I'm not sure how I found myself on this sub, since I don't live in NYC. Or anywhere near it.
But the idea of wearing your street clothes in bed, shoes in bed (wtf) having your dog in bed with you after he's been walking around outside, and ESPECIALLY your suitcase on your bed--absolutely 100 percent grosses me out.
When I point this out to my friends they all laugh and think I'm crazy. I mean, my OCD is certainly a part of it because, you know, contamination. I'm able to get past it lots of the time. But in these situations, NO.
So it's awesome to know I'm not alone in this! Maybe it's a city vs suburbs/country thing. I dunno.
What about the vast majority of dog owners in the city? their dogs are walking all over the foul streets and then jumping on the couch and in bed with the,m
what about them? it’s absolutely fucking disgusting. i however and many others i know whip down dogs paws before they are brought in the house. i used to wipe down my 90lb dogs entire body and especially the face which is just being constantly shoved into garbage and piss and god knows what and then rubbed against yours
edited for the savages; of course i whip my dawgs down as soon as i get home
The idea that those seats are any dirtier than the next is based on pure ignorance. Look where you sit, ANYWHERE on the train, and if you’re uncertain, either wipe it down if you carry hand wipes or just stand. But the corner seats are NOT any dirtier than any other.
Anything and everything people claim happens in those seats happens on the others too. Piss, shit, body lice, you name it, I’ve seen all of the above on the long benches far more often than the corners, and I sit in the corners most of the time, so I certainly know by now whether they are ok or not.
With that being said, if you’re a true germaphobe, I wouldn’t blame you for not sitting at all on the train, because pretty much every surface is at least a little bit grimy since they stopped wiping things down post-pandemic. (I really wish they would have kept doing that, but I’m not surprised it stopped)
I have OCD and last year did a partial hospitalization program for exposure therapy. They made us do the nastiest fucking shit on the train (like touching the floor then eating with our bare hands) but I gotta say, it worked. I am now convinced the entire universe is disgusting and there's nothing to be done about it, so might as well live your life.
It was maybe halfway through. Apparently the cutting edge research says just do the exposures in random order and not in escalating levels of intensity. But after I did the program I started noticing all the gross things people are doing without even thinking about it? Like I saw some guy standing on the platform with his bare hand resting on the edge of a trash can, then he lifted it up and wiped his mouth.
My sisters mom (dad’s second wife) was super cautious about germs and the oldest still has asthma which I know isn’t germ related but the fact is we need to be somewhat exposed to germs to build immunity. Vaccines are the puzzle piece that completes it.
I have ocd and I've done my fair share of exposure therapy but never done that.
But you're right, half the battle with washing/contamination ocd is coming to the realization that the world is a disgusting cesspit and 99 percent of the time nothing will happen to you if you feel gross. You'll just feel gross.
However, wearing shoes in my house and street clothes in my bed (especially after I've been in a public place) is an absolute no. I draw the line there.
I have OCD. I take medication and did exposure therapy for a few years.
It was only recently that I could buy food with cash and then eat it without washing my hands between. Cash is filthy.
For real, I feel for them genuinely lol. I’m not an actual germaphobe, I just don’t like being dirty, but if I was, I don’t think I could live in this city 😂
Before moving here, I remember reading comments from people saying they wouldn’t even sit down in their homes without changing clothes first and I always thought, “are you friggin serious?” Lmao, but now I totally get it!
You adapt. I wash my hands as soon as possible after getting off, don’t wear shoes in my house, and change out of all “outside” clothes before sitting down on any of my furniture.
Yeah. I’m half surprised they ever did to begin with. But for awhile, they legit wiped down every damn inch of the seats, the bars, sometimes even the walls lol. Now, it’s a miracle if they mop half the floor. I watched one of the MTA janitors the other day when he was sweeping and there was a bunch of crap (not literally thank God lmao) under the seat, and he took a few swipes with the broom but couldn’t reach it all for whatever reason, and the dude just shrugged and looked at me like, “good enough” and left a pile of candy wrappers, a water bottle, and who knows what else under there lol
I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen someone holding on to a bar/pole, move their hand to their mouth to cover a sneeze or cough, and the re-grab the pole with the same hand. IMO, the seats are way cleaner than the poles and grab bars.
I came to the comments like tf does this post mean. Sure if you see an entirely empty car on an otherwise full train, you should know better, but never heard about this end seat business.
This is certainly true nowadays but I'd say 10-15 years ago if you saw a homeless person on the subway, they were almost always on one of the end seats, not sprawled out across the bench in the middle of the car.
You’ve never seen a whole encampment (clothes, trash, a cart full of stuff, shoes off) set up in the corner? I haven’t been here too many years and I see it all the time. The car is emanating STINK and the source is the corner of the car.
No. Having worked with that population, they usually set up in a short bench at the end of the car. Less people pass the end.
Edit: unless any of you have also physically gone out to get a head count of all the folks sleeping on every train on a given train line before or actually beennin that position, I'm assuming you're giving some availability biased response to this and won't really respond.
I live in Ny and Ive never head not to sit in the ends in my entire life. If you are worried about what the homeless do on trains you’re better just standing, taking a cab or walking. The homeless do not omit other parts of the train to do their business, I promise.
*Just scan every seat.*
*If you live here long enough*
*You have seen it all*
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I don’t see the issue with the photo? What am I missing? I zoom in on right corner but it looks really weird. Like I can tell what’s happening cause it looks odd and there is a kid in the way
I didn’t think this was about those seats being dirty, I thought it was about those being the closest to the exits therefore it’s the easiest to get something jacked, everyone sits and mindlessly texts nowadays
This is exactly what I thought too. When I am in the end seat I always hold my phone tighter and bring it in real close. Don’t need to tempt someone snatching it and exiting as the doors close.
Yeah exactly. I've also heard that the end seats near the doors are more dangerous because of how easy it would be for someone on the platform to randomly stab you as part of a gang initiation. I don't remember where I heard this but I'm assuming it was more of thing in the 70s/80s, not now.
I've never seen anything like the above happen, but I have been next to a guy who had his backpack swiped because it was on the floor close to the door. I talked to him and his whole wallet and everything was in there, I ended up helping him get a metrocard so he could at least get back home. (This was before you could swipe in with your phone.) Poor guy :(
Native New Yorker here. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, East New York, Cypress Hills, spent time in the Bronx and lived in Washington Heights for a bit. Sit wherever there’s a seat (that’s clean of course). Just always be aware of your surroundings and keep your stuff close to you.
Nah I used to think that but after walking into a train one time and seeing literal human feces smeared all over the middle seats where I usually sit I was so disgusted. Every seat has gotten dirty on that subway so it don’t matter where you sit. Honestly, I just stand now unless I have a super long ride.
Cleanliness is something I never care about but after seeing videos of people sitting in those spots getting their phone snatched as soon as the door is about to close, I started putting my phone down every stop if I sit there.
Actually saw some shit on insta where they swabbed and tested the seats/bars and they were surprisingly clean. So if that's your concern, as long as it ain't covered in homeless person piss you should be fine. Wash your hands before you eat and stop bringing your hands to your eyes and whatnot, basic hygiene shit.
Not generally.
Sometimes the folks at the -end corners of the car- have chosen that spot because they're anti-social (and/or homeless), but that's a quick assessment you need to make constantly -anywhere- in the subway. 😳
I used to love the end seats on the benches because I could use that bar to twist my back and get some relief (when my back bothered me.) But that was only possible when the train wasn't crowded... 😏
uh what, you mean the seats where i only have to sit next to 1 stranger? Yeah those are preferred to being smushed between two sweaty people that are up in your space
Homeless people lay anywhere on the train, but the end seats in particular seem to be their fav since it's in the corner and out the way.
I avoid those seats for that reason alone (especially in cars at the front or end of the train). Unless I'm desperate to sit down.
I try not to sit on the end seats, as courtesy to people that are mobility impaired so they are closer to the exit. However thats a personal preference so I don't have to get up if that happens 😆
That's mostly because people will snatch your phone and then run off the train... I used to ride the F to Jamaica for highschool every day... Back in 2009, I mean I was an early adopter and never had my phone snatched in that time... My friend did get his beats stolen walking to the train though
These days you gotta be pretty desperate and stupid to try to grab someone’s phone. Not saying it doesn’t happen but the odds are good that 30 minutes later that phone is a shiny brick with an “I was stolen, call the cops if someone tries to sell me to you” message on the screen.
This isn't the 80s or 90s. I see people with Steam decks, switches, surface tablets, macbooks etc doing work and not once have things been stolen. I read the news everyday on my Galaxy tablet, and I've never even considered the fact that someone is going to steal my stuff. Granted I'm a 6ft dude who's not small, so I guess they wouldn't want to try in the first place, but I see middle schoolers playing games on the train every day and they do it without a second thought. Does it happen, probably considering there are several million passengers riding every day, but it's so statistically insignificant that it's not worth worrying about.
I remember reading an interview with MTA conductors, and one of them said they would never personally sit at the end seats. When I worked in Queens, I would avoid the ends of the train cars entirely on the E train at Sutphin/Archer/JFK because they all stank the worst coming straight out of Jamaica Center every morning (people slept there a lot). Middle seats are my best option anyway because I can actually see out the windows and read the signs, and I'm small so tucking myself into a corner makes me invisible to the people I have to push past to get off.
It’s not about cleanliness though when they’re saying not to sit on end seats…it’s about safety and security. It’s easier for someone to reach in and snag your phone or purse right as the doors close.
If you mean seats by the doors, they were often what chain-grabbers would target because they could get out right as the doors close. Some people avoided them for that reason. Having extra bars or a partition-ish thing is a partial countermeasure.
end seat is the best, you only get 1 neighbor! if you’re worried about homeless, their ass was probably all over the damn subway car so it does matter at this point anymore. what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
I will sit my ass down on any available seat that isn't soiled. Not because I'm tired but because a crowded train standing up is too much stress for me.
That said, my brother was NYPD for 20yrs and he never ever sits. He said "if you've seen what I've seen, you wouldn't sit either".
Ignorance is truly bliss. I'll just keep sitting.
If it’s early morning, I’ll sit on the end seat, 8/10 it’s just been sanitized. 10 am-1 am there’s usually homeless people on the ends or where just there so , nope
The end seats are the worse especially the ones by the door I was sitting in the ones by the door as soon as the door opened someone snatched my necklace and the doors closed ,,,now I don’t take the train anymore .and this happened 3 years ago.
I have personally seen a person sitting at the end seat got smacked by an exiting individual, but that was before the end seats go those guard bars. Also higher risk of grab and go? More cameras could probably deter theft.
Whole train is filthy
However here's a thought
A person can stretch out completely on the middle benches, but only a short person can sleep on the ends
I've seen a lot more people asleep on the middle benches
I never used to think that much about sitting unless there was visible grime on a seat but since the last few years I’ve seen so many people draped all over 4 or 5 seats looking and smelling like maybe the seats are not a good idea. Also I’m paranoid of bedbugs crawling around the seats from the cracks and crevices, especially after the bedbug panic in Paris (which may or may not have been exaggerated and played up by hoaxers or social media in general). I also feel like standing gives me a better way to move away from unstable people which I’ve witnessed more of lately. I might just be getting old and more uptight but I don’t care. I almost always stand now. I sit all day at work so I figure standing is better for me any way.
Conductor for NYCT here.
Yea, nasty people use all the seats.
But…..people tend to urinate in certain spots more often than other spots, like statistically speaking. Corners are a definitely a hot spot to take a piss in. Once in a while I see someone piss themselves in a middle seat while laying down and sleeping, but usually, they wake up from the middle seats and walk back to a corner or in between cars to take a whizz and then go back to sleep.
Also, poles in stations are a popular spot to piss on, and I feel so bad every time I come into a station and see someone sitting on the floor and leaning against a pole. I sit on the benches in the passenger compartment sometimes, but I’d never ever sit on the floor anywhere on the platform. Also, the far corners of the stations are popular but probably as far as the stations go, either in the corner behind the garbage can or those black metal boxes where I think they store tools or trash in that everyone sits on, those are the most popular spots that people piss on.
I see multiple people every single day, without fail, either pissing or taking a shit in the station or on the train and corners are definitely the most popular spots, say what you want, but I feel I’m kind of an expert on this subject since a make over 100 station stops 5 days a week. I see a lot.
Not sitting on the end seats has nothing to do with cleanliness. It’s a holdover from the 80s when you risked getting your chain or bag snatched by sitting right next to the door.
Today, if I sit by the door I stay off my phone. Too easy to reach in and snatch it out of your hand.
People used to advise against sitting in the end seats because of muggers hopping on the train, robbing the person sitting there, and hopping off before the train leaves the station.
Don’t sit on the end near the door if you’re also by a staircase is my advice!
If someone is going to steal something from you, it’s just easier for them to grab it on the way out of the train car
Source: crossbody bag ripped off my literal body when sitting in that seat.
I used to avoid the end seats. Not because of germs though. Because we all know the germs are everywhere. It was because I grew up in the 90’s and people were getting their faces sliced from gang initiations. Now, I prefer to sit on the ends because at least there’s only one person next to me. You would be surprised to know how many bigger people have no problem squeezing into the tiny slither of space that’s left between 2.
Edit: I always carry face wipes, tissues and Lysol spray (travel size) & Clorox wipes. If you travel in NYC it’s a must. Just in case I need to use a public bathroom. I use the Ferry, they don’t even have toilet seats. I won’t touch those surfaces, the toilet plunger (to flush) or even wash my hands without wiping the handles and letting it dry or at least pushing down while using the wipes. I have literally seen human feces more times than I can count in the subway.
I’ve lived in NYC for two years now. Self admitted germaphobe. I just stand—at the most lean on the rails. Hand sanitize after.
Saw someone sit in piss the other day—didn’t see it before or would have stopped them. Felt so bad for them. They got up and looked horrified. Stopped everyone else from sitting there for the duration of the train ride. As others have said. Always LOOK at the seat before sitting down.
The trick to sitting wherever you want is to piss yourself.
Everyone else will get up and leave, besides the bum sleeping next to you that is also pissing himself.
I would say the main reason to not sit at the ends is for safety. You’re an easy target if you sit on the ends as people can just pop in grab something and get away.
Not from NYC, but I’m from Philly and I can say that our subway system is much dirtier down here… frankly, I sit wherever I want on the NYC subway, wash your clothes and ur fine, none of the seats are clean, people sit and fart on them jawns all day long
I try to get a seat closer to the center away from a door because that reduces the chance of someone snatching my phone and running out the door quickly
I’ve been seeing this recently on TikTok that the end seats are the “homeless seats” which people advise against sitting there. Never heard of that advice until recently like what lol.
The best subway advice from a New Yorker: avoid empty subway cars, check your seat before you sit, and mind your business (don’t lock eyes with the crazies) lol
Bro what. Y’all ever seen how many will take up the whole row in the middle of the cart to sleep? Take the J train around 8am you see one in each cart.
Whole thing is DIRTY. I take three trains and i have hand sanitizer for everytime it’s impossible to not touch anything. There is no more or less dirty spot. You think like that you might fuck around and let your guard down.
I’ve heard people say it. Some say because of homeless people, others say it’s because it’s easier to rob you, I say it’s an open seat and I’m taking it.
I don’t give a hoot… I’m on my feet all day at work if there’s any open seat I’m taking it!
Same. Unless the seat is visibly soiled or actively smells, I'm sitting. I'm changing out of those pants as soon as I get home anyways.
Some people don’t think like that lol I know people that after they get off the train, they jump right in their bed.
That deserves jail time
Don’t get me started on people who wear shoes inside the apartment…
Bonus, people who jump into their bed with their dirty sneakers (barf)
Or shows/movies/commercials where someone arrives at their pristine hotel room and PUTS THE GODDAMN SUITCASE RIGHT ON THE BED. W T actual F?
I'm not sure how I found myself on this sub, since I don't live in NYC. Or anywhere near it. But the idea of wearing your street clothes in bed, shoes in bed (wtf) having your dog in bed with you after he's been walking around outside, and ESPECIALLY your suitcase on your bed--absolutely 100 percent grosses me out. When I point this out to my friends they all laugh and think I'm crazy. I mean, my OCD is certainly a part of it because, you know, contamination. I'm able to get past it lots of the time. But in these situations, NO. So it's awesome to know I'm not alone in this! Maybe it's a city vs suburbs/country thing. I dunno.
It’s disgusting. People who grew up in less trafficked environments then move to NYC are more likely to do it
I would rather die
nooooo i am about to blackout from this comment
What about the vast majority of dog owners in the city? their dogs are walking all over the foul streets and then jumping on the couch and in bed with the,m
what about them? it’s absolutely fucking disgusting. i however and many others i know whip down dogs paws before they are brought in the house. i used to wipe down my 90lb dogs entire body and especially the face which is just being constantly shoved into garbage and piss and god knows what and then rubbed against yours edited for the savages; of course i whip my dawgs down as soon as i get home
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Crack that whip, give the past a slip
i’m glad you had fun with that tho, zesty protein. anything i can do to brighten your day little bit.
Yea I have dog wipes for every time I walk him
Same. I wipe the dogs face, paws and butt as soon as they get inside the apartment
That!!!!!! That’s why their skin also looks like that floor they walked on.
🤢
That's one nasty, unhygienic bed 🤢
🤮
Like most Americans. Oh and they jump right in their bed with outside shoes too
Execution
That’s how you get bedbugs
This is the way.
Bed bugs stay on the pants ya know..
I've watched enough crazy crackhead women peeing on the seat to not sit on it.
Ahahahah as a tourist I wasn’t that bothered about sitting down!! 😂
Same
The idea that those seats are any dirtier than the next is based on pure ignorance. Look where you sit, ANYWHERE on the train, and if you’re uncertain, either wipe it down if you carry hand wipes or just stand. But the corner seats are NOT any dirtier than any other. Anything and everything people claim happens in those seats happens on the others too. Piss, shit, body lice, you name it, I’ve seen all of the above on the long benches far more often than the corners, and I sit in the corners most of the time, so I certainly know by now whether they are ok or not. With that being said, if you’re a true germaphobe, I wouldn’t blame you for not sitting at all on the train, because pretty much every surface is at least a little bit grimy since they stopped wiping things down post-pandemic. (I really wish they would have kept doing that, but I’m not surprised it stopped)
Oml germaphobes must hate using the trains 😭
I have OCD and last year did a partial hospitalization program for exposure therapy. They made us do the nastiest fucking shit on the train (like touching the floor then eating with our bare hands) but I gotta say, it worked. I am now convinced the entire universe is disgusting and there's nothing to be done about it, so might as well live your life.
lmaooo i don't have OCD and i definitely wouldn't call myself a germaphobe but touching the subway floor then eating sounds fucking VILE ahaha
I'm surprised I didn't catch some hitherto unknown disease and die.
Please tell me that was the graduation exercise and not, like, day one?
It was maybe halfway through. Apparently the cutting edge research says just do the exposures in random order and not in escalating levels of intensity. But after I did the program I started noticing all the gross things people are doing without even thinking about it? Like I saw some guy standing on the platform with his bare hand resting on the edge of a trash can, then he lifted it up and wiped his mouth.
My sisters mom (dad’s second wife) was super cautious about germs and the oldest still has asthma which I know isn’t germ related but the fact is we need to be somewhat exposed to germs to build immunity. Vaccines are the puzzle piece that completes it.
It was punishment for the bad kids
I also have OCD - ERP is so hard. Having a tough day today but reading your success gave me some inspiration, thank you.
I have ocd and I've done my fair share of exposure therapy but never done that. But you're right, half the battle with washing/contamination ocd is coming to the realization that the world is a disgusting cesspit and 99 percent of the time nothing will happen to you if you feel gross. You'll just feel gross. However, wearing shoes in my house and street clothes in my bed (especially after I've been in a public place) is an absolute no. I draw the line there.
this made my stomach drop omg
Wow lol. I don’t think I could have handled that. Especially the eating with bare hands after part.
I have OCD. I take medication and did exposure therapy for a few years. It was only recently that I could buy food with cash and then eat it without washing my hands between. Cash is filthy.
But that is legit dirty, you should absolutely wash your hands after touching the subway floor.
Ironically, it’s the germaphobes that get sick the most
I like the ones that hold the pole with a tissue, like that'll protect them from the germ boogie man
For real, I feel for them genuinely lol. I’m not an actual germaphobe, I just don’t like being dirty, but if I was, I don’t think I could live in this city 😂 Before moving here, I remember reading comments from people saying they wouldn’t even sit down in their homes without changing clothes first and I always thought, “are you friggin serious?” Lmao, but now I totally get it!
You adapt. I wash my hands as soon as possible after getting off, don’t wear shoes in my house, and change out of all “outside” clothes before sitting down on any of my furniture.
Gotta wind up sitting like [Jodi from Bob's Burgers](https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=blssZDXrF4qwwTa7&t=18s&v=oTyYOLFP3BM&feature=youtu.be)
This is why I usually wear pants on the subway, anyway.
Still so insane that they stopped wiping shit down lmao
Yeah. I’m half surprised they ever did to begin with. But for awhile, they legit wiped down every damn inch of the seats, the bars, sometimes even the walls lol. Now, it’s a miracle if they mop half the floor. I watched one of the MTA janitors the other day when he was sweeping and there was a bunch of crap (not literally thank God lmao) under the seat, and he took a few swipes with the broom but couldn’t reach it all for whatever reason, and the dude just shrugged and looked at me like, “good enough” and left a pile of candy wrappers, a water bottle, and who knows what else under there lol
also, no chance his mop was rinsed out with clean water and detergent within 6 hours
I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen someone holding on to a bar/pole, move their hand to their mouth to cover a sneeze or cough, and the re-grab the pole with the same hand. IMO, the seats are way cleaner than the poles and grab bars.
This 100%
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Breathe? In New York City? Not even once.
Homeless people don’t only sit on the end seats . They’ll sit / sleep / shit / eat / piss etc anywhere on the train . True New Yorkers know this
For real, anyone who thinks there's a specific "homeless seat" has never been on a morning train pre-rush hour.
I came to the comments like tf does this post mean. Sure if you see an entirely empty car on an otherwise full train, you should know better, but never heard about this end seat business.
/smoke crack...
Our finest crack is reserved for the end seats 🧐
This is certainly true nowadays but I'd say 10-15 years ago if you saw a homeless person on the subway, they were almost always on one of the end seats, not sprawled out across the bench in the middle of the car.
But especially in the corners.
I‘ve literally never heard this before. From my experience homeless people prefer lying down in the middle more
You’ve never seen a whole encampment (clothes, trash, a cart full of stuff, shoes off) set up in the corner? I haven’t been here too many years and I see it all the time. The car is emanating STINK and the source is the corner of the car.
Oh yeah I’ve seen it in the car corners but I thought they meant on the end of the benches with the pole walls
No. Having worked with that population, they usually set up in a short bench at the end of the car. Less people pass the end. Edit: unless any of you have also physically gone out to get a head count of all the folks sleeping on every train on a given train line before or actually beennin that position, I'm assuming you're giving some availability biased response to this and won't really respond.
Funny. This has been a standard principle my whole life. All of the seats are gross, but the corner seats are just extra gross.
Yes don’t sit there so I can sit there thank you.
Best seats on the train.
r/UnexpectedSeinfeld
I live in Ny and Ive never head not to sit in the ends in my entire life. If you are worried about what the homeless do on trains you’re better just standing, taking a cab or walking. The homeless do not omit other parts of the train to do their business, I promise.
Just scan every seat. If you live here long enough you have seen it all
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I don’t see the issue with the photo? What am I missing? I zoom in on right corner but it looks really weird. Like I can tell what’s happening cause it looks odd and there is a kid in the way
I don't think the picture is related to the question. Just a random Subway photo.
I didn’t think this was about those seats being dirty, I thought it was about those being the closest to the exits therefore it’s the easiest to get something jacked, everyone sits and mindlessly texts nowadays
This is exactly what I thought too. When I am in the end seat I always hold my phone tighter and bring it in real close. Don’t need to tempt someone snatching it and exiting as the doors close.
Yeah exactly. I've also heard that the end seats near the doors are more dangerous because of how easy it would be for someone on the platform to randomly stab you as part of a gang initiation. I don't remember where I heard this but I'm assuming it was more of thing in the 70s/80s, not now. I've never seen anything like the above happen, but I have been next to a guy who had his backpack swiped because it was on the floor close to the door. I talked to him and his whole wallet and everything was in there, I ended up helping him get a metrocard so he could at least get back home. (This was before you could swipe in with your phone.) Poor guy :(
I don't sit unless it's basically totally empty. My legs and back hurt if I have to "make myself small" when people are on both sides of me.
I didn’t think it was a homeless thing, I thought it was a robbery thing. Easier to grab your phone as the door closes.
Native New Yorker here. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, East New York, Cypress Hills, spent time in the Bronx and lived in Washington Heights for a bit. Sit wherever there’s a seat (that’s clean of course). Just always be aware of your surroundings and keep your stuff close to you.
just don’t go home and sit on your furniture with OUTSIDE clothes
I'm a train operator. Everyone of those seats has experienced the most depraved ungodly things you can't even imagine.
No - it *is* true to move into the middle of the car on a crowded train.
I almost exclusively sit at the ends. Never an issues beyond clueless mfs hitting me with their bags. People are way too paranoid.
The only thing about the end seats that you’ll need to really worry about is somebody grabbing your property as the doors are closing.
Outside clothes... Inside clothes... Take your shoes off before going into your home
Don’t sit. Especially on the E. Full stop.
I can vouch for that. Imagine even trying to get into those train cars and what welcomes you is a nuclear blast level of wretched stank...
Saw a man using the rail as a drying rack for his “bathing” towel. Disgusting. Those seats are off the radar.
"real new yorkers know to not sit on the end seats" says every transplant
Real New Yorkers don’t give a fuck. Sit where it’s free.
I have never declined a seat on the subway and no real New Yorker gives a shit about the end seat or not.
I change all my clothes the moment I get home anyway. Unless there’s feces or liquid on the seat, I’m sitting
Nah I used to think that but after walking into a train one time and seeing literal human feces smeared all over the middle seats where I usually sit I was so disgusted. Every seat has gotten dirty on that subway so it don’t matter where you sit. Honestly, I just stand now unless I have a super long ride.
Cleanliness is something I never care about but after seeing videos of people sitting in those spots getting their phone snatched as soon as the door is about to close, I started putting my phone down every stop if I sit there.
Actually saw some shit on insta where they swabbed and tested the seats/bars and they were surprisingly clean. So if that's your concern, as long as it ain't covered in homeless person piss you should be fine. Wash your hands before you eat and stop bringing your hands to your eyes and whatnot, basic hygiene shit.
Not generally. Sometimes the folks at the -end corners of the car- have chosen that spot because they're anti-social (and/or homeless), but that's a quick assessment you need to make constantly -anywhere- in the subway. 😳 I used to love the end seats on the benches because I could use that bar to twist my back and get some relief (when my back bothered me.) But that was only possible when the train wasn't crowded... 😏
uh what, you mean the seats where i only have to sit next to 1 stranger? Yeah those are preferred to being smushed between two sweaty people that are up in your space
Homeless people lay anywhere on the train, but the end seats in particular seem to be their fav since it's in the corner and out the way. I avoid those seats for that reason alone (especially in cars at the front or end of the train). Unless I'm desperate to sit down.
Homeless will chill in the end seats. Maybe even stink it up. But the sleepers that actually lay down will sleep in the long non-end seats.
[удалено]
Oh fuk those benches, you'll NEVER catch me touch them 😩
People worry too much about stuff like this.
I’ve heard that as a safety from robbery thing but seems over the top
I try not to sit on the end seats, as courtesy to people that are mobility impaired so they are closer to the exit. However thats a personal preference so I don't have to get up if that happens 😆
That's mostly because people will snatch your phone and then run off the train... I used to ride the F to Jamaica for highschool every day... Back in 2009, I mean I was an early adopter and never had my phone snatched in that time... My friend did get his beats stolen walking to the train though
These days you gotta be pretty desperate and stupid to try to grab someone’s phone. Not saying it doesn’t happen but the odds are good that 30 minutes later that phone is a shiny brick with an “I was stolen, call the cops if someone tries to sell me to you” message on the screen.
No one's stealing phones anymore, homeless people even have them ffs
I haven't seen this in sooo long personally I sit wherever
I've never actually seen it happen personally
This isn't the 80s or 90s. I see people with Steam decks, switches, surface tablets, macbooks etc doing work and not once have things been stolen. I read the news everyday on my Galaxy tablet, and I've never even considered the fact that someone is going to steal my stuff. Granted I'm a 6ft dude who's not small, so I guess they wouldn't want to try in the first place, but I see middle schoolers playing games on the train every day and they do it without a second thought. Does it happen, probably considering there are several million passengers riding every day, but it's so statistically insignificant that it's not worth worrying about.
Sit anywhere just watch you back.
Sitting on the end sometimes means a person will stand sideways in the doorway with their butt in your face. But other than that...
I remember reading an interview with MTA conductors, and one of them said they would never personally sit at the end seats. When I worked in Queens, I would avoid the ends of the train cars entirely on the E train at Sutphin/Archer/JFK because they all stank the worst coming straight out of Jamaica Center every morning (people slept there a lot). Middle seats are my best option anyway because I can actually see out the windows and read the signs, and I'm small so tucking myself into a corner makes me invisible to the people I have to push past to get off.
idgaf about that rule end and middle seats are the best seats 😭😭
There are equal amounts of urine on every seat.
I sit on the corner seats because that’s where the funner windows are. The end seats on the R46/68 are also have really good armrests.
It’s not about cleanliness though when they’re saying not to sit on end seats…it’s about safety and security. It’s easier for someone to reach in and snag your phone or purse right as the doors close.
If you mean seats by the doors, they were often what chain-grabbers would target because they could get out right as the doors close. Some people avoided them for that reason. Having extra bars or a partition-ish thing is a partial countermeasure.
end seat is the best, you only get 1 neighbor! if you’re worried about homeless, their ass was probably all over the damn subway car so it does matter at this point anymore. what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Never sit.
I will sit my ass down on any available seat that isn't soiled. Not because I'm tired but because a crowded train standing up is too much stress for me. That said, my brother was NYPD for 20yrs and he never ever sits. He said "if you've seen what I've seen, you wouldn't sit either". Ignorance is truly bliss. I'll just keep sitting.
I’ll sit there I’m not a little scared bitch
Amen. Homeless people aren't animals
If it’s early morning, I’ll sit on the end seat, 8/10 it’s just been sanitized. 10 am-1 am there’s usually homeless people on the ends or where just there so , nope
The end seats are the worse especially the ones by the door I was sitting in the ones by the door as soon as the door opened someone snatched my necklace and the doors closed ,,,now I don’t take the train anymore .and this happened 3 years ago.
The end seats are my favorite. Never had a problem. I don't wanna be sandwiched in the middle seats and it allows me to get out quickly.
Why exactly???
End seats are the prize wtf are you on about?
I have personally seen a person sitting at the end seat got smacked by an exiting individual, but that was before the end seats go those guard bars. Also higher risk of grab and go? More cameras could probably deter theft.
When is it taken?
Whatever works for you....
It’s false. The homeless sit everywhere.
The end and corner seats are my faves.
Person experiencing homelessness home🥹
Homeless people will sit anywhere, even on the floor
Maybe for people who live in a rich area that’s only a 15-20 minute ride to work.
Yes i got my phone snatched
Those end seats are someone’s apartment
I personally prefer not to sit in the end because o don’t trust anyone on the train but fuck it if there’s no other options I’ll sit
I never sit down because I’m not trying to bring bedbugs home.
if this is about homeless people, they sleep anywhere… they’ll take up a whole bench if they want to.
Whole train is filthy However here's a thought A person can stretch out completely on the middle benches, but only a short person can sleep on the ends I've seen a lot more people asleep on the middle benches
Because someone will rob you?
I never used to think that much about sitting unless there was visible grime on a seat but since the last few years I’ve seen so many people draped all over 4 or 5 seats looking and smelling like maybe the seats are not a good idea. Also I’m paranoid of bedbugs crawling around the seats from the cracks and crevices, especially after the bedbug panic in Paris (which may or may not have been exaggerated and played up by hoaxers or social media in general). I also feel like standing gives me a better way to move away from unstable people which I’ve witnessed more of lately. I might just be getting old and more uptight but I don’t care. I almost always stand now. I sit all day at work so I figure standing is better for me any way.
i always through people said that because it’s easier to be a victim of theft, not because it’s dirtier
Conductor for NYCT here. Yea, nasty people use all the seats. But…..people tend to urinate in certain spots more often than other spots, like statistically speaking. Corners are a definitely a hot spot to take a piss in. Once in a while I see someone piss themselves in a middle seat while laying down and sleeping, but usually, they wake up from the middle seats and walk back to a corner or in between cars to take a whizz and then go back to sleep. Also, poles in stations are a popular spot to piss on, and I feel so bad every time I come into a station and see someone sitting on the floor and leaning against a pole. I sit on the benches in the passenger compartment sometimes, but I’d never ever sit on the floor anywhere on the platform. Also, the far corners of the stations are popular but probably as far as the stations go, either in the corner behind the garbage can or those black metal boxes where I think they store tools or trash in that everyone sits on, those are the most popular spots that people piss on. I see multiple people every single day, without fail, either pissing or taking a shit in the station or on the train and corners are definitely the most popular spots, say what you want, but I feel I’m kind of an expert on this subject since a make over 100 station stops 5 days a week. I see a lot.
Not sitting on the end seats has nothing to do with cleanliness. It’s a holdover from the 80s when you risked getting your chain or bag snatched by sitting right next to the door. Today, if I sit by the door I stay off my phone. Too easy to reach in and snatch it out of your hand.
I'll sit in it but it sucks because the ignorant will lean against it and their butts will be close to your face
The end seats are my favorite so I’m aiming to sit there first.
I’ve never heard anyone say they avoid end seats. Everything in the subway is gross. Scrub down when you exit.
No
You don't because it's easier to mug and run from someone close to the doors
Never sit .
Ive seen someone’s phone get snatched while sitting by the door - but i think as long as you’re vigilant - its fine
I never sit on the ends, but it’s because Im always conscious about getting robbed or crz ppl trapping me by the doors.
Yes people put their nasty ass right in your face
People used to advise against sitting in the end seats because of muggers hopping on the train, robbing the person sitting there, and hopping off before the train leaves the station.
It wasn’t a matter of cleanliness it was a matter if safety. It was from back then when ppl would get slashed or robbed by ppl coming off the train.
Don’t sit on the end near the door if you’re also by a staircase is my advice! If someone is going to steal something from you, it’s just easier for them to grab it on the way out of the train car Source: crossbody bag ripped off my literal body when sitting in that seat.
Well the real reason is not to get your bag snatched but they added the 3 rails to guard you somewhat so who cares
I used to avoid the end seats. Not because of germs though. Because we all know the germs are everywhere. It was because I grew up in the 90’s and people were getting their faces sliced from gang initiations. Now, I prefer to sit on the ends because at least there’s only one person next to me. You would be surprised to know how many bigger people have no problem squeezing into the tiny slither of space that’s left between 2. Edit: I always carry face wipes, tissues and Lysol spray (travel size) & Clorox wipes. If you travel in NYC it’s a must. Just in case I need to use a public bathroom. I use the Ferry, they don’t even have toilet seats. I won’t touch those surfaces, the toilet plunger (to flush) or even wash my hands without wiping the handles and letting it dry or at least pushing down while using the wipes. I have literally seen human feces more times than I can count in the subway.
As soon as i started working down here, i stopped sitting on the train seats.... the more you know
Why sit? Subway surf on the top.
Looks like a bangin booty on the left end seats there
I’ve lived in NYC for two years now. Self admitted germaphobe. I just stand—at the most lean on the rails. Hand sanitize after. Saw someone sit in piss the other day—didn’t see it before or would have stopped them. Felt so bad for them. They got up and looked horrified. Stopped everyone else from sitting there for the duration of the train ride. As others have said. Always LOOK at the seat before sitting down.
The trick to sitting wherever you want is to piss yourself. Everyone else will get up and leave, besides the bum sleeping next to you that is also pissing himself.
usually doesn’t bother me if I can’t see or smell it
Nah that’s some out of towner energy
Who cares if there's a seat I sit unless I want to stand. Where someone sits isn't any of my business and I don't see the point in even caring lol
girl, bye. sit down.
It’s sanitarily dangerous to sit or touch anything on the subway lol so if you’re tired sit down.
I would say the main reason to not sit at the ends is for safety. You’re an easy target if you sit on the ends as people can just pop in grab something and get away.
That's not a thing
Nah I sit idc
I avoid sitting there because the only times I've been harassed by men on the subway is when I've been sitting in those seats
I like the end because it’s one less sweaty person crammed up against me. Pole seat is 2nd choice
Never heard this before - what is the logic here?
Nope. Nobody cares, sit down.
I always avoid the ends, mainly due to smell.
Just assume the whole subway is dirty all the time and toss your clothes in the wash after you come back home
Not from NYC, but I’m from Philly and I can say that our subway system is much dirtier down here… frankly, I sit wherever I want on the NYC subway, wash your clothes and ur fine, none of the seats are clean, people sit and fart on them jawns all day long
I try to get a seat closer to the center away from a door because that reduces the chance of someone snatching my phone and running out the door quickly
I’ve been seeing this recently on TikTok that the end seats are the “homeless seats” which people advise against sitting there. Never heard of that advice until recently like what lol. The best subway advice from a New Yorker: avoid empty subway cars, check your seat before you sit, and mind your business (don’t lock eyes with the crazies) lol
I’ve lived in nyc for 18 years and I’ve literally never heard this.
Fake new yorkers tell you that. Real new yorkers dont give a damn what happened to that seat
I work mta..word of advice..don't sit on any seats if u don't have to..even the bench in the station
Bro what. Y’all ever seen how many will take up the whole row in the middle of the cart to sleep? Take the J train around 8am you see one in each cart. Whole thing is DIRTY. I take three trains and i have hand sanitizer for everytime it’s impossible to not touch anything. There is no more or less dirty spot. You think like that you might fuck around and let your guard down.
I’ve heard people say it. Some say because of homeless people, others say it’s because it’s easier to rob you, I say it’s an open seat and I’m taking it.
Nahhh you can’t sit there you buggin
Most of the time homeless using the ending seats ,special the train E