So, for simplicity’s sake, I’m just going to call this entire station complex Herald Square. Yes, the MTA section’s full name is 34th St.-Herald Square. Yes, PATH uses an adjacent street name (33rd St.). No, I don’t care. With that in mind, here’s Herald Square.
Herald Square, on both the IND (BDFM) and BMT (NQRW) lines, is an express stop with two island platforms on each. The platforms all have your standard amenities of countdown clocks, benches, the usual. The station mezzanine is a little livelier than most, with convenience stores occupying some retail spaces. There’s also MetroCard (at the time of photographing – as of writing this, MetroCard is going the way of the dodo) and OMNY machines as well as station agents staffing the place. Also, helpfully, it’s accessible! Overall, not a terrible- oh, there’s also a PATH station. Let’s talk about that next.
The PATH station is pretty standard. However, it’s a terminus for the Blue and Orange Lines (or, more commonly known as HOB-33 and JSQ-33). There’s ticketing machines, benches, wastebaskets, countdown clocks, and three tracks. There really isn’t much to ring home about here. Yeah, sorry. However, it IS the only other accessible PATH station in Manhattan (aside from the World Trade Center). Lastly, there’s buses at street level. Unsurprisingly.
The good: It serves Herald Square, is accessible, and has both local and express trains as well as service to New Jersey! There’s also a decent amount of bus connections here, as well. It’s also a block away from Penn Station, so there’s that.
The bad: Eh, not a lot. I mean, it is possible to get lost. But the fact this is the only accessible Midtown PATH station is a concern.
Nearby points of interest: Herald Square itself. But, more famously, the Empire State Building is a short walk, and Macy’s flagship store is here as well.
Transit connections:
BMT-Broadway (Lines N, Q, R, W)
IND-6th Ave. (Lines B, D, F, M)
PATH (Blue, Orange)
MTA bus (M4, M5, M7, M34-SBS, M34A-SBS, M55, Q32, BxM2, QM1, QM2, QM4, QM5, QM6, QM10, QM11, QM12, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM20, QM24, SIM1C, SIM3, SIM3C, SIM10, SIM23, SIM24)
Overall, it’s a centrally located subway station around a few major points of interest, is close to Penn Station, and has direct access to Jersey City and Hoboken. Sweet!
Rating: 8/10
