Manhattan is about six times as long as it is wide-it takes most of a day to walk north to south but less than one and a half (hour), however slowly you walk east to west. But this isn't clear on the subway map. There, it looks like Manhattan is only three times as wide as it is long, and much (big) than it really is relative to the rest of New York City. A casual walk across a few avenues looks like it takes way longer than it actually (do).
The subway map is designed this way a very good reason: a geographically accurate map would be a nightmare to read. By (present) Manhattan larger the map can (plain) show the important relationships between the subway lines, but not true (distant) or how long connections will take.
The NYC Subway map isn't the only one lies: London's, Paris's, and Boston's maps are all lies too. And while the lies they tell are useful, they can mislead you if you're looking for the best way to get somewhere. looks like it should take a few minutes on the subway can be a 30-second walk. It's easy (waste) time on public transport, especially if you're new to a city.
