Wednesday 8 August 2007

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!!

12 comments:

Amel said...

OUCH!!! That must've been HORRIBLE indeed.

Lots of people keep EIGHT pairs of shoes in your filing cabinet?!?!?!?!

I'm SHOCKED!!!!! Why is that? I mean, why keep 8? He he he...

Walking in heels is a TORTURE!!!

fishwithoutbicycle said...

>Lots of people keep EIGHT pairs >of shoes in your filing >cabinet?!?!?!?

Yup. At least in my office they do. It's much more fun than keeping work in there :-)

Mr and Mrs Knutzen said...

I have 3 pairs in my desk...one pair of very high heels, one pair of pumps and one pair of flats. Then I wear my cross trainers when I walk to work or if it is a nice day, I wear my flip flops which I always keep in my bag. Gotta be prepared! Thanks goodness there are showers in our offices!

fishwithoutbicycle said...

That's exactly what I usually do, walk in wearing my trainers and then take my pick of shoes when I get to the office. Much comfier that way and your nice shoes last longer if you are not commuting in them :-)

Amanda said...

Days like this, I think my sister's glad she's on vacation in Croatia :)

Princess of the Universe said...

I made this comment on another NY blog today, and I'm going to ask you the same (perhaps ignorant) question:
Aren't subways underground? How does the rain effect them exactly?

Amel said...

Ah, now I understand. The thing is, back in Indo I don't think they prepared showers in offices (never heard any of that anyway, except maybe if you work in a gym LOL). And I don't think lots of people walk to work anyway back in Indo he he he...

Heather said...

looooooooooord. see, that's why i have a limo and a driver.

ok, i don't have a limo and a driver, but if this happened to me, i would get one immediately.

ok, so i couldn't get one immediately, but i would want one.

and let me just say how jealous i am that ya'll had rain. we're dying here in Va. No rain in forever. my yard is deader than dead. I should totally have the gardner start watering.

ok, i don't really have a gardner...

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Thanks for stopping by ladies :-)

Amanda - Croatia!! Lucky lucky sis. My friend Melissa just came back from there, she said it's beautiful.

Wishful - gonna go buy that lottery ticket at lunchtime and set myself up with a limo and driver. I'll be Ms. Big ;-)

Princess - only part of the subway is underground. Once you get to the outer boroughs it's often above ground, and when we have a deluge like yesterday the pumps - which according to the freebie metro paper I was reading this morning - pump 13million gallons of water from the subway on a DRY day (what??) - are completely overloaded. Of course the transit authority is now pointing the finger at the city sewer system.

It took my friend Jacqui until 1.30pm to get to the office yesterday, and because she is at a law firm they expected an 8hour day from her when she arrived. Urk!!

Victorya said...

It took me three hours to get to work and one of those was spent walking.

Amel - I keep eight as well,exactly eight. Heels (in case a board member comes by) then different types of shoes to match each outfit as needed. (a pair of blue, brown, black, white, red, rain shoes, a , etc.)

your name really fit yesterday, didn't it? Just swim to work. Another problem with the subways is the garbage people throw around clog up what few drains they have making it harder.

But I've never seen a day where ALL trains were knocked out. That was ridiculous.

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Hey Victorya - yes my name did fit yesterday, that never occurred to me :-) Do you remember approx. 2 years ago we had a similar thing happen, it just didn't affect rush hour quite as badly because the heavy rain started around 7am, so it didn't start to knock out the trains until around 8am, so most people were able to get partially into work. I remember a colleague stomping in late all soaked and bedraggled saying "Queens is CLOSED!!"

Victorya said...

Wasn't it recently that all the metro-north/LIRR was knocked out and there were photos of impromptu waterfalls at some stations?

It's getting nutty indeed.