The Craziest Things You’ll Only See on the NYC Subway

Most New Yorkers take their morning subway ride as an opportunity to catch up on the daily news, take on a challenging crossword puzzle, or check in on their weekly schedules. While most folks prefer to perform these activities while seated, the gentleman in this photo took his morning commute to new heights by hanging upside down from the hand railing and letting all the blood rush to his head while checking his Twitter feed. Fellow commuters didn’t even look twice.

This man wanted some company for his subway commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan, so he brought along his pet shark, Stan. While this sure made for an unusual and hilarious spectacle among tourists and fellow commuters, the folks over at PETA weren’t so happy to see this photo making its rounds on the internet. It turns out that the New York City subway was not the ideal living conditions for this commuter’s little friend, or any other aquatic animal for that matter.

While you might think that this man was on his way to some kind of costume convention, it turns out that this is the way he dresses every day. For him, the extravagant fur coat is warm and comfortable in the harsh temperatures of winter in New York City. Meanwhile, his top hat and an extra pair of goggles are the ultimate way to protect his eyes from the sun. Throw in a pair of platform boots, and you’ve got yourself an outfit!

After the New York City subway made a strict law saying that commuters can only bring pets along which they could fit in a bag, owners of large dogs needed to get creative. The gentleman in this photo is just one example of how dog owners across the city decided to fight back against the unfair policy. By carrying his husky around in a tote bag, he was technically playing by the rules and looking super stylish while doing so.

Whenever you decide to sit down on the New York City subway, you’re taking a gamble. There’s no way of knowing what kind of stranger you’ll end up sitting next to. They could be a totally normal person who spends a majority of the commute checking their phone, or you could end up next to someone who wants tell you their whole life’s story. In rare cases, you’ll end up sitting next to a stranger wearing a giant rabbit mask.

Travelers on the New York City subway will go to all sorts of measures to ensure their comfort during their commute. Most folks bring a neck pillow, allowing them to lean their head back and catch some sleep before arriving at their destination. This gentleman decided to raise the bar when it comes to comfortable commuting by bringing along his reclining chair. While dragging the chair through the streets of NYC was no easy task, the comfort was well worth it.

Nothing is worse than getting stuck sitting next to a smelly stranger on the New York City subway. While this experience is always unfortunate, it is usually somewhat tolerable for most commuters, as long as they breathe through their mouths. However, when the only seat open is next to a big hairy creature who has spent hundreds of years leaving alone in the wilderness without any access to a shower, you’re probably better off just standing for this ride.

When people first move to New York City, they often find themselves surprised at the fast pace of city life. Everyone always seems to be rushing from place to place, not taking the time to greet one another, or even offer a friendly smile to a stranger on the subway. The woman in this photo is the perfect example of the speed of life in NYC. She’s in such a rush that she couldn’t even wait to get home to start her food prep.

It turns out that this subway car was only big enough for one fully-costumed New Yorker. That’s why Batman and Darth Vader faced off in an epic subway battle. With cell phone video cameras rolling, the superhero put up a serious fight against a worthy opponent. When it was all said and done, Darth Vader came out on top thanks to his space powers. Batman was forced to make the walk of shame to the next subway car.

This New Yorker wanted to make sure she stayed as dry as possible during her subway commute. That’s why she brought along her blue umbrella and held it above her head for the entirety of the ride. While you might find yourself asking why she couldn’t simply fold the umbrella up and open it once she arrives at her stop, it’s important to remember that most New York City subway cars were built several years ago, meaning that there are often leaks in the roof.

This is, without a doubt, one of the creepiest photos on our list. While most costumes that you’ll typically find on the New York City subway are friendly-looking superheroes or cartoon characters, this commuter decided to pick a costume that would prevent anyone from wanting to take a seat nearby. As you can see in this photo, their strategy worked! Just about everyone who got a glimpse at this demon decided to move as far away as possible.

The subway is the perfect place for talented buskers to make a few extra bucks and show off their musical talents for the daily crowd of commuters. On any given day, countless musicians take their tunes to the platform, hoping to get some well-deserved recognition. This performer had spent months busking with no luck. He decided that he needed a special gimmick, so he threw on a Spider-Man costume. Within hours, a video clip of his saxophone performance went viral.

For the most part, commuters on the New York City subway are used to seeing household pets. On any given morning, you’re bound to run into various dog owners who couldn’t find a dog-sitter to take their furry friend for the day. However, bringing an exotic pet on the subway is a whole different story. The gentleman in this photo decided that he couldn’t bear to leave his pet python home alone, so he put the massive snake in his backpack, and hopped on the subway.

Unfortunately, their bus broke down, so these Star Wars fanatics needed to take the subway to the convention. While they definitely got their fair share of funny looks from tourists, the majority of New York City natives didn’t even turn their heads at Princess Leah and her storm trooper posse. That’s because they’re New Yorkers and therefore desensitized to weirdness on the subway. They simply bury their heads in a newspaper and carry on with their commute as if nothing happened.

While most New York City dog owners do their best to fit their dogs into bags in an effort to abide by the new pet-restricting laws, this gentleman decided to take matters into his own hands and go incognito. By throwing a raincoat on his pooch, and holding it as if it were a child, the man in this photo was able to break the new rules and bring his dog onto the subway without being detected.

For tall people, one of the worst parts of public transportation is the struggle to get comfortable. Anyone over the six-foot mark can relate to the feeling. You want nothing more than to stretch out your legs but you’re restricted from doing so because you’re in such close proximity to fellow commuters. By hanging sideways with his feet on the hand railing, this tall gentleman found a solution to this problem. Now, he’s able to stretch out, without bumping knees with strangers.

While true New Yorkers aren’t phased by much, this subway costume will surely give any out-of-towner nightmares for weeks. To be honest, we have no idea what this costume is supposed to represent. Perhaps this commuter was trying to look like some sort of red and white optical illusion. While it seems like they failed at providing an optical illusion, they certainly succeeded in creeping out everyone else who chose to ride on the subway that day.

If there’s one thing the New York City subway system doesn’t get enough credit for it would have to be its unique ability to bring people together. No matter where commuters are originally from or what their backgrounds are, they somehow find common ground on the subway. Take this photo, for example. Two complete strangers with completely different upbringings felt so comfortable with one another that they decided to take a nap together, using each others’ shoulders as pillows.

On the New York City subway, you’re bound to run into all sorts of unique clothing styles. Some commuters dress fancy, wearing the latest high-end fashion designers. Others keep it simple, traveling while wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a tee shirt. Some commuters prefer to make their own clothes. The gentleman in this photo decided to make his entire outfit out of recycled soda can tabs. While he might look a bit silly, he’s doing his part to save the environment.

This subway commuter had New Yorkers doing a double take. At first glance, it appeared as though a statue was occupying a valuable seat. Fellow passengers were furious when they realized that they would have to stand for their commute while a sculpture had room to sit. However, once they took a closer look, they saw that it was actually a man dressed up as a toy soldier. Their anger soon turned to confusion, as they wondered why this man was wearing such a bizarre costume.

While traveling on the New York City subway in the morning, it’s not uncommon to find passengers eating their breakfast on the go. Most commuters will grab a granola bar and piece of fruit on the way out the door, or pick up an egg McMuffin from the nearest McDonald’s. The gentleman in this photo took his breakfast on the go one step further by bringing along a pot of oatmeal. Apparently, he didn’t have enough time for Tupperware.

When you first glance at this photo, it looks like a book is mysteriously floating in front of the door to the subway. When you look a bit closer, however, you’ll see that a gentleman in a camouflage outfit is actually holding the book and reading from it. Can you tell that he stitched the whole outfit by himself? We sure can’t! The craftsmanship is impeccable. It might just be the most professional-looking camouflage jumpsuit ever made.

This Peter Pan impersonator decided that his morning commute was the perfect opportunity to show off his incredible flexibility. He had been practicing splits for months, and his hard work had finally paid off. While most New Yorkers won’t even look twice at a bizarre scene like this, as they’ve become accustomed to seeing strange things on the subway, we’re thankful that a tourist was there to capture this hilarious photo and share it with the rest of the world.

With the Power Rangers always heading for victory, you wonder if they have any time to relax. Well everyone here is the evidence. Just like the rest of us, the Power Rangers take their time on the subway to get a little R&R before their daily activities begin, and, while we all geek out at seeing them, they look like they’re trying to go incognito. That’s got to be a little tough with the world knowing who they are, and not to mention the bright colors they’re wearing!

We’ve seen dogs being carried in bags, held on a leash, or just held by their owner, but this is certainly something new. This dog is sitting casually on a rocking horse while riding the train. Kudos to the dog for managing to stay upright, because we all know the subway can get a little bumpy at times. He even has his legs perfectly situated on the foot peddles, so this has to be one of the cutest things we’ve seen on the New York subway!

The world can get a little crazy and days can be tough, so these children thought it was time to offer some emotional advice to those taking the subway. With the rush of New York, sometimes you need a little one-on-one with someone who will listen to how your day has been, how you are feeling, or what is bothering you, and these youngsters know just how to do that. For $2, can you really say no to a pick me up in the middle of a subway station?

You’re most likely to find plants and trees outdoors, where enough rain and sunlight can get to them and help them grow. If not outside, then perhaps in your home to add some color and decoration, and bring light into the house. As for on someone’s head, while riding the subway, that one we fail to understand. At least wear a brown suit if you are trying to fool us into thinking that you are, in fact, a tree, but don’t give us a half-hearted attempt.

This lady is a whizz when it comes to knitting, and with old wool lying about, she couldn’t help but make herself a new creation. What better than a face mask that will help fight off all the dirt on the subway, while also working as a mask to sleep better on her commute? It may look creepy at first, but when you look at the finer detail that went into this, you kind of wish she made you one as well.

There are really no words when it comes to this outfit. From the blue one-piece with black flower decor to the huge, outlandish hair piece to follow, we are stumped on how to react to this look, really. We’re not surprised to see the empty seats on either side of this gentleman, or perhaps a woman, because who knows what they may do next. We just hope they managed to make it to their destination because it looks like a tough one to see through.

There is no greater satisfaction than playing with bubble wrap and popping every bubble possible. That is why, when we see this hat, all we can wonder is how anyone could resist the urge to take it off this lady’s head and start popping it one by one. In fact, we wonder how the lady herself could resist the urge. Meanwhile, it may have taken some effort to make the hat to begin with, so she was not going to be tearing it apart any time soon.

Seeing a snake could lead most people to jump and run, but when you’re stuck on a moving carriage with a man holding several snakes, all you can do is move as far back as possible. It is unclear exactly what his motive with these snakes are since he has an open suitcase with enlarged dollar bills wrapped up in the zipped pocket. We certainly would not be offering any money to someone bringing snakes on the carriage during our daily commute and would jump off at the next stop!

This New York City commuter is taking ripped jeans to a whole new level. We’re not quite sure what could have happened to lead to her jeans becoming so ripped but we’re almost positive that she didn’t buy them this way. In her head, she might think she’s making a fashion statement, but to the rest of the subway, she just looks ridiculous. Not to mention the fact that winter in New York can be brutally cold.

These two subway passengers had never seen New York City before. They were from out of town and couldn’t believe their eyes at how many people crowded the streets and subway cars. The culture shock of the Big Apple had this pair of friends absolutely dumbfounded. So much so that they spent the entire commute from the Upper East Side to Queens sitting on the subway making these faces. They were so flabbergasted that they missed their stop!

These girls wanted to ensure that their ride on the subway was as comfortable as possible, so they brought along their own couch for the ride. Sure, lugging a giant sofa onto the train was a challenge, but it was all worth it to sit in comfort through the entire subway ride. The only problem came when it was time to get off at their destination. The couch wouldn’t fit up the stairs to the city streets, so they needed to leave it behind.

Whenever you step foot in the Big Apple, you’re bound to see all sorts of crazy things. We’ve gathered up some of the wildest photos ever captured on the New York City subway. You won’t want to miss these! Every so often, everyone needs to eat on the go. Grabbing a burger from McDonald’s or a sandwich from Subway is completely reasonable. What’s far less socially acceptable, however, is eating an entire Thanksgiving dinner during your evening commute.

New Yorkers are all too familiar when it comes to seeing costumes on the subway. In fact, it’s pretty rare to see commuters even acknowledge weirdness to any degree. In this photo, we see something extremely rare. If you think we’re referring to the incredibly well-detailed Avatar costume, you’d be wrong. What we’re actually referring to is the folks next to Avatar-man, who are literally turning their heads to get a glimpse. They must be from out of town.

While you might think that this photo was captured on Halloween, you’d be surprised to learn that this was actually just a typical Tuesday on the New York City subway. On any given day you’ll find plenty of folks like these who simply refuse to wear a normal outfit. We’re not quite sure where this group was coming from, but it’s pretty clear that it must have been either a wild costume party or a children’s birthday celebration.

To be honest, we’re pretty confused about this photo. Maybe this commuter was on their way home from a wild paint party. Or maybe they put on too much sunscreen. Perhaps they just had an audition to become one of the zombies on the popular AMC television series, The Walking Dead. While we can’t comment on whether or not they got the gig, one thing is for sure: Their costume and makeup design could use some work.