'Underground Manhattan, The History of the NYC Subway System' Webinar

It's right there under your feet, you probably ride it every day, but how much do you really know about New York City's subway system? It's time to explore one of the oldest and largest public transit systems in the world, from the comfort of your living room.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the history of the New York City subway system — opened in 1904 with a single line serving 28 stations, the City of New York's subway system has since grown to encompass 472 stations and over 245 miles of tracks, serving nearly 6 million riders per day.

Led by transit expert and licensed tour guide Gary Dennis, our fast-paced virtual subterranean exploration of the world's largest rapid transit system will include:

• An overview of New York public transportation back in the 1800s, and why The Great Blizzard of 1888 was the catalyst for a subway system
• The history and inside story of the creation of the original 1904 subway line, and how it grew into the most extensive transportation system in the world
• A closer look at the art, architecture, and secrets hiding in plain sight of stations including Brooklyn Bridge - City Hall, Astor Place, and Times Square
• A discussion around Old City Hall Station, the crown jewel of the subway system, which closed in 1945

Afterward, we'll have a Q&A with Gary — any and all questions about the NYC subway system are welcomed and encouraged!

Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week!

See you there, virtually!

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you're using the latest version of your internet browser

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

About Gary

"I am a native New Yorker, NY subway aficionado, and product of an insanely competitive family of "know it alls". My parents, younger brothers, and I all love New York City history, and to get some parental attention I had to be historically correct and entertaining at the same time.

"I love this city and all its peculiarities, and I love sharing it with newcomers, returning visitors or native New Yorkers— I'll tell you these and other fascinating things you never knew about this amazing place I call home because 'there are 8 million stories in the naked city' and I will share with you as many as possible."

Testimonials

"I liked the expertise and passion of the presenter, interesting facts about subway lines and stations that are part of my everyday commute." -Yevgeniya

"Host was engaging, informative and hilarious. Very passionate & kept the info flowing at a great pace!" -Liz

"So much information & Gary is such an entertaining presenter, the 2 plus hours flew by. Loved all the photos & history & the fact that he covered so many different aspects of the subway - just a great evening!" -Mary

"Gary was very knowledgeable and had lots of great photos and footage." -Wendy

"I enjoyed the presenter. He was engaging and charismatic. Great sense of humor. The time flew." -Mindy

"Learned a lot of NYC history that I hadn't heard before despite being a life-long NYer." -Linda

"Our instructor was extremely knowledgeable & presented the information in a very likable manner. I liked the film clips, photos & illustrations too!" -Diane

"Gary was chock full of information and presented it in an organized way, interjecting humor and charisma!" -Mel

"Very informative and engaging. Extremely well presented! A perfect way to escape for a bit while learning new things." -Emily

"I was able to forget that I was sitting in my living room watching a webinar. Gary took us to a different place with his online tour." -Melanie

"The presentation was marvelous and the amount of research and knowledge made the entire program very enjoyable" -Florence

"The information given was very detailed and easy to understand." -Jessica

"Speaker was a hoot! Knew his stuff and funny interjections. My husband is a professional transportation administrator and really enjoyed seeing and identifying people, places and history." -Janyce

"Lots of good information for a former subway nerd" -Philip

"Everything! It was an amazing presentation. I was raving about it today with a friend on how informative it was. Gotta love Boss Tweed! Corruption never ends. Seeing the history and memories of back home along the West End Line in Bensonhurst and later as a transit patrol officer along the downtown Brooklyn and Queens lines definitely brought back many memories- especially the men's room photo- epic, for sure! Thank you for your efforts; it truly made my night." -Patricia

"Great information! Also the flow of the event was perfect!" -Laura

"Gary was very knowledgeable and very entertaining. Great program." -Paul

"Great images, the presenter knew so much about the history of the subway system" -Susan

"Gary is a machine -- but a human machine! Love the presentation." -Carl

"Great info. I'm a native New Yorker and history geek, still learned things I didn't know." -Peggy

"Tremendous detail, but no wasted time. I was glad it lasted 2 hours and glad that he spoke rapidly so more material was provided." -Richard

"All the photos, facts, details, etc. about the Subway AND the presentation of the speaker - he really seemed to know the subject!" -Thomas

"I liked how much Gary covered. I like the fast pace. A true New Yorker" -Lawrence

"Gary's endless enthusiasm and the breadth of his knowledge is amazing." -Charles

"Gary KNEW the history of the subway system without question, he is an expert. Thank you. As a Texan with no knowledge of the early history, it was great." -Gary

"The depth of his knowledge was phenomenal. Many of the things he mentioned brought back memories. I remember the Ratana seats always snagged your nylons" -Jo Ann

"Great in-depth and detailed presentation. Fascinating collection of facts and photos. Presenter went out of his way to answer a lot of questions afterwards. Thanks!!" -Kyle

"His knowledge is amazing. I am a native NYer and was not sure I would get anything out of this. He was really well prepared" -Ellie

"Excellent presentation about the history of the various subway lines —the cars, routes, lines, L, safety..." -Richard

"How can one person know so much?" -Sue

"It was very interesting. I enjoyed hearing about when it was built and in what years it was expanded to the other boroughs. I also liked seeing the pictures and explanation of all the tile work." -Virginia

"I loved learning about the history of NYC through the transit system. He was very knowledgeable. I also appreciated the detailed photos of the stations." -Deborah

"Moderator was knowledgeable and full os fun facts. I also liked the pace of the presentation." -Susan

"Lots of photographs - host very knowledgeable about subject." -Sandy

"Gary was an excellent presenter. He is knowledgeable and his presentation is captivating." -Sherry

"I like seeing the development of different types of urban travel from horse-drawn vehicles to steam engines to trains fueled by electricity." -Abby

"Gary - informative, fast paced, enthusiastic, sense of humor." -Elaine

"Gary’s extensive knowledge. The video of the tunnels near the end was awesome. I always liked riding in the first car. It brought back great memories." -Grace

"Gary. great tour guide. knowledgeable, great showman, fun. good visuals. good stories." -Geane

"Interesting presentation, historical description of my subway development and parallel international development. The subway art and it’s context presentation was excellent and fascinating." -Peter

"Gary is amazing! His clarity, knowledge, humor, and overall charm is unmatched!" -John

"The historical pictures, history, politics and the engineering aspects of building the system." -Stuart

"I learned a lot about the subway system that i never knew." -Marissa

"The in depth history. A lot of information and Gary’s ability to articulate it." -Ed

"Gary is clearly very knowledgeable about all of it and more and loves it. The art and the unusual history elements were the most interesting and easy to follow, which helped." -Katie

"Incredible amount of information. Spirited presenter!" -Rob

"All of it! favorite part: mosaic tile in the subway stations. Gary's personality was good too." -Susan

"Lots of interesting information that brought the subway system to life." -Steven

"Gary was really interesting. As a New Yorker, I appreciated his brisk pace!" -Jamie

"Presenter did a great job, was informative and funny." -Alan

"Very knowledgeable and engaging speaker." -Barry

"Very informative, well organized, great shots of the tile work." -Joe

"Host was extremely knowledgeable, and a good story teller." -Karen

"A wealth of information, and extremely impressed that he answered ALL the questions." -Michelle

"Very interesting topic! Loved all the great pictures." -Naomi

"Gary is the quintessential New Yorker, smart and funny." -Richard

"Excellent info, interesting pictures, and Gary was a fantastic host." -Ashleigh

"Excellent subject matter knowledge and very entertaining." - George

"Wonderful photos. Excellent speaker - informed, witty." -Marla

"Amazing information and love Gary as a presenter. His enthusiasm is infectious." -Michael

"I loved Gary's knowledge and the ease in which he explained the information. could have listened all night! Need an NYC subway system Part 2 asap!. Thank you." -Maria

"Gary was a great speaker. Presented fascinating information." -Marcia

" The speaker's enthusiasm, his humor, his personalizing the subject" -Robert

" History. Individual’s stories behind the development of the public transit. I really enjoyed the presenters style . I will look for more presentations given by him" -Marian

"Love Gary Dennis' presentations, lots of humor, lots of info" -Susan

"Loved it" -Stan

"The presenter had a great personality and an interesting and sometimes humorous way of presenting the material." -Tanace

"The great amount of photos, maps , and data presented. Plus, Gary has an impressive recollection of NYC historical trivia that makes his presentation even more interesting. Thank you, Gary! We are a fan of your webinars." -Sarita

Disclaimer

By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service.

Categories: Virtual, Landmarks

Event Venue

Online