Hey, I think the NYC system is pretty great.
The quality of the subway lines depends largely on the geographies they serve. The G (IIRC, the only one that never enters Manhattan) is utter garbage; when I had the misfortune to rely on it, I frequently waited 20 minutes at rush hour.
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."