| “ | Next stop: Astor Place, 14th Street...and the world. | ” |
—Conductor
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Bleecker Street Subway Station is presumably the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) stop closest to the Matthews' brownstone home, and therefore is Riley's symbolic portal to the world.
Description[]
Located in the Manhattan borough of New York City, the station serves thousands of passengers on a daily basis by facilitating travel throughout the city's subway train lines for business and recreational pursuits. It is home to several vendors selling newspapers, magazines, snacks, sundries, and tourist souvenirs.
Bleecker Street station serves the IRT Lexington Avenue Line which is the most heavily populated rapid transit line in the United States. With an average of 1.3 million daily riders, it has "more than the combined ridership of San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston’s entire transit systems." Its ridership also exceeds that of the 798,456 daily trips on the entire Washington Metrorail system.[1]
Bleecker Street Station is one of the original 28 subway stations of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company[2] which opened in 1904, and is part of a station complex that includes the Broadway - Lafayette Street station on the IND Sixth Avenue Line. Transfers between the two stations have existed since May 19, 1957.[3]
In the fictional version of this particular station, a "Stay in School" PSA poster featuring a portrait of renowned educator, George Feeny, is prominently displayed.
Appearances[]
Season 1[]
"Girl Meets World"[]
Maya shows Riley the basics of subway travel. Later, Riley's parents give her a MetroCard, granting her the freedom to explore the city on her own.
"Girl Meets the Truth"[]
Maya and Riley encounter the family to whom the lost locket belongs.
"Girl Meets Crazy Hat"[]
At the start of a week of constant rain, Riley and Maya, wearing improvised garbage bag ponchos, spot the lady Maya has dubbed "Crazy Hat" (for her penchant for wearing elaborate headgear) sitting alone on the bench. After some hesitation, and a character recommendation from Eugene, the local police officer, they engage Evelyn in conversation, but the outlandish claims she makes causes Riley to believe she is not quite right in the head. After the woman leaves to speak at the United Nations, while wondering how someone's life could fall into such an apparently dire situation, Riley is scooped up (not for the first time) by a passing trash collector, as Maya trails behind to rescue her.
A few days later, after Farkle's ruthless tactics in their mock business assignment have driven them away, the pair of girls encounter her again. After hearing their story, Evelyn advises them not to worry so much, and advises them to observe their current surroundings. Upon her return later that afternoon, Riley and Maya are still there, and their having noticed a lack of suitable rain protection for the soaked subway patrons has inspired a new business concept: a non-profit entity providing free umbrellas for anyone to use at one station, to be deposited when done at another. An idea so intriguing that "Crazy Hat's" alter ego, Evelyn Rand, of Rand Industries, decides to bankroll the endeavor. Soon Bleecker Street becomes the pilot station of the Matthews And Hart Umbrella Foundation.
"Girl Meets Brother"[]
After failing to earn spots on the JQA cheerleader squad, Riley and Maya, still clad in their uniforms, arrive at Bleecker Street station shortly before Riley's curfew. Maya wants to go shopping at a vintage apparel store having a sale on T-shirts, and after a brief inner struggle with herself, Riley decides to join Maya. Later, a train delay derails the 15th Anniversary plans of Cory and Topanga. Realizing that they were unlikely to find a cab among the sudden rush of frustrated travelers, the couple sense their night of romance and music slipping away.
But they are soon drawn to the melodic sounds of a musician performing nearby. Charmed by Topanga, the performer names his latest composition in her honor. Cory and Topanga see another couple, and the pair reminisce about their own first kiss, and when Topanga first proposed, which spurs Cory to propose to Topanga with a candy ring. After an improvised horse ride, Cory and Topanga decide their night is incomplete without their kids, and opt to return to their apartment to spy on them. The entire time they never suspected they were being serenaded by legendary Jazz performer, Herbie Hancock.
"Girl Meets Farkle's Choice"[]
Farkle picks the snack stand at the Bleecker Street subway station as the place for his double date (or rather his "emotional gauntlet of love") with Riley and Maya, to determine which friend to take to the Buggie Awards. Selecting adjacent tables, Farkle, also manages to locate a rolling stool to facilitate evenly splitting his time between the girls. To demonstrate how well he knows them, Farkle orders food he knows they prefer, for Riley it is a smoothie thick enough to eat with a spoon, for Maya it is a pretzel with an excessive amount of mustard on the side. He then reminds them of their years of friendship, gifting them with mementos from their mutual past, for Maya it is the skateboard she broke during his 8th birthday party, for Riley, it is another Hazel the Hippo stuffed toy to replace the one he originally gave her while keeping her company when her tonsils were removed.
The girls then realize they are being speed dated, which Farkle confirms, before rising to pay the check. Riley hops on Farkle's stool to share with Maya how great Farkle has been. Just then, two brothers, Sheldon and Cisco, approach the girls and make them uncomfortable with their aggressive unwanted attention. Farkle then returns to defend his friends, scaring off the interlopers by introducing them to his orange dancing spider. Farkle then tells Riley and Maya that he is their Canada, and will always be there for them. Both the girls then decide they will go with Farkle. When Maya asks Riley if they are actually fighting over Farkle, Riley glances at their friend standing nearby, and says yes, and that she intends to win. Maya then assures her best friend, that she does as well.
"Girl Meets First Date"[]
Awaiting the arrival of Riley and Maya for their double date, at Bleecker Street, Lucas and Farkle, disuss what it will be like. Farkle worries he won't be able to speak at all, but Lucas reminds him that the girls are their friends. The girls descend the station steps and both boys are impressed, and Farkle accurately notes with surprise that Maya is putting an 84% effort into the date. Farkle immediately wants Maya and himself to approach each other in slow motion, but she refuses. Farkle then begins spouting off how he feared not being able to talk but he feels so comfortable that he figures he might be the best at date talking. Lucas simply states that the sight of first seeing Riley all dressed up is a moment he will always remember. Just before the group enter the subway car, Farkle amends his prior claim, now allowing that he might be second best.
Season 3[]
"Girl Meets Upstate"[]
After collecting all the clothes Shawn bought Maya from Demolition, she and Riley board a train to travel to his cabin upstate. Once on board, they reminisce on how Lucas came into their lives, and chuckle to each other when they spot Jordan sitting in the same spot.
Trivia[]
- Both Maya and Farkle are well known by the people who frequent this stop, including Dweezil, a drumming busker, and Gretchen , a fashion model.
- According to Lucas, the rats living in the station are comparable in size to ponies.
- Somehow, a pigeon that had been following Maya trails her inside the station.
- Evelyn "Crazy Hat" Rand does a lot of her 'people watching' there.
- Eugene is a police officer stationed there.
- It is the initial location of the Matthews And Hart Umbrella Foundation.
- On the night of their 15th anniversary, Cory and Topanga meet Jazz legend Herbie Hancock, who names his latest composition, "Topanga."
- The subway did not appear in Season 2.
Gallery[]
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The image gallery for Bleecker Street Subway Station may be viewed here.
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References[]
External links[]
- Bleecker Street / Broadway – Lafayette Street (New York City Subway) station, at Wikipedia
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