Find out how to get to the US Open tennis venue on the New York subway.
Grand Central Station
**Note: The information in this article was correct in 2012. If you find that anything has changed for 2013, please leave a comment and let me know**
Also read more tips in A Tennis Fan’s Guide to Going to the US Open
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You might be used to public transport systems like the Underground in London, where all trains pretty much stop at all stations, and if you go in the wrong direction you can simply get off and go to the platform where trains run in the other direction.
Don’t expect the New York subway to be anything like that!
Subway Tips
- “Local” trains stop all stations and “Express” trains don’t
- Although the subway trains are air-conditioned, the platforms are incredibly hot. In Summer it’s not advisable to grab a coffee on the way and drink it while waiting for your train. Unless you enjoy sweating. A lot.
- You need to use the Subway entry for trains that run in the direction you want to go (for example either Uptown or Downtown) so plan your journey ahead and know direction you need to go.
- The MetroCard costs $29 for 7 days which covers unlimited travel on the subway and local buses.
- Although they take longer than the subway, buses are air-conditioned and let you see the city out the window so they are a good option when you can work out which bus goes near to where you want to go. Buses are generally numbered for the street that they run up or down eg Bus 57 runs along 57th street, and they stop regularly so it’s not too hard to work out. How to ride the bus.
- Although the Subway lines are coloured, they run by Number or Letter rather than colour.
- Some trains have a display with lights that shows where you are and the next stop, but not all do so don’t expect to know which stop is next once you are on the train.
- Some train platforms have a display of when the next train is due, but not all do. Trains run pretty frequently though.
Visit www.mta.info to see if there are delays to any Subway lines.
Download the “Crosswalk NYC” or Hopstop app to get a subway map on your iPhone which is helpful for figuring out where the next stop is once you’re on the subway.
To get to the US Open at Flushing Meadows
- Take Line 7 towards Flushing Meadow / Queens. This line runs from Times Square and through Grand Central.
- Get off at Mets-Willets Point station (this is also the stop for the NY Mets baseball team at Citi Field stadium) and walk to the left along the board walk (there are signs to the tennis) and there will probably be a crowd of people walking in that direction.
- The journey takes about 30 minutes from Grand Central on a local service, which stops all stations, and is faster on an Express train.
The subway entrance at the US Open
When leaving the US Open at night, particularly if you leave at the end of a match in one of the main courts, there will be a big crowd leaving at the same time. I thought all these people would lead to squash-y train queues and crowded platforms but the crowd is managed really well to flow onto the next train that’s ready to leave. So far we’ve been able to walk straight on to a train each night.
Do you have any other tips for taking the subway to the US Open? Please leave a comment and let me know.
Until next time
Grand Slam Gal