Lived there 5 years and eventually I came to the analogy that the buses were like red blood cells running through the streets distributing people. The metro trains and even taxis formed a sort of almost circulatory system for the city, with the humans being little cells being carried at varying speeds through different veins and vessels.
And I think the health of a city sort of depends on its circulatory system. Where I come from the system doesn’t cover the city adequately and that creates pockets of inequality, problems, low access to the centre. London is highly productive because of its excellent circulatory system.
In NYC the subway is filthy, urine soaked and at 3:30 AM there is higher than zero chance you will be harassed or assaulted.
The car is driven by someone tired yet in a hurry, on busy roads with (usually) lots of turns. There's not much space.
Way outside the peak times, the train is spacious, brightly lit and there's almost zero risk of an accident. 10 minutes walking at either end is probably a good idea after N hours in a bar.