David Bowie Fans Crowd Subway Stations For Speciality MetroCards

WEST VILLAGE, NY — David Bowie fans are flocking to two Manhattan subway stations in the hopes of snagging one of the specialty MetroCards featuring the icon.

The MTA announced on Tuesday that it would distribute 250,000 limited edition MetroCards at the Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street stations.

The cards, which feature images of Bowie from the Brooklyn Museum's new exhibit about him, were created by Spotify. The music streaming service has also launched a "subway takeover" of the Broadway-Lafayette Street station, which features Bowie-inspired art.

At Broadway-Lafayette, you can find quotes from Bowie, fan-made pieces of art dedicated to him, maps of his favorite haunts in the neighborhood (he was particularly fond of Washington Square Park), and more. The Bowie installation will stay at Broadway-Lafayette through May 13, Spotify said.

Bowie-loving commuters have crowded both stations since the cards were released on Tuesday, trying their luck at getting one of the limited edition MetroCards. Because the cards are dispersed randomly, there's no guarantee you'll get one from a MetroCard vending machine one your first try, meaning that superfans are buying multiple cards until they get one with Bowie's image on it.

As you can imagine, this had led to some pretty long lines:

The Brooklyn Museum exhibit, "David Bowie Is," will remain open through July 15. Tickets to the exhibit for true superfans can cost you up to $2,500, which covers a private tour of the exhibit plus Bowie merchandise, parking passes and more.

Image credit: Courtesy of Spotify