Subway stations in New York City tend to be filthy. The tracks are often filled with muddy puddles and festooned with trash--old papers, discarded food wrappers and the rotting detritus of urban life. Not to mention rats. There are almost always rats splashing in the puddles, investigating the garbage, scaling the rails and then vanishing seconds before the train arrives.
And the rafters are equally disgusting. If you look overhead, the girders and beams are covered with soot and stalactites of grime. Compared to rail and rafters, the platforms tend to be clean (although I've seen plenty of trash and the occasional rat there as well). I suppose it's because the Transit Authority actually sends employees to clean the platforms--or at least they did at 1 a.m. on my way home. The crowd stood to the side to avoid getting wet, but I'm pretty sure we all shared a sense of amazement that someone was applying soap and water to a place synonymous with dirt.
