This morning, I woke up to the pouring rain and debated: “cab or subway, subway or cab.” By the time I was ready to leave the palatial spread I call home, it looked like the storm had abated somewhat, so I determined the subway was the way to go.
Once I descended into the white hot sauna that is the Columbus Circle station, I noticed a number of orange-vested transit workers milling about, but none of them said anything about the 1/9 line not running, nor were any signs to that effect posted anywhere, so i swiped my Metrocard and went on my merry way.
As I approached my track, I noticed it was cordoned off, not allowing me to board any train that might arrive. Hearing someone ask how to get to Columbia without the train, my ears perked up.
“Take the M104 bus.”
Armed with this knowledge, and with a distinct distate for buses, I emerged from the subway station seeking a cab. Departing the station, I walked through about 5 inches of water, soaking my shoes and, worse, my socks. Then I tried to hail a cab, a futile exercise if ever there was one. The lack of subway seemed to have led to a comparable lack of cabs. Resignedly, I began walking East to track down an M104 bus, its route being uptown via Broadway. Good thing I had already walked over to Amsterdam from Broadway/Columbus to try to find an uptown cab. Now I needed to trek back East to head North. Huh?
Oh, on a side note, while I was on Amsterdamn (was that “n” intentional?) waiting for a cab that would never come, a fire engine drove the wrong way down Amsterdam (you can’t go DOWN Amsterdam) completely stopping traffic as it backed into the firehouse. More delays.
Finally, I arrived at a bus stop. As a bus pulled near, I noticed that people were standing in the stairway, squeezed into every available inch of space. I might’ve found a spot on the roof, but it would’ve been tight.
Therefore, as the rain alternated between a drizzle and a downpour, I continued what would become a 60 block sojourn up to school. All the while, I glanced over my shoulder looking for available cabs, sometimes stopping on a street corner to see if there was one available to flag down. There wasn’t. Ever. Even had there been, people would just as soon gank your cab as look at you on this day.
The upshot? It took one million years to make what is normally a 25 minute commute. Suhweet
And, yes, my socks are still wet…
Author’s Note: “one million years” may have been hyperbole on my part, but it did take a really, REALLY long time.