Strike, Day 2

Posted on

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Closed, originally uploaded by plemeljr
Well, after having the luck of a carpool yesterday and this morning, I finally had to make it home on my own. The experience was very much like Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, my path taking me on three different modes of transportation, crossing three rivers, two states, three Boroughs, and walking, using the PATH, and the ferry.
My trip is no more outrageous than any other New Yorker – but I wanted to write down some thoughts:

  • Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, Borough President Marty Markowitz was (again) on the Brooklyn end of the bridge, megaphone in hand, welcoming people back to Brooklyn. Best Borough President, EVER!
  • Walking Downtown toward the World Trade Center PATH station, it struck me that the only difference between a normal day was a slight increase in foot traffic, and a great deal of traffic – probably due to the lifting of the HOV restrictions (minimum of 4 people per car below 96th street and all river crossings).
  • Taking the PATH from WTC to 33rd Street/Penn Station was quick (20 minutes), but you have to go to New Jersey to go to Midtown.
  • Hearald Square was close to normal in terms of crowds, but the traffic rush was intense. Macy’s wasn’t as packed as it should be four days before Christmas, but it was crazy enough for me.
  • On my crosstown walk to the East River, I came to the conclusion that there are many strip clubs and porn shops on 33rd Street, probably in order to serve Midtown suits.
  • Taking the water taxi from 33rd Street to Long Island City took all of 2 minutes, and waiting on line took only around five minutes.
  • Long Island City and northern Greenpoint is deserted at night, and slightly creepy

All-in-all, it took me a little over 2 1/2 hours to get home, including a bit of shopping.
Tomorrow I may just walk to work, but that would take just as long, and I would have to walk 4.5 miles. Or, there is a Ferry-Ferry version I think I might be able to take.
Who knows, as long as I can get to the airport on Friday, everything will work out. All-in-all, I am still pro-union strike, but talk to me in a few days.