An airplane passes the moon on its way to LaGuardia airport in Queens, New York. By the way, there are over 1.6 million people living in Manhattan, but over 2.3 million in Queens, so in terms of pure numbers, it seems Eddie Murphy was actually on the right track in his quest for a suitable “queen.”
Take a load off Fannie. Take a load for $1.75. Take a load off Fannie. And (and) (and) you can put the load right on the MTA and the Path transit systems because right now they are operating so slowly and losing money and will probably hike up prices again next year.
Advertising in New York City is out of control. It’s like you have to get beaten over the head for it to sink in. Well, apparently this guy beats people over the head for a living, I just don’t know who he is. And I don’t think I want to.
MMA ads for HDNet.
Two roads diverged in a city and I — I called for a cab. ~ Marc Cappelletti
Christopher Street
It seems that I missed a lot by leaving New York City on Memorial Day Weekend. Sure, it was the conclusion of Fleet Week and a remembrance of all those who have sacrificed their lives to protect this great country. But, bigger than that, I missed the Doggie Pedal Parade! (A parade of people on bikes with their dogs either in the front baskets or with them some how or another.
And, when I saw this bicycle today all decorated and chained up on Barrow Street in the West Village, I realize that I have yet to mention the Love Your Lane campaign.
Love Your Lane
Incidentally, this bicycle was adorned with information on both the Love Your Lane campaign and the Doggie Pedal. I’d love to meet the owner. My guess is that they are a member or associated with Time’s Up!, New York City’s non-profit direct action environmental organization. For more than 20 years, they have worked to educate people about the environmental impacts of everyday decisions, from the food we buy to the means of transportation we use.
Time’s Up! can be found here. They offer group rides (silly or serious), environmental information, great T-shirts, bike repair workshops and an overall sense of belonging. Check them out either online or at their new space in Brooklyn at 99 South 6th Street off Bedford Avenue, right under the Williamsburg Bridge.
Enforce the penalty written on this sign. That’s it. And I’m not even talking about enforcing the No Honking policy on every sign throughout the city. There are far too many and sometimes, for safety, you just have to honk. So let’s keep the law to just this one sign. It’s on the north end of Gramercy Park.
As I walked by it this morning on my walk to work I heard 5 distinct honks. That’s $1,750 in about two minutes. Put that in the bank, Mr. Bloomberg.
Don't Honk!
If you’ve found this website while searching for legitimate NYC commuting information and are watching the hours go by sifting through each whitty, timely and life-enhancing post still wanting more commuterly info, this is your post.
Today’s focus is on CommutersVoice.com, a site dedicated to commuter services for those from Eastern New Jersey schlepping into New York. While the site’s discussion forum is in dire need of interaction, the location pages appear to be complete and informative.
So, if you’re commuting to NYC from Wayne, Lincoln Park, Little Falls, Montclair, Upper Montclair or Montville, you may want to check out commutersvoice.com.
Overall, this site is set up with the framework for lots of potential to help commuters voice opinions and advice. Surprisingly, the site is sponsored by CondoSpectrum.com, a site offering a variety of Townhouse, Condominium, Cooperatives and Planned Unit Developments in northern Jersey. You could read into it as bias, but I think the commuters voice maintains neutrality throughout. It’s a smart move on behalf of CondoSpectrum.com in seeking to better service people in search of area condos and concerned about the commute.
From one commuter to another, kudos.
What’s an extra 15 minutes worth in the morning? In New York, a hell of a lot. Since winter is past and the days are warmer I’ve started riding my bike to work. Not only is it better for me physically, it saves me time and I get to see so much more of the city than when I’m stuck underground on a train. Follow along as I ride down the west side, at least for a bit. (Sorry about the bumps, couldn’t help it.)
Surprisingly peaceful and fun, right? Of course it is only after I fight to get across town. Wear your helmet!
And I thought my gym bag felt heavy! I noticed this slight girl this morning stepping off the Path train with this, a cello or something huge and instrumental, strapped to her back like the weight of the world. For the amount of musical venues and shows going on daily in NYC, it’s something to think about all of the musicians who have to bring their gear on public transportation.
Have you ever been on a train where someone’s amp or drum kit is blocking the doors? It’s not fun for you to step around, but just think how annoying it is for the musician. This is all why I play the harmonica.
Instrumental Burden
The plows are out. The salt is down. New York is getting hammered with snow (by east coast standards) but people are still getting to work however they see fit.
Commuting biker
We’re supposed to get another 4 inches today, pushing the snow tally to 8-10 inches in the city, more elsewhere. But it pails in comparison to the largest single snowfall ever in New York (link). Actually, it’s a little less than half. 26 inches is the record, set in 2006.
Plow skims the surface
Apparently no one told these people (25 of them!) that the M23 is the slowest bus on earth and that it takes 30 minutes to go crosstown. But I guess it was just so damn cold this morning that they didn’t care.
Huge Bus Lines
What do you get when you find a ten dollar bill in your pants’ pocket and walk outside to find it snowing? That’s right, you get a taxi cab to work! This is the first time in over a year that I’ve stepped inside a yellow chariot to get to work. We set off down 3rd Ave. and when we turned right on Houston I realized why taking a cab to work isn’t always the best idea.
Traffic ahead, traffic behind, and you know what notion just crossed my mind? I should have walked. Alas, I stayed warm and finally made it to work. With tip it was $11, so only $1 over the ten I had found earlier. It was worth it.
Cabbing it to work.
Houston Street Traffic Jam
Restaurants on Houston
I’ve been home for a few days and away from the walking world of New York City. My commutes thus far have been 30 minutes to my grandparent’s house for a Thanksgiving feast that left me asleep on the couch by 6. (Eating begins at two o’clock and runs straight through until dinner, which begins promptly at four-thirty). The other commute was a drive of a little over an hour to visit my friend’s new house.
After both of these drives I can’t help but reflect on how not present I as during either of them. The car is moving you. You make minor adjustments – pressing a peddel an inch closer to the ground or letting it come an inch up or moving a hydraulicly assisted wheel to the right or left – but really it’s the car doing all the work. Not so when you have to walk through New York every morning and night in the now cold and windy weather. With walking you feel every step. You hear your breathing change. You know one second to the next how you feel.
When I was driving I swear there were entire miles when I was zoned out. And I now realize why people stay in New York their entire lives. Because it’s there that they feel something. Whether it’s good or bad. Even with the sting of walking a half an hour on a twenty-degree morning. Smelling the dog urine that covers one block or the aromatic flower shop on the next corner. Seeing a homeless man wrapped in blankets or a movie star, kids playing the the park or a super hot movie star (yes, I have walked past Uma Thurman and Debra Messing). Good or bad, you know you’re alive. You’re not a drifter, being carried along a highway.
No matter how fast that car can take you, the feeling is never as permeating as the thoughtful steps you take from one block to another.
Just a thought.
