Transit Strike 2005 - My First Day
I woke up today at 7am. Woke up my Powerbook and checked the headline on the NYTimes Site."A Frenzied Rush Hour That Came around Midnight" and other Headlines that the strike was on and I knew what I was in for.
I went back to bed for 50 minutes and woke up just before 8am to shower and dress and prepare for work.
As I took my vitamins and drank orange juice I watched Eyewitness news to see the reporters all around the area with commuters
that were stuck. The people on the feeder roads to 96th street and the people in NJ approaching the tunnel were just ridiculous,
trying to get below 96th Street with less than 4 passengers was mission impossible. Thankfully I was riding in with Russ and Terri and we just had to find one more person... Easier thought than enacted as no one was in front of the building, in the deli, near the train station or taxi company. We drove up 4th ave to 9th street and then headed closer to the tunnel. On the way over we spotted a guy who looked as if he was walking determinedly towards the city and we asked him if he was heading to downtown Manhattan. He was, as he had just found out the trains were closed that morning and was going to walk to work. With our 4 person vehicle fulfilled we breezed into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and headed into the city with very little morning traffic. Of course on the other side of the tunnel it was madness as no one was allowed onto the downtown streets unless they were a livery cab or emergency vehicle. &! nbsp;We were let out 2 blocks from the WTC and Russ was able to drive up to Chambers street to cross town. Once inside the PATH station I then had to wait as two shuttle trains arrived packed with people on Track 1. I almost rode on that train but then my nice empty train arrived and I went back up and over to platform 2 and rode into NJ in relative comfort.
So goes my first day into work
Now I just have to get home.
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Trip home was not that bad. Path Train to garage where Russ's vehicle was parked and then a reverse car pool with 2 people from his office. Dropped them off at the lot near the bridge and then continued through the streets of Bklyn to the environs of the slope.
More freezing temperatures tomorrow, among other things...
posted by T @ 8:29 PM
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