163rd Street Subway Station/Amersterdam Avenue

While I lived in Washington Heights, this was the closest subway station to my house. When I became disabled, using this station went from simply unpleasant to dangerous and terrifying. My worst experiences occurred when I started using a walker. The token booth attendants refused to permit me to use the gate, so I had to lift my walker over the turnstiles. I remember one particularly obnoxious MTA worker laughing and saying, «What in the (bleep) is that? That’s stupid!» (I’d applied for Access-​A-​Ride, but my request was denied, because there was a handicap-​accessible subway station within a half-​mile from my house. At 5:00 am, walking to the elevator at the 175^th Street and Fort Washington Avenue station, from Edgecombe Avenue and 165^th Street was impossible.) I continued to struggle with my commute from this station until I became completely unable to do so. Many years later, I am still angry…

Ny subway all dirty
Gum in the floor
Garbage all I’ve the good thing subway runs ²⁴⁄₇ whit ac
I’m a tourist
4 day in ny I getting expert taking the subway
just get lost 2 times

I do NOT like using this station and avoid it at all costs … it’s smelly, dirty, desolate most times … definitely sketchy.
Use the 155^th Street or 168^th Street stations instead if you can … or the 157^th Street 1-​train station.
Yeah yeah yeah … sounds like a protective mother, eh? Well, sometimes it’s better safe than sorry.
Enjoy your night out but get where you’re going safely, ok?

Seems the closer to Washington Heights area you get, the dirtier the subway areas are. Rats, trash, mysterious stains, and funky smells abound. My first time being to NYC and this was one of my experiences.

This station is creepy, dirty, gloomy, and overall frightening.
It’s oddly desolate at certain times which is unnerving but it’s really not more comforting when there ARE people around so I guess there’s no fixing the wretched condition of this station or it’s inevitable effect on me. EHK!
I rather walk to the 168^th street station to take the train. True story. I really think that’s all you need to know about this Washington Heights train station. You’ve been warned.

Sometimes I renew restaurant certificates, and this subway station is across the street from where I work. Over the years I have seen many people commiting sucide in this subway station, but that’s another story. When I have to go to city hall I have to use this subway since there’s no parking at city hall. Man does this subway gives me the creeps. Its dark in there, its hot there during the summer and cold during the winter. It smells very bad in here, there paint chipping off every where and tiles falling off. You will be scared using this station cause either you will be confronted by a ghost or a mugger lol. For your safety do not use this subway after 5 pm, it gets very dangerous here.

One of the worst train stations in NYC in my humble, but knowledgeable opinion. It always smells like urine and the station is sketchy looking. I hate it when I have to use this train station. I’m almost sure they’ve never cleaned it. In order to make the station even remotely clean they’d have to close it and start all over again.
They wanna raise the fares yet again? Well, they better make sure they buy some industrial strength Pine Sol, Amonia, Clorox, Windex, holy water. I don’t know! Whatever cleaning product they need to clean this absolutely vile station.

This station is the poster child for Subway Station Neglect and Community Indifference.
This station actually only has entrances on 161^st and 162^nd streets and is a rat-​infested playground. Its not uncommon to see MTA patrons crowded around the the steps just beyond the turnstiles, waiting until the last second to rush into the arriving train because they don’t want to see the vermin family reunion unfold.
Between the routinely defaced and destroyed subway ads, the defiant urine stench, and the creepy/​desolate gated north and center exits — you would be wise to hoof it to 168^th/​Columbia Presbyterian station or 158^th (where at LEAST you have a steady stream of people)