Is the subway a bad option?

Already in the past, I mostly took the subway - but not for time saving (waiting for the bus connecting JFK to the subway station, than the bus stopping at several terminals and parking lots, then waiting again for the next subway, and a long ride into Manhattan stopping every other minute) - but to get the local feeling right away when back in my (beloved) New York - and reading the same-day NewYork Times.

I fully understand that many people (Gisela etc) don't like to have to carry the luggage again and again, and some (again Gisela) also don't feel very safe on the subway (I never, so far, had any problem).