New York City has a secret subway line with antique cars — here's what it's like to ride it

The New York City subway system is one of the most fascinating curiosities in a city full of mysteries. Miles of underground track shrouded in darkness, littered with abandoned stations and secret passageways — it's a common object of desire for the urban explorers among us.

And, occasionally, New York City acknowledges the delightful mystery surrounding its 24-hour transportation system. The annual "Shopper's Special" train line is a perfect example of this:

The train line, consisting of eight vintage New York subway cars from several different eras, runs for a few weekends each year — from the Sunday after Thanksgiving to the end of the year, only on Sundays.

So what'd we do this past weekend? We got on the train and took a ride!

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I got on at the Second Avenue stop in Manhattan — the train runs between the Second Avenue stop in Manhattan and the Queens Plaza stop in Queens.

As you can see, the train runs all day starting at 10 a.m. and concluding at about 5 p.m.

Even though we arrived at 12:30, there were already a bunch of people waiting — some were clearly tourists; others were clearly New Yorkers.