Summer Subway Fun

Fun and games getting into the office this morning on this extremely humid day of all days in New York - 75F at 8:40am and 94% humidity. Ugh!!! - the subways are out, at least from uptown anyway, although the office is like a ghost town - in fact I think I just saw a tumbleweed blow through - so I'm assuming it's a widespread issue.

Fingers crossed this could be my lucky day and I'll have some meetings cancelled. I was in for a crazy one at work, back to back meetings from 10am-5pm and then of course I'd have to find time after the meetings to actually do all the work that will have been piled upon me during those 7hours. Sob!! Y'see how much fun it can be working in New York?

I can't get onto the MTA website to try and find out what actually happened, but I suspect there's been some flooding from the fierce overnight storms we had. For some reason I had an inkling something might go wrong and decided to pick up the bus on the far east side with the intention of getting a 1, 2 or 3 train to midtown instead of using the 4,5 or 6 trains. It was a good move. As the bus passed the 86th street stop at Lexington Avenue I saw scores of bleary eyed New Yorkers clustered by the subway entrance looking bewildered as an MTA employee explained the lack of trains. The news was too much for their pre-caffeinated brains to handle so early in the morning and it took them a few moments to process the information...and then it registered and they all made a run for the bus I was on!! Yikes!!!

Fortunately the driver managed to tame the unruly crowd and got us all safely across town to the A,C, B, D subway stop at Central Park West where about 75% of people got off the bus. Then almost immediately go back on again as news reached them that there were no trains there either. It was the same story when we reached the 1,2,3 train a 86th and Broadway. I decided not to bother with trying to find transportation into the office at that point since it had stopped raining and set off to walk the 40 or so blocks down Broadway with 100s of other New Yorkers. Thank heavens I was wearing trainers/sneakers - like many New York women I keep a stash of about 8pairs of shoes in my filing cabinet at the office - I felt for the poor women who were walking in heels. Ouch!!

Thankfully I also keep a stash of deodrant as, given the humidity, it wasn't the best of days to be walking 40 blocks. By the time everyone stumbles into work it's going to be one sweet smelling office today folks. Phew!!

News just in. Someone just told me the entire subway system is down. Crazy!!