3 days ago
You can ride vintage subway trains to Rockaway Beach and Coney Island this summer
If your ideal summer day involves sand, surf and a heavy dose of New York nostalgia, the New York Transit Museum has your name all over two upcoming beach-bound adventures.
This July and August, the Museum is rolling out its wildly popular Summer Nostalgia Rides, giving New Yorkers the chance to head to Coney Island and Rockaway Beach aboard vintage R1-9 subway cars from the 1930s. It's part seaside getaway, part living history tour—and way cooler than sitting in traffic on the BQE.
The first trip takes place Saturday, July 19, when the vintage fleet will shuttle straphangers from 96th Street–Second Avenue to the Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue terminal. It's a roughly two-hour joyride straight into the past, ending at the doorstep of Luna Park, the boardwalk and a perfectly snappy Nathan's dog. Riders can return to Manhattan aboard the same cars later in the day or stay and soak in the sunset.
Then on Sunday, Aug. 10, the train heads to Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street for a full day of ocean breezes and boardwalk snacks. That trip also departs from the Upper East Side at 10 am and returns mid-afternoon, though you're free to extend your stay if you're feeling extra beachy.
The real stars of the show here are the trains themselves. These R1-9 cars first hit the tracks in 1932, combining the best of IRT and BMT design: speedy, spacious and equipped with four double doors for quick crowd movement. Their industrial green exteriors and riveted metal shells evoke a different era, one that inspired jazz great Billy Strayhorn's 'Take the A Train.'
Tickets are $60 for adults and $40 for kids, with discounts for Transit Museum members. And fair warning: These cars don't have air conditioning, so pack a portable fan along with your sunscreen. Spots for both trips are on sale now on the . Just don't forget to snap a pic—or five—before stepping back into the 21st century.
