For NYC straphangers Asdrid Vasquez and Nick Bartolone, the end of the line is just the beginning.
From Woodlawn to Wakefield and from Flushing to Far Rockaway, the Brooklyn couple love to turn long rides on the train — something most New Yorkers would studiously avoid outside of their weekday commutes — into mini-adventures.
Leaving the usual sights and sites to the crowds, the peripatetic pair are all about the far-flung — overlooked neighborhoods, secret mom-and-pop restaurants with little to no social media following (yet!) and surprising cultural gems waiting at the far reaches of the world’s largest subway system.
Now, they’re sharing their findings with the world — via one of TikTok’s most charming emerging series, called “End of the Line.”
“We started our series this winter because we were stuck at home and wanted a reason to get out, break our routine and explore more of the city we love,” Vasquez, 32, told The Post.
No strangers to Gotham’s transit maze, the self-described “foodies and nerds” were eager to experience the Big Apple beyond their daily commute to Manhattan for work.
“We take the subway every single day and thought we could use our free time to travel to places we’ve never been,” Vasquez said. “We realized we could use [the trains] to explore neighborhoods we’d never been to — and hopefully inspire other people to venture beyond their own boroughs, too.”
Every weekend, the couple spins a wheel featuring every subway line — before hopping aboard whichever train fate chooses.
The mission: Ride it all the way to the end, step onto an unfamiliar platform and see what happens next.
Will it be Dominican food in Inwood? Greek eats in Astoria? A hidden gem historic site in Brownsville? Half the fun is watching the hosts find out as they go.
So far, the couple have explored roughly a quarter of the system’s 665 track miles — trekking from the N train’s final stop in Coney Island to the 1 train’s northern terminus at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, the A train’s endpoints, and beyond — uncovering great Latin fusion restaurants, Georgian bakeries, Caribbean roti shops, historic museums and family-run businesses that rarely make it onto anyone’s weekend itinerary.
“We knew initially that we would stumble upon some great restaurants and food spots,” Bartolone, 36, told The Post.
What they weren’t prepared for was how much more there is to see, far from the high-profile attractions that most people come to New York for.
“We were also lucky to discover so many museums across the city and other historical sites and old colonial houses that we never even knew existed,” Vasquez explained.
The transit-riding twosome fell for one another after meeting in 2019 — discovering they shared a love of the city’s seemingly limitless range of culinary offerings.
What they’ve learned from their adventures is not to plan their outings — but to leave room for surprises, instead.
“We trust locals for the best recommendations — always,” Vasquez said.
One stop often leads to another, they said.
After trying Honduran food and sipping Yemeni coffee in Jamaica, Queens, for example, a local pointed them toward the nearby Little Bangladesh area on Hillside Ave. — a detour that ultimately introduced them to three different enclaves in a single afternoon.
“We ended up discovering food from three distinct cultures in one neighborhood, all because of her recommendation,” she said.
“We love those New York moments because they lead you to places you probably never would’ve discovered on your own.”
Food may lure them onto each train, but it’s the unique neighborhoods that keep them coming back.
Among Bartolone’s favorite finds: Astoria’s Greek restaurant Stamatis, Dominican hotspot Tipico56 in Inwood, Caribbean spot Trinciti Roti Shop in South Ozone Park and Indian fusion restaurant The Last Stop in the Bronx.
For Vasquez (who also shouted out Dominican spot Tina’s Restaurant in Kingsbridge, The Bronx), one destination left an even deeper impression than lunch.
She said discovering the Weeksville Heritage Center in Crown Heights — the site of one of America’s earliest free Black communities — became one of the series’ most meaningful moments.
“When you think about the history behind it, it’s such an impactful place to discover — and such an important part of New York City that so many people still don’t know about,” she said.
For the newlyweds — who met on Hinge seven years ago, married at City Hall last year, and even rode the subway to their wedding — the project has become much more than a social media hit.
It’s become a reminder, they say, that one of the world’s greatest travel destinations is right on their doorstep.
The response online has been just as rewarding.
Across Instagram and TikTok — where the couple has 15.7K followers and regularly racks up between 71,000 and 118,000 views per video — viewers have turned each installment into a crowdsourced guidebook, filling the comments with praise, neighborhood tips and suggestions for future stops.
One commuter recently recognized the pair riding the A train en route to their next adventure.
“I just love this idea. I plan on copying your itinerary, what a great way to explore off the beaten path, and miss the tourist traps,” one viewer wrote.
Others have praised the couple for spotlighting the city’s many cultures, with one commenter thanking them for “taking the time to explain [many cultures’] flavors and appreciating different types of food.”
For locals, the videos have become a source of neighborhood pride.
“It’s so cool watching a place I grew up in being seen by people who enjoy it,” one person from Bayswater, Queens wrote, while another, reacting to the couple’s Broad Channel visit, commented, “What a cute community! You two are really getting to know the whole city!!”
Fans have also embraced the series itself.
“That cemetery is beautiful! I love how many different things you guys do on your adventures. This is the best series!!” one person wrote after the couple’s Woodlawn episode.
Another added, “This has become my new favorite series. Thanks for taking us along with you.”
The videos have even become a travel itinerary for would-be visitors. “Guys, I’m gonna rely on your subway series when I go to New York,” one commenter wrote, while another viewer from California admitted, “I’ll forever be jealous of how good the public transit is there.”
The creators say the project has reinforced something they already suspected — the best of NYC isn’t always found in a printed guide.
“New York is more than just Manhattan,” Vasquez said, “and it’s so much more than one borough.”
The videographers have compiled a Google Maps list of all the hidden gems they’ve uncovered along the way — and they hope the series encourages fellow New Yorkers to stay on the train a few extra stops and explore beyond their usual haunts and hoods.
“I think diversity across neighborhoods and enclaves makes New York City the beautiful mosaic that it is,” Vasquez said.
Bartolone agreed, adding that some of his best discoveries have come from simply talking to his fellow citizens.
“There’s a common misconception that New Yorkers are cold and rude and don’t have time to waste on a chat, but we’ve found that if you create a moment and talk with more people, you can discover their favorite places in the city too, and even ones you never would’ve thought of going to,” he said.
“I think many New Yorkers are actually really nice,” he added — urging people interested in knowing the city better to try chatting with the people they regularly cross paths with.
“That might be your barista, a bodega owner or even a crossing guard,” he said, recalling how one of the latter recently recommended several restaurants in his hometown of Far Rockaway, Queens — suggestions that ultimately made it into the viral series.
Bartolone estimates it will take him and his wife nine months to complete their subway quest. They’re even planning to ride the Staten Island Railway — after a ferry ride to St. George, of course.
“Overall, with this series, we really hope to encourage people in New York to discover more of the city,” Vasquez said.
She noted that she and Bartolone will “always appreciate how lucky we are” to have “a public transportation system that connects us to small businesses that celebrate so many different cultures and cuisines.”
And as avid travelers who have visited more than 30 countries, the couple said their experiment has only reinforced their love of the city’s incomparable energy.
“No matter where we go, we know it’s impossible to find a place with this many vibrant and colorful neighborhoods just a few steps — or subway stops — away from each other,” Vasquez said.
“There’s no place like New York,” Bartolone agreed.
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