It was a uniquely pleasant experience to read Mark Krotov’s article in praise of the new subway map while riding the Queens-bound J train, which made his observations about the design’s subtle modernism feel especially miraculous. It’s true that the old version depicted Atlantic Avenue as a Borgesian nightmare of churning public transportation, clutter swept away by its more elegant successor. I also would not have noticed the clearly improved depiction of the AirTrain at JFK without Krotov’s help.
But as my train crossed the Williamsburg Bridge, I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing—that the simplification had subtracted something critical. I looked up the old map on my phone to confirm that several geographical details were expunged, including but not limited to Governors Island, Randalls Island, and Rikers Island. It’s the last of these that motivated me to write this letter.
Krotov is right to note that the new map “deploys a multitude of excellent design decisions in service of, well, service.” It’s an achievement that would’ve made me giddy when…