First, the NY subway is very old in fact it is over a hundred years old though this fact alone would not explain the condition and the overall experience a traveler would have using the subway.

Rather that NYC was subjected to many economic rises and falls over the course of time; particularly the 70’s and 80’s when poverty was at an all time high and NY city was left behind to rot much like Detroit in Michigan.

NY had lost almost all of it’s manufacturing industry at this time period and the city had no funding to maintain the subways, roads, and highways. Building were abandoned and prostitution, theft, riots were at an all time high.

in fact when I was a child in the 70s and 80s it was not uncommon to see pools of blood on the subway platform from the crimes committed during the previous night.

Trains were completely covered in graffiti both inside and out. Roving gangs would rob people inside train cars because the police outside could not see through the paint covored windows.

so the point I am trying to make is that it is all a matter of perspective. Yes the subways can be cleaner and more comfortable, but today’s subway is a vast improvement from the way they were 10-15 year ago (many of the present day improvements were started in the late 80’s and early 90’s when NYC residents and legislators had enough of the terrible conditions).

This dingy failing city was the inspiration for many iconic films of the time like “King of NY”, “New Jack City”, and “After Hours” and these fictional representations of NY were not very far off from the reality of the time.

Now to answer the question about the seating and people not taking care of NYC. As a long time resident of Manhattan a common complaint that other residents and I have is that outsiders (not tourists, because they are usually very polite and respectful) come into NY to “party and treat the area with no respect thinking that it’s their place to ruin while going back home someplace far away”.

I had a friend while on his way home from work noticed some drunk guy from someplace else was urinating on his doorstep. He promptly reminded this guy that people do live in NYC city and to please refrain from such activity. This guy called to his friends in a car and promptly began to beat up my friend to the point he ended up in the hospital. It turns out the kids that had beat up my friends were the children of wealthy families that grown up in the suburbs of NY. Again not NY residents but rather outsiders that feel they can come into NY and do what they please without any ramifications.

So my conclusion is that I would hope that NYC will continue to improve and that in the future you would return to a much cleaner and friendlier New York.