The NYC Subway System - The Fifth Canto of Hell
I have had it ya'll. Blizzard in NY is fine with me but when the subways are screwed, that's when I seriously want to move somewhere car-friendly.
Case in point: This morning's commute.
Woke up this morning and said to myself..."Hmmm, since there is about 8 inches of snow on the ground, I guess I will check the local news and see if there are any subway delays..." So I go online to not one, not two, but three websites (including NYC Transit) all of which tell me there are no advisories. So I leave my house at normal time, and skipdiddydoodah around the corner to the G train. Anyone who lives in Brooklyn knows the G train is a joke and it's not even dependable on a sunny, 70 degree day, so why would I think it would be running when we've just had a blizzard? I don't know, perhaps because I checked for advisories!?!?!?! When I get to the station, I see two women conversing at the entrance. One woman tells me that the train is running in sections and she has been waiting 45 minutes for the train to show up. For those people not from NY, the train shows up every 5 minutes (sometimes faster) during rush hour. But the train for which I checked and was told there are no advisories, not shown up after 45 minutes. I quickly think of an alternate route and decide I will trudge 5 long blocks in the snow to the C train station. The C train is a rather reliable train and rarely has issues. It has gotten me out of many a bind when the G train left me stranded. When I tell the woman my plans, she tells me that that train isn't running either. She says "I already called my office and told them I am not coming in. I sick of this! Good luck!" Dayum. So, I then decide to walk a block and catch a bus to downtown Brooklyn where there is a higher concentration of trains. After arriving at the bus stop and watching three buses pass with people packed inside, one out of service bus stops. The bus driver listens to our plight and picks us up. So, I am chillin on the bus knowing that when I get downtown I can pick and choose what train I take. Sure enough, when I get downtown I grab a train and get to work on time (despite riding the train with some unsavory characters that looked like they could be extras at the Korova Milk Bar and two other people that looked like SS officers complete with double breasted peacoats with shiny gold buttons, sunglasses, and combat boots). I had to ask myself if I had taken any hallucinogens. Sadly, I had not.
This evening I left the office without giving a thought to how I might get home. About a block away from the station, I realized I should have checked. But I think, "Well, the C train wasn't running this morning but I am sure all those issues should be worked out by now". I get down into the subway to hear that the C train is not running AT ALL. So I opt to go back the way I came to work this morning (even if it does mean taking the train and a bus and then walking). So I catch the train, and it creeps along, and creeps along. We actually sit on the Manhattan Bridge for a few minutes due to "congestion" ahead. **SARCASM ALERT** And because I am one of the luckiest people in the world, there just so happens to be a trumpet player in my car playing "When the Saints Come Marching In" who stops right in front of me for an encore. Oh joy! I mean, who cares, I really didn't want to listen to what was on my iPod anyway. Finally after sitting there for 15 minutes only about 20 ft from my stop, the train finally pulls into the station. So I run out of the station and around the corner to catch the bus. I grab the bus in record time and walk the block home, pissed that it took me an hour and a half to get home when it usually takes 30 minutes.
When I get home, my roommate is watching the news. She says, "You know the trains aren't running right?" to which I answered, "Oh yea, I know" trying not to be irritated. Then she says, "Yeah, some homeless man got into the controls and set the switches on fire...it might take 3 years to fix it". The A/C train won't be running normally in Brooklyn for a while. This morning the C train wasn't running because the switches were frozen and now it's not running because a homeless man set fire to the control box.
SUPER...
Anyone got suggestions on where I can move?
Case in point: This morning's commute.
Woke up this morning and said to myself..."Hmmm, since there is about 8 inches of snow on the ground, I guess I will check the local news and see if there are any subway delays..." So I go online to not one, not two, but three websites (including NYC Transit) all of which tell me there are no advisories. So I leave my house at normal time, and skipdiddydoodah around the corner to the G train. Anyone who lives in Brooklyn knows the G train is a joke and it's not even dependable on a sunny, 70 degree day, so why would I think it would be running when we've just had a blizzard? I don't know, perhaps because I checked for advisories!?!?!?! When I get to the station, I see two women conversing at the entrance. One woman tells me that the train is running in sections and she has been waiting 45 minutes for the train to show up. For those people not from NY, the train shows up every 5 minutes (sometimes faster) during rush hour. But the train for which I checked and was told there are no advisories, not shown up after 45 minutes. I quickly think of an alternate route and decide I will trudge 5 long blocks in the snow to the C train station. The C train is a rather reliable train and rarely has issues. It has gotten me out of many a bind when the G train left me stranded. When I tell the woman my plans, she tells me that that train isn't running either. She says "I already called my office and told them I am not coming in. I sick of this! Good luck!" Dayum. So, I then decide to walk a block and catch a bus to downtown Brooklyn where there is a higher concentration of trains. After arriving at the bus stop and watching three buses pass with people packed inside, one out of service bus stops. The bus driver listens to our plight and picks us up. So, I am chillin on the bus knowing that when I get downtown I can pick and choose what train I take. Sure enough, when I get downtown I grab a train and get to work on time (despite riding the train with some unsavory characters that looked like they could be extras at the Korova Milk Bar and two other people that looked like SS officers complete with double breasted peacoats with shiny gold buttons, sunglasses, and combat boots). I had to ask myself if I had taken any hallucinogens. Sadly, I had not.
This evening I left the office without giving a thought to how I might get home. About a block away from the station, I realized I should have checked. But I think, "Well, the C train wasn't running this morning but I am sure all those issues should be worked out by now". I get down into the subway to hear that the C train is not running AT ALL. So I opt to go back the way I came to work this morning (even if it does mean taking the train and a bus and then walking). So I catch the train, and it creeps along, and creeps along. We actually sit on the Manhattan Bridge for a few minutes due to "congestion" ahead. **SARCASM ALERT** And because I am one of the luckiest people in the world, there just so happens to be a trumpet player in my car playing "When the Saints Come Marching In" who stops right in front of me for an encore. Oh joy! I mean, who cares, I really didn't want to listen to what was on my iPod anyway. Finally after sitting there for 15 minutes only about 20 ft from my stop, the train finally pulls into the station. So I run out of the station and around the corner to catch the bus. I grab the bus in record time and walk the block home, pissed that it took me an hour and a half to get home when it usually takes 30 minutes.
When I get home, my roommate is watching the news. She says, "You know the trains aren't running right?" to which I answered, "Oh yea, I know" trying not to be irritated. Then she says, "Yeah, some homeless man got into the controls and set the switches on fire...it might take 3 years to fix it". The A/C train won't be running normally in Brooklyn for a while. This morning the C train wasn't running because the switches were frozen and now it's not running because a homeless man set fire to the control box.
SUPER...
Anyone got suggestions on where I can move?
posted by Nicole at 11:04 PM
2 Comments:
See if the homeless dude has a vacancy. Think of it, a place to call your own for the 3 years it takes to fix, you'll be able to rid yourself of your present roommate, and he'll keep the place warm due to his pyromania!!! You'll get used to the homeless madman ramblings after the frst few days..
You must live in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene! I'm around the same area and did the exact same thing you did!
Rumor has it that they will reroute the V train to pick up some of the slack that this C train fiasco is going to cause. Keep your fingers crossed.
I know you're the Purple Haze but can you change the text color? It's driving my eyes batty trying to read your blog.
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