If you Can Make it Here...

New York, New York... This wonderful City of mine never ceases to amaze... and ... frustrate @ times. One would think I have learned over the past few years is to expect the unexpected when it comes to commuting in this city... you never know what can happen. After enduring what seemed like a monsoon the night before last, yesterday morning I set out for my regular commute to work. Befor I left home for work I checked the local news channel and realized that public transportation throughout New York City was in a virtual gridlock.... ahh... now I gotta scheme on how to get into work... kind of like the days after the Blackout of 2003. So I make my trek to my regular train... which the local news said had only minor delays. Of course the entire line [and my alternate lines] were ALL shut down.... ahh... did I mention that it was hotter than the Devil's armpits outside? So here I am sweating like a Randy Jackson @ a cookout walking around with a small army of displaced commuters looking for a bus that goes into Manhattan from queens... we finally found a bus stop with a line of people that already went around the block. The buses came every 15 to 10 minutes to that stop totally PACKED and the bus driver would only accept a few passengers at that stop so you know I was there for a while. After about 1 hour and 45 minutes, about 10 people were ahead of me. The bus pulls up to the stop. this knucklehead bus driver says he is not picking up any more passengers but he wanted to inform us that there are no more buses stopping @ that bus stop for the rest of the day... oh, ok... let me get this straight, I've been waiting at this bus stop for almost 2 hours. No trains are running and you are telling me that our wonderful city and transportation authority did not think it wise to send more buses after the last 9:30 bus passed a stop/ area PACKED with potential passengers.... you gotta luv it!
Anyway, luckily wifey was home that day so she picked my up from that bus stop and drove me to an LIRR stop where I boarded a SUUPER PACKED train [the train was packed so tight that I almost felt violated.. almost] that was on it's way to Manhattan. The streets were littered with people... To me it just seems like that the city's physical infrastructure is falling apart. there is no way that heavy rains and flooding should cripple the transportation infrastructure a city as metro-heavy [yeah..just made that word up] as NY. Between blackouts, steam pipe explosions and the public transportation system you just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst as best as you can.. its the New New york way.. Now if only out city officials would realize that... If you can make it here... well.. you know the rest.

Pics were jacked from nytimes.com