13. The Collaborative Musical Instrument at the Herald Square Station

Stretching across the middle of the uptown and downtown platforms of the N/R lines at the 34th Street/Herald Square station there is an interactive and collaborative musical instrument that most people don’t even notice. Untapped Cities Chief Experience Officer and Lead Tour Guide Justin Rivers loves to take groups on the Underground Art in the NYC Subway tour down to this spot and see if guests can point out the art piece. They usually can’t. Here’s a hint: It’s the long, metal, green thing that looks like some part of the station’s infrastructure.

When you reach up and place a hand in front of one of the sensors, the light above illuminates and a sound plays. The same thing happens on the corresponding piece above the opposite platform. Riders standing on the platforms can work together to make up a unique song. The piece is appropriately titled Reach New York: An Urban Musical Instrument and was created by artist, architect, and composer Christopher Janney. It was installed in 1996.