In New York’s streets, expressways and parkways, bridges and tunnels, and perhaps most of all its subways are evident the full breadth and scope of New York life, and the symbols familiar to city dweller and onlooker alike.

In order to achieve the simple goal of moving millions of people and goods to and fro, New Yorkers have been forced to innovate time and again. This impulse has produced developments like the grid street system, waterway projects like the Erie Canal, the aviation industry’s record-breaking flights, and engineering marvels like the Brooklyn Bridge that have come to define New York. Perhaps more than any other technological innovation, the subway has revolutionized New York. Its opening in 1904 launched an era of growth and prosperity for New York City allowing people to disperse and move farther away from downtown areas to the outer rings of the City, thus redefining residential space.

Today, New York City is home to one of the world’s most complex and sophisticated transportation systems. With its intricate subways, elaborate bus, trains and ferry lines, three major airports and thousands of famous yellow cabs, it is easy to get around New York City.