"For a while during the pandemic, the NYC subway system was pretty desolate and people were very wary about traveling places around strangers. That has visibly changed in the last year or so and it’s very obvious that more people are now using it again," Rick told us last time.
"For some reason, crime has spiked in the subway since the pandemic and that’s another leading cause to why some people refuse to use it these days. It seems more and more people are either walking places or using other means of transportation such as bikes, electric scooters, etc. It’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues in the future,” he said.
Though many of us dislike long commutes, they do have some positives if you’re willing to look for the silver lining. Career coach Rita Friedman previously told Bored Panda that commutes can act as breaks that help us manage our stress levels.
"A commute is literally a transitional unit of space and time, and a lot of commuters use it as their break between the responsibilities of home and the responsibilities of work or school, so it's the perfect moment to look at pictures of failed cakes or animals making funny faces. It's just nice to have time where nobody is holding you accountable," she told us during an earlier interview.
You could, for instance, use your commute to listen to a podcast or scroll through social media. Doing nothing and zoning out while looking out of the window can also help your mind rest… and come up with unusual new ideas. Some people also choose to use their commutes to warm up their minds for work by doing some small tasks or refreshing their memories on relevant information. And they might not even realize that they’re sitting underneath a subway sign or ad that totally resembles them.
Which of these pics did you enjoy the most, dear Pandas? Do we have anyone who's based in NYC in the house tonight? What are your thoughts on using the subway to get around: do you love it or do you prefer other modes of public transport? What are the weirdest things you've seen on the metro? Don't be shy, drop by the comments and share your thoughts!
Meanwhile, when you're done with this list, you might want to check out Bored Panda's earlier feature about people and animals accidentally ending up near signs that resemble them right over here.