taking the subway from 74St to 42St with luggage during evening rush hour

Title. I’m planning a trip to NYC; I have experience riding subways at big cities but not the NYC one. Taking an unknown subway during rush hour with luggage sounds like hell but I don’t feel like dropping +$100 on a single ride share. Plus I think I can make do without ADA stations so this doesn’t feel too unrealistic. Does this sound doable/reasonable for a tourist or should I just pay for an Uber? I’m especially worried about safety, how packed trains can get during rush hour, and whether the stations I’ll take have elevators.