While walking the storied streets of New York City, amid the hundreds of skyscrapers soaring upward, it may prove difficult to comprehend that you're also standing atop a vast system of subterranean tunnels that extend, in places, to a depth of more than 150 feet below the surface. There, the Big Apple's numerous subway lines shuttle commuters throughout Manhattan and beyond, a system that's been serving that purpose for more than a century, ever since the subway's grand opening in 1904.

Given the excessive traffic congestion in a city of nearly 8.5 million people (as of mid-2024), the subway remains the fastest way to get from point A to point B. That said, riding the various lines is not for the squeamish, and subway stories can run the gamut from ridiculous to horrifying. In fact, it's

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