rdewald's Journal: Strike!

The Transit Worker's Union is striking against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. No buses, no subways. I live near Columbia University, at about 116th street on the upper upper west side of Manhattan. I have to be in a meeting on Tuesday mornings which is held at 57th and Broadway.

I walked. It took about an hour and a half (including a couple of stops in Starbucks on the way). Google maps tells me it is about three and a half miles.

Uphill.

In the snow.

No, not really. One thing that was quite fortunate is that it was a dry and clear twenty degress for my morning constitutional, and mostly level.

Above 96th street there are no traffic restrictions. At 7am there was a ten block back-up on Columbus Avenue above 96th. Below 96th, where one must have four passengers in the car and no commercial vehicles are allowed, it was as if it was very early on a sleepy non-holiday Sunday morning. Cars were zipping down empty north-south avenues, there was practically no cross-street traffic at all.

There was a number of people walking, about as it is during a busy Saturday afternoon. Once I got to mid-town the morning pedestrian traffic was actually a little light.

I'll keep posting here as much as I can to let those of you with an interest (which I imagine is going to be mostly my NYC readers) what it's like for me.

Hiya

[NeeNee3]

I'm actually living in NY until July...back and forth between Plano some weekends. I haven't been into the city yet though, still stuck out on Long Island. I thought about going in last weekend, but the friend that I was going to go in with had to go to PA. So, I won't get in until after New Years.

Drop me an email and maybe we can meet up sometime. :-)

On the opposite coast

[redhead-kitten]

Even though I'm on the opposite coast, I'm very interested to see how things go for you in the strike.

I know when I worked in downtown Seattle, I relied heavily on the bus system and would have been negotiating with my fellow riders at the park & ride to get a car full to make the commute.

I currently work in Tacoma, and commute with a co-worker, so it wouldn't be as big of a deal for me now.

Thank you for keeping us updated.

^_^

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Re:I'm in Colorado and I'm interested!

[Some Woman]

Mmmmmmmm.... light rail. Thank the gods for Jesse Ventura not being afraid to tell everybody to fuck the hell off. He finally made it happen.

This is how the legislative sessions went during discussion of Light Rail:

OMG!OMG!!EXPENSIVE!!$$$$$!WHINEBITCHWHINE! MOMMMEEEEEEEE---HE'S being MEEEEEEEEAN! *heal dragging* *bitching* NOBODY WILL USE IT!! OMGOMG! Screw public transport- WE NEED MORE HIGHWAY LANES!! MOMMYMAKEHIMSTOP! I CAN'T DRIVE MY HUMMER ON A RAIL LINE! WON'T WORK!!! WAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAaaaa!!

Even t

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NY is one of those cities

[NeMon'ess]

That is just interesting, so keep on writing.

Heh.

[Deamos]

I was actually wondering how it was going for you as I sit here watching news coverage of the strike and lo and behold I come to /. and there is an entry from you. You must be psychic. :)

I'm definitely one of the people who will be watching this space for updates on how things progress as the strike continues.

I have to say that I'm pretty happy that I don't have much cause to go into NYC normally and no reason to go any time in the next week or so.