You must take the A train in NYC

Did you know that this year is the 75th anniversary of the world’s longest subway line and a New York City icon?

It’s the A train, and it takes you 31 miles from the northern part of Manhattan to Far Rockaway in Queens.

(I want us all to pause here and acknowledge that “Far Rockaway” is a really cool name for a place.)

Anyway, on one of my first trips to New York, I insisted on boarding the A train and humming a few bars of the Billy Strayhorn song made popular by jazz great Duke Ellington:

“You must take the A train, to go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem….”

There’s a lot of history right there; Sugar Hill Records was one of the first big rap labels.

Considering an NYC visit? Budget Travel has some great tips from an interview with Charlie Suisman of the ManhattanUsersGuide. There are also recent hotel and sightseeing tips for Brooklyn from the UK’s Observer.

Just remember to take a ride on the old gal and wish her a happy 75th birthday.