korean town-subway stations-nyc-untappedcitiesImage of 34th St. Herald Street, mapping shortest route to Korean Town.  Image via Project NYC Subway

Have you ever exited the subway and felt completely lost? Well, fear not because architect Candy Chan is here to rescue you! With her new Project NYC Subway, as seen on City Lab,  you can visualize some of Manhattan’s most complex subway stations, blueprint style. Her first batch includes five stops down Broadway: Columbus Circle, Times Square, Herald Square, Madison Square, and Union Square.

42nd Street Times Square Project NYC-Subway Station Cross SectionTimes Square

23rd Street-Project NYC-Subway Station Cross Section23rd Street

Columbus Circle Project NYC-Subway Station Cross SectionColumbus Circle

14th Street-Union Square-Project NYC-Subway Station Cross Section14th Street-Union Square

Chan was inspired by Hong Kong’s efficient subway stations that display a platform layout in every station. To execute her own vision for Manhattan, she went into the field. Chan counted subway tiles and stairs to estimate distances, utilized Google and MTA neighborhood maps to establish block lengths, and cross referenced photographs she took with hand-drawn sketches. After her preliminary sketches were transferred to the AutoCAD, she printed out the line work and took it back to the subway to verify the proportions. You can now enjoy her work by purchasing her layouts at her online shop.

Next, read about the secrets of New York’s subways and check out more of our fun maps on NYC transit.