The Second Avenue Subway is said to have taken the city almost a century to build, and it finally opened its first phase on New Year's Day, to the delight of New Yorkers and tourists alike, with some of them choosing to take the first and historic subway ride on the Q train, than watch the ball drop in Times Square.

This comes as a bittersweet gift to me, as I will only have a month to enjoy the convenience of the new 72nd Street Station, as I leave the Upper East Side for the Upper West Side in a few weeks. This station has been announced to open "next year" for the last many years that I've lived in the neighborhood.

Known artists were commissioned to provide the site-specific art featured in the new stations: Sarah Sze on the 96th Steet Station, Chuck Close on 86th, Vik Muniz on 72nd, and Jean Shin on 63rd. 

I tried the Q train from 96th Street today, excited to get off on the 69th Street exit of the 72nd Street Station, being only a block away from home.

I was overwhelmed by the intricate mosaics of Vik Muniz, not just for the style and execution, but the selection of images chosen for the walls lining the station. "This is New York," I thought. The people, the colors, and the style: street-smart, current but personal, non-apologetic, and whether dressed-up or casual, always comfortable in their own skin. Diversity is the highlight of the mosaics, from a gay couple holding hands, to a man dressed as a tiger with a take-out bag on his hand, a woman in an Indian saree texting, to the unmistakable chef Daniel Boulud with a grocery bag of food. I also noticed a handsome Waris Ahluwalia (appropriately) clad in shopping bags.

This, as depicted by Mr Muniz, is the microcosm of species known as New Yorkers.

I went back to the station later in the afternoon to take these shots. I didn't mind paying the subway fare even if I won't be going anywhere, as to me, $2.75 is nothing compared to this museum experience.

click on the photos below for a full screen view

Photos © 2017 Arturo Veloira