As a child growing up in the 1980s and watching such movies as Adventures in Babysitting, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, and Ninja Turtles, it was nearly impossible to not be afraid of subways. In the mind of a child, subways were filthy and graffiti covered, and rival gangs freely roamed between train cars, destined to clash in the car where YOU were sitting, at 3 PM of course. It was certainly no place for a white middle class kid from the suburbs. I remember having incredible anxiety the first time my father took me on the TTC. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time, going from Union Station to the Maple Leaf Gardens.