Filed under: iPhone, App Store
Reality doesn't get more real: 2 iPhone views of the NYC subway
There are two bits of knowledge that all native New Yorkers are gifted with: where to get "the best" pizza (Grimaldi's on the Brooklyn waterfront, in case you were wondering), and where to stand on the subway platform so as to arrive at the destination station in exactly the right spot to exit ahead of the rush. While this sometimes leads to bunching and crowding in the desirable cars, it ends up saving a lot of time and aggravation on the far side.If you aren't a veteran straphanger, you can simulate the expertise of the locals with Exit Strategy NYC, a $1.99 iPhone app that tells you where to stand based on your destination station. The app is straightforward: select your train line and your direction of travel, then pick your arrival choice from the list. You'll get a clear diagram of the exit locations, along with the conductor's position in the train (great for late-night trips) and notes on any special circumstances, transfer options or wheelchair access.
Despite their much-admired situational awareness, even NYC subway veterans sometimes get confused about where to find the nearest station -- and if you're a first time visitor, fuggedaboudit. For iPhone 3GS-enabled residents and tourists, it's about to get a lot easier: acrossair is offering an NYC version of the Nearest Tube augmented reality app, New York Nearest Subway.
Hold your iPhone flat and see a 2D map of the entire system... then lift it perpendicular to the ground, and the heads-up display mode shows you floating icons representing nearby stations, complete with line legends and walking distances. For anyone who's ever walked to a faraway subway stop only to realize that there was a much closer option, this is incredibly compelling. No word on price yet, and the app is awaiting approval; as noted, this app will only work on the 3GS, as the magnetometer is used to determine the direction the phone is facing.
If you've got preferred apps for navigating public transit in your city, pipe up in the comments.
[via Gadget Lab]
Here's the video for Exit Strategy:
Here's the video of NY Nearest Subway in action:
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
david said 2:54PM on 7-16-2009
Grimaldi's is not the best pizza. Lombardi's on Spring St. in Manahatta is far, far superior in every way!
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ill trooper said 3:06PM on 7-16-2009
Oh wow, I see where this string of comments is going now!
Lombardi's is great but if you live in the area, that place gets reserved for special occasions when a friend visits with that "I heard about Lombardi's, I gotta try it!" face on - it's too heavy for regular consumption. For everyday eating and busy schedules, I actually prefer L'Asso. Located just down the block south from Lombardi's (192 Mott street), they have amazing thin-crust brick-oven pizza. I'd recommend the straight-up pizza margherita D. O. C., or if you're more adventurous, the "pizza a la roba" with mozzarella, gorgonzola, thin-sliced pears and chopped-up walnuts.
Jeez. I just had lunch over at Pinché Taqueria, but I wish I had thought of L'Asso earlier.
Izzy said 4:06PM on 7-16-2009
All of those places are great. I miss working in NYC.
ill trooper said 2:51PM on 7-16-2009
I'd like to try the 'Nearest NY' app but I can't find it on the AppStore. I'm assuming it's not available yet.
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Michael Rose said 3:00PM on 7-16-2009
It's awaiting approval, as noted in the post.
ill trooper said 3:10PM on 7-16-2009
Ok, thanks! Not that your writing isn't completely captivating, of course, but I got intrigued and ran off to download it before I read the whole thing.
Michael Rose said 8:46PM on 7-16-2009
LOL. No worries. Thanks for the pizza recommendations!
Branden said 10:41PM on 7-16-2009
The app I use costs $2.99 and does the Nearest station function plus much, much more. It's called "City Transit" and has 4 tabs at the bottom "Maps" "Lines" "Locate" and "Service".
The Maps tab has the subway map, Manhattan bus map, metronorth map, LIRR map, and an antique subway map for fun.
The Lines tab lists the subway lines, and under them it has the stations, the busses they hit up with, and if they are local or express.
The Locate tab has the same features as Nearest NY. It uses the GPS to locate the nearest few stations, and lists their subway lines. and if you click on it it jumps to google maps.
I use the services tab almost every day. It lists all the subway lines, and then it lists the service advisories for them.
It costs $2.99. It doesn't have a magnetic compass, but still, it's an amazing app.
Also, HopStop now makes an iPhone app.
gorfgorf said 6:41AM on 7-17-2009
@Brandon: City Transit used to be my favorite subway app (and the subway maps are still useful), but it's become a little irrelevant... At this point you're better off with a high quality image of the NYC Subway/Bus system downloaded from the MTA website and the transit option in Google Maps (they even have subway/bus schedules worked into that, not that I trust those at all...)
genghisbahng said 2:53PM on 7-16-2009
Grimaldi's?? C'mon, man... that place is for tourists. Di Fara is THE ONE.
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gorfgorf said 6:36AM on 7-17-2009
Nah, waiting on line for a table is for tourists... Go there, pick up a pie, eat it somewhere else. And lawsuit or no lawsuit, I will always think of it as Patsy's, not Grimaldi's...
It's different from most pizza, so some people don't like that, but personally I think they have the best pepperoni pizza I've ever tried.
Benny said 3:03PM on 7-16-2009
Long time reader of TUAW and Exit Strategy NYC iPhone app developer here! Thanks for the writeup! :) Glad you liked it
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georgia.gg said 3:30PM on 7-16-2009
for true NYCers, without contest, john's on bleecker
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oli said 6:13AM on 7-17-2009
Last time I was in NYC I went on a date that included a slice from John's on Bleeker and jazz down the road at Bluenote. Great way to spend a working trip!!
RyanTV said 5:06PM on 7-20-2009
Agreed. John's on Bleeker is the best for sure and then dessert at Rocco's Bakery across the street.
Though i did just go to Grimaldi's last week when i was out in Brooklyn, and it was tasty!
Moe said 3:42PM on 7-16-2009
Sunset Park.... Dude, I was raised in Sunset. I lived right on 61st Street between 4th and 5th. I remember riding the R train to my High School (fort hamilton).
On topic: NYC iPhone app looks great. I sometimes wish I had this information with me before walking 1/2 the train station before hitting my exit. Good purchase and choice for a NYC straphanger!
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joe said 3:46PM on 7-16-2009
Sunset Park FTW (I live there too)
Also, Totono's in Coney Island is just as good as Grimaldi's but less well known.
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twistedarts said 3:56PM on 7-16-2009
oh come now, little italy pizza on 43rd by GC, not to mention their bruschetta!
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Ben Lawson said 4:05PM on 7-16-2009
Speaking as a repeat tourist visitor to Grimaldi's... they're coasting on their rep now, but Brooklyn Heights and the waterfront hold a special place in my heart. But I like the other options mentioned here!
Oh yeah, something on-topic: This app looks good, I'd love to see it for other systems, such as my own Toronto Transit Commission's subways.
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gorfgorf said 6:39AM on 7-17-2009
As I said somewhere else, eating there is rarely worth it... People start lining up by 4 or something ridiculous. You can always order a pie and pick it up instead, as long as you live close by/have a friend in the neighborhood/can find a good place to eat it.