I had a friend who’d lived in Manhattan since Ronald Reagan was president. She had a big job in TV and considered herself the ultimate New Yorker.

Given that she’d been there so long, who would argue?

I would.

As far as I was concerned, she was never a true New Yorker because she’d never set foot on the subway.

True, it doesn’t exactly smell like fresh laundry. And I’m not advocating taking it at 3am. I try not to be out anywhere at that time.

That aside, the subway is the best bargain around, even with the inevitable fare hikes. Given traffic in America’s largest city, it’s the quickest, cheapest way to get to some of the world’s most fabulous places.

More on why I love it:

Because the trains go to the same places they did when I was a little girl. Then, I rode the same  line with my mom to see my grandparents, who still lived in the apartment she grew up in.

Not to mention all the free entertainment.