 minutes.
As for Metro 6, it passes regularly throughout the day and every day without stopping. You can find his exact schedule online or subway stations. But, in general, you can have a metro all 5 to 10 minutes At most.
At what price?
Metro
If you take the subway to see the station:
- Normal ticket$3
- MetroCard rechargeable (reduction to $2.62 per trip): $5.5 to $100
- Unlimited pass for 7 days or more: approximately $34
Transit Museum
If you are able to get a place to visit the Transit Museum, then plan an envelope $50 by adult for the visit, only after acquiring a paid membership card. Which is about $35 per card, renewable to the year.
What I can find out in the area
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Felix Lipov
Of course, you will probably want to visit much more in the city of New York after seeing the City Hall Station. Among the must-see activities and visits you could:
- To stay in the world of transport, visit the Grand Central Terminalthe reference in the U.S. stations.
- Visit the New York Transit Museuma little-known museum located in a station dating from 1936.
- Take the ferry and go to the visit of the Statue of Liberty, symbol of the city, but also of the United States.
- Walking in the middle of Central Park and its 341 hectares of greenery in the middle of the concrete jungle in New York.
- For art lovers, enjoy Metropolitan Museum of Arts and Guggenheim Museum and their wide collections of works of art and objects related to the world of the arts.
- Go through Broadway and Time Square during your evening and enjoy the animation of these two iconic places, but also their multiple illuminations.
- Enjoy an outing Coney Island to taste the famous hot dogs, but also to have fun at the various boats and to take a ride in the great wheel.
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