MTA – Bowery Subway Station

When you exit, you’re right near the bowery ballroom so that’s a +.
Also pretty desolate but that, in my opinion, is part of its charm.

This station has a nice history. If you’re a train buff like me, this is an interesting station for you. It used to have two island platforms with the current open platform serving Broad or Chambers Street bound trains on the same track as today, but no service on the other side of the platform. The Queens bound trains served the now abandoned platform you can see through rectangular holes in the wall between the inner tracks. But the renovation in 2004 changed the track configuration, and the former Queens bound platform is now abandoned. It still has the lights turned on though. Both sides of the station are ugly. The walls and mosaics are dirty, the trackbed is trashy, and kinda smelly. It needs another renovation. But Chambers Street further down the line is in a much more desperate need of a renovation.

The cops regularly patrol this station, so fare hoppers beware.

I don’t understand why there aren’t any seats at this subway station. Especially now that the M no longer services the station… waits between J (and the occasional Z) trains are long between. Bed bugs be damned… sometimes I just want to rest my feet after a long day of work.

This is my favorite subway station by far; it’s like a time capsule, with original untouched tile mosaics and original glass tiles. I’m surprised they don’t do more film shoots here.
A few years ago – probably like ten or more – I remember they did some serious renovation, but it doesn’t show; the original mosaics are still there, and most of the original glass tiles as well. This is also the stop that lets you off right at the Bowery Ballroom – Bowery and Delancey Street – which used to be an upscale shoe store, but that was like in the 40s or something.
There’s also this useful link that explains a lot of the station’s history: