The New York City subway system, love it or hate it, is a staple of the city's culture, and has been for more than a century. These days, the jam-packed subways are filled people glued to their phones, ignoring the ads (mostly for new startups) splashed across the inside of the cars. But before we had Spotify to keep us busy on our commutes, subway riders were surrounded by grime, graffiti, and a heavy police presence. Here are a few scenes that paint the picture of what it was like to get around The Big Apple in the 1970s.