You emerge aboveground from the subway; now what? Which way do you walk to get back on track to your destination? It can be a problem here in New York, New York. If it’s a familiar route or neighborhood, there’s no trouble. If not, it can be tough to orient. If I’m in a rush, I’ll take one of two methods:
- The Dirk Gently “Zen mode” of navigation: spot someone who looks as if he knows where he’s headed and follow him.
- Or I just stride briskly in a particular direction instead of wasting time thinking about it. One in four: I like those odds.
This guy advocated stencils, which makes a lot of sense, but hasn’t caught on.
Usually it’s not that bad and there are of course tips.
If you’re the scouting sort, you can spot the sun and situate yourself that way. But not if it’s set, out of season, obscured by weather or skyscrapers, or it’s noon.
At the very least, if you’re “in the grid” in Manhattan (generally above 14th Street), you can orient yourself east-west easily because avenue blocks, which run east-west, are much wider than street blocks, which run north-south.
Often if the view is unobstructed and it’s day, you can see the street sign on the next block over. If it’s numbered, you’re set, since they increment northwardly.
Some stations label the exits underground with signage, so that you know, for instance, that you’ll be on the northeastern corner on the surface.
Looking for familiar landmarks is always a good idea, particularly tall, famous buildings. In Manhattan, looking for the Hudson or East River also helps, if you at least know you’re on the East or West Side.
Everyone has his preferred directional methods. When Jimi first moved here, he carried a small compass to know where to head upon exiting the subway. Andie has told me her method is to know which way the subway is oriented and headed, then recall that direction on the surface. This involves solving often complex spatial relations problems, particularly in larger stations with twisty passages and multiple staircases. I’ll stick with the random direction thing, which is more my forte.
October 16, 2007 Update: The New York City Department of Transportation announced today that it is adding “directional compass decals on sidewalks at subway exits in Midtown Manhattan.”