How bad is the M?

The M, the connector line

The M is the orange line of the Manhattan–Queens–Brooklyn triangle, running from Mets–Willets Point in Queens, through Manhattan's Sixth Avenue and Lower East Side, and out to Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn. It's the line that connects three boroughs, threads through a handful of the city's busiest neighborhoods, and serves people who want to be two places at once.

The M is best known for its two very different ends. Its Queens end at Mets–Willets Point is the gateway to Citi Field and the 7 connection; its Brooklyn end at Metropolitan Avenue is the elevated ride through the quiet, leafy streets of Ridgewood and Middle Village. In between it threads Manhattan's Lower East Side, giving LES and Chinatown residents a direct line to Midtown and Queens.

Rider well-knowns: the M shares so much track with the J, R, and F that it's effectively a collaborative line — on the Brooklyn end it runs with the J, and in Manhattan with the F. The stretch between Essex Street and Marcy Avenue is single-track territory in places, which is where the M's idiosyncracies live. It's also the line with the odd-but-charming distinction of traveling under the Williamsburg Bridge in the shadow of the J.

The M is the line you reach for when you want to cross the city without committing to the big trunks. It's not the fastest or the most famous, but it stitches together three boroughs, a ballpark, and a neighborhood all in one calm ride. For connector-type travel, the M is quietly one of the best.