An Adventure to New York’s Abandoned City Hall Station

As we learned in the 2018 Escape Room Player Survey, escape room players love discovery.

Escape rooms enable a type of adventure… but so does real life, if you go looking for it.

Last month David and I “discovered” NYC’s abandoned City Hall subway station. We heard tale of this obscured treasure and sought it out. 

We live in a city with an incredible number of interesting oddities to discover. And this one is available to all for the low price of a $2.50 subway swipe. 

Lisa and David selfie on the 6 train.
Winter is here.

About City Hall Subway Station

City Hall Station was the original southern terminal station of the first line of the New York City Subway. It opened in 1904. This gorgeous station was designed as a showpiece for the new subway.

As ridership increased, train length increased beyond 5 cars and City Hall Station couldn’t accommodate the longer trains. Passenger service to the station was discontinued in 1945.

A glowing green 6 train sign.

Discover City Hall Subway Station Yourself

Ride the downtown 6 train line south through Manhattan to its terminus at the Brooklyn Bridge/ City Hall Station in Lower Manhattan. 

The end of the line map for the 6 train.

When the 6 train reaches the end of the line, the conductors won’t kick you off.

If you wait on the train, eventually it will start again and progress further south where it will pass through the abandoned City Hall station before looping around and returning to the Brooklyn Bridge/ City Hall Station (now as an uptown 6 train). 

To see the station, ride in the last car of the train. Look out the windows on the right side of the train. It’s a small station, but architecturally beautiful. It’s worth seeing.

Unfortunately, the station is beautiful, but not conducive to photography.

This whole trip took us about 30 minutes and cost us $5. If you’re an escape room player searching for intrigue in New York City, this was an inexpensive and low-key little adventure. 

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