There are two ways to arrive at a Broadway show: relaxed, or sprinting up the subway stairs while an usher gives the door a meaningful look. This guide is about the first one.
The one stop to know: Times Square–42nd Street
It is the busiest station in the system, and it drops you in the middle of everything. Trains that stop here: the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W, and the S shuttle to and from Grand Central. The A, C, and E stop one block west at 42nd St–Port Authority, connected underground. From any of them, most theaters are a 2–10 minute walk.
Match the train to your theater
- Theaters on 44th–47th (most of them): Times Square–42nd, or 49th St on the N, R, W.
- Far west, toward the Hudson: 50th St on the 1, or 50th St on the C, E.
- Lincoln Center shows: 66th St–Lincoln Center on the 1.
Coming from out of town
- New Jersey: PATH to 33rd Street, then the 1/2/3 or a 10-minute walk. Or NJ Transit and Amtrak into Penn Station, which already puts you a 10-minute walk from most theaters.
- Long Island: LIRR to Penn Station, or to Grand Central via Grand Central Madison — both connect to Times Square fast.
- Grand Central: hop the S shuttle straight to Times Square. One stop, about three minutes.
The stuff nobody tells you
- Use OMNY. Tap your phone or contactless card right at the turnstile — no MetroCard needed anymore, and the fare caps after 12 rides in a week.
- Give yourself 30 minutes from train to seat. Times Square at 7:25 on a Saturday is a contact sport.
- Pick the right exit. Times Square has about a dozen. Follow signs for “42nd St & 7th Ave” or “Broadway” to surface facing the marquees instead of the Port Authority bus ramps.
- Doors close at curtain. Most shows seat latecomers only at a “suitable break,” which can be 20 minutes in. The train that is “probably fine” is not worth it.
Going home
When the show lets out, the whole neighborhood empties at once. The 1/2/3 and N/Q/R/W at Times Square will be packed but frequent. If you would rather walk it off, head a few blocks east before grabbing a train or a cab — the crush thins out fast once you are off Seventh Avenue.
Now that the logistics are handled, the only open question is dinner: see where to eat before a Broadway show. And if you are still shopping for the ticket itself, the lottery and rush hub is where the cheap seats hide.
More NYC how-tos on the blog.
