Here’s what New York subway trains looked like at Christmas in the 1930s, according to social media influencers

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. This holiday season, social media influencers are hopping aboard a vintage New York City subway train to travel back in time, taking to TikTok and Instagram to share their outfits and experiences.

If you are looking for something unique to do in New York over the holidays, this may be it: You too can ride the New York Transit Museum’s Holiday Nostalgia Train, which operates annual holiday-themed train cars decorated for Christmas in the style of the 1930s.

The trains, which depart from the 2nd Avenue – Houston Street station on the uptown F line and the 96th Street – 2nd Avenue station on the Q line, run every Sunday in December. And the cost to ride is just a MetroCard swipe.

One user on TikTok posted scenes of festive New Yorkers, some in old wartime vintage suits and women dressed up in circa 1930s outfits, walking through the train cars alongside people in regular clothes. Another TikToker walked her followers through a makeup and clothing tutorial on how to dress for the big event. A third posted a short video of people dancing, a band, people taking photos, and the train’s conductor.

If you’d like to take your own trip, here’s the schedule and the route for the holiday rides:

New York holiday train schedule

Catch the vintage train between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, 22, and 29.

The Holiday Nostalgia Train departs from the 2nd Avenue – Houston Street station on the uptown F line in lower Manhattan at:

• 10 a.m.
• 12 p.m.
• 2 p.m.
• 4 p.m.

The Holiday Nostalgia Train departs from the 96th Street – 2nd Avenue station on the Q line at:

• 11 a.m.
• 1 p.m.
• 3 p.m.
• 5 p.m.

New York holiday train route

Passengers can board the Holiday Nostalgia Train along its route at any of the stations below:

Uptown stops:

• 2nd Avenue – Houston Street (F)
• Broadway – Lafayette Street (D/F, 6)
• West 4th Street – Washington Square (A/C/E, D/F)
• 34th Street – Herald Square (D/F, N/Q/R)
• 42nd Street – Bryant Park (A/C/E, D/F, N/Q/R, S, 7)
• 47th – 50th Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F)
• 57th Street – 6th Avenue (F)
• Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (F, Q)
• 72nd Street – 2nd Avenue (Q)
• 86th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q)
• 96th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q)

Downtown stops:

• 96th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q)
• 86th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q)
• 72nd Street – 2nd Avenue (Q)
• Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (F, Q)
• 57th Street – 6th Avenue (F)
• 47th – 50th Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F)
• 42nd Street – Bryant Park (A/C/E, D/F, N/Q/R, S, 7)
• 34th Street – Herald Square (D/F, N/Q/R)
• West 4th Street – Washington Square (A/C/E, D/F)
• Broadway – Lafayette Street (D/F, 6)
• 2nd Avenue – Houston Street (F)

The New York subway is having a moment

Not to be outdone, celebrities have been taking to social media to document their own outfits underground on the normal New York subway. Last week, pop singer Olivia Rodrigo took Instagram to post her own incredibly chic retro outfit while riding the subway to celebrate her collaboration with Sony Electronics (her outfit, a navy dress with white polka dots, a leopard-print purse, and black Mary Jane shoes, perfectly blended the current “mob-wife aesthetic” with retro schoolgirl trends, according to Cosmopolitan). It soon went viral. And isn’t that what every social media influencer wants for Christmas?