After more than three decades of swipes, the MetroCard, a familiar piece of New York City history, is heading into retirement.

The New York Transit Museum is marking the moment with a special exhibit honoring the card that many say carried them through unforgettable moments.

The "Farewell MetroCard" exhibit

For generations of New Yorkers, the swipe sound meant you were on your way. The MetroCard was phased into the transit system back in 1994, replacing tokens as the way people moved around the city.

The card lived in back pockets and winter coats and got creased to the point where sometimes it just didn't work.

But now, after more than 30 years, it is nearing retirement. It will be phased out completely on Dec. 31.

At the New York Transit Museum, a new exhibit called "Farewell MetroCard" opens on Wednesday. Call it a love letter to a piece of plastic that became part of everyday life.

The exhibit traces early designs and limited-edition ones to the countless ways commuters made the cards their own.

"I think the real story of MetroCard is the technological advance that it represents," Jodi Shapiro, curator at the New York Transit Museum, said Tuesday.

Before smartphones, before tap-and-go, there was the MetroCard. Just one swipe could take you nearly anywhere within the five boroughs.

"A token was so completely different from this that the authority had to teach millions of people how to use this fare payment system," Shapiro said. "There was a whole lot of marketing behind it, like checking your balance."

New Yorkers wish the MetroCard well in retirement

For numerous New Yorkers, saying goodbye to the MetroCard feels like closing a chapter, while signifying a new beginning, as OMNY becomes the future.

Some said they don't like the new system because it doesn't give an account balance, while others lamented not getting a custom MetroCard while they were available.

"My first MetroCard I got framed. It's a goofy thing, but it was one of those things when they first announced it was going away, I was like, man, while I still have it around, I might as well go do something with it," one rider said.

The MetroCard may be reaching the end of the line, but the memories it carried are unlimited.