Happy Halloween

Tuesday New York survived Hurricane Sandy, and Wednesday we survived the Commute from Hell. I don’t know which was worse. The subways were still all down, so the regular 5 million subway passengers had to cram into buses or taxis to get downtown. This meant that people outside Manhattan were much more likely to try to drive to work, which turned the bridges and city into total gridlock. Things got so bad that they made a rule that no cars could cross the bridges with fewer than 3 passengers. The pricing structure for taxis changed so that they would be motivated to pick up multiple passengers. This has helped, but there is really nothing to replace the New York subway system. I have a co-worker who drove and then had to wait an hour to get a spot in a parking garage. I have another co-worker who rode her bike over from Brooklyn-winner.

What was bad in the morning, ended up being worse in the evening when everyone tried to go home. I walked out of my building to wait at a bus stop and found 30 people also waiting. When I saw the overcrowded buses passing, I realized it could be hours before I got on one, so I walked. I live 80 blocks away, which is a bit of a trek, but when I realized that I was walking faster than the traffic, I was glad I hadn’t stood there waiting. I did end up catching a bus for the last 20 blocks, but it took me two hours to get home (approx. 5 miles). Joy of all joys when my subway line was open today, and I can escape the madness on the streets.