Solidarity

There are two other blogs in existence for the residents of 90 West.

http://90weststreet.blogspot.com/

http://90westresidents.blogspot.com/

It's heartening to see residents talking to each other so much more. It will both help us keep organized in the face of our current situation, and hopefully make the building a little more friendly when we all get to go home again.

Thanks to "Neighbor from 19th Floor" and Derek of 90weststreet.blogspot.com for bringing these blogs to my attention.

"It's Not Going to be More Than Two Weeks, and I Hope to God It's Not Even Two Weeks"

So said one of the building owners at the information meeting tonight. For the sake of simplicity, we'll call him P---. This owner more or less led the meeting tonight, although at least one other owner was there, as well as the building manager and a few other staff members. Also in attendance were:

• City Council Member Alan Gerson
• Glen Guzi, Senior External Affairs Representative, Public and Government Affairs, of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
• An unnamed representative of Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the New York Assembly (our representative)
• A NY1 cameraman
• Hundreds of residents

The meeting began with P--- giving a fairly detailed account of what actually happened on Monday. I'll try to give a synopsis, since I was able to take a few notes on a piece of paper given to me by another neighbor.

As part of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, the Port Authority (who owns the site) is constructing an underground secure truck facility immediately north of 90 West, beneath Cedar Street. This required redirecting a sewer main that runs beneath the WTC site. The Port Authority decided, with the City's consent, to redirect that sewer main through the sidewalk vault of 90 West. (Many, if not most, buildings in New York have sidewalk vaults.) The "downstream" end of this sewer main was connected to the massive main line that runs under West Street. The "upstream" end of this sewer main had not been connected to anything. While the Port Authority was building this sewer main, they were simultaneously building a wall that would separate permanently the sidewalk vault from the underground garage of 90 West.

Late Sunday night, and into Monday morning, it was raining heavily. The heavy rainfall, combined with a strong incoming Moon tide, overwhelmed the main line under West Street, sending water and sewage up the pipe. It continued up the redirected sewer main, and since the "upstream" end was not connected to anything, it spilled out into the sidewalk vault--and thus into our garage and sub-basement. Cars in the garage were submerged, the sub-basement had anywhere from 7 to 20 feet of standing water, and the enormous custom-made electrical switchboard that distributes electricity to the apartments was "devastated."

Since then, numerous City services have pumped all the water out and assessed the damage to the switchboard. It will have to be completely replaced, and this is the main reason the evacuation was extended to two weeks. Building management contacted the company that built the switchboard, Five Star, who has already began gathering components to rebuild. Meanwhile, ConEd has supplied a generator to heat the building and prevent pipes from freezing, and also to run the emergency lights and one elevator.

From here, the questions began and it quickly deteriorated as people expressed their anger, frustration, and general woe at being forced out of their homes. Lots of questions were answered by P---, with Glen Guzi of the Port Authority and Councilmember Alan Gerson chiming in to answer. Here is the important information:

• By tomorrow, the Port Authority will have an 800 number, and an office at 140 Broadway open to field claims from residents of 90 West. This will include hotel costs, travel costs, and any other incurred costs such as utility bills, etc. So keep your receipts!
• In general, Glen Guzi stated and re-stated that the Port Authority is committed to addressing the residents' needs, and will pay for costs incurred
• Also tomorrow, they are going to announce a maximum rate for hotels
• The Port Authority will finish the wall sealing off the sidewalk vault withing a day or two
• The Department of Buildings has stated that 90 West is structurally sound (Although a resident who happens to be the Deputy Commissioner of Forensics for the Department of Buildings stated that the final report from the engineer has not yet been received)
• The mail room will remain open it's normal hours, 7am to 8pm
• Building management is setting up an email address for them and the Port Authority to be a "one-stop shopping" address for all concerns
• Security will be increased, and better records of repair crews entering apartments will be kept
• People staying with friends or family and not needing reimbursements for hotels will also be compensated on an equal level to those staying in hotels

My impressions were, on the whole, relatively positive. P--- seemed genuinely honest. He clearly has a passion for this building, having been on the team that rebuilt it after September 11th, and it shows. Standing in front of all the residents was a daunting task, but he stayed calm and reaffirmed his intentions to make sure everyone has a place to stay, and is compensated for their losses. He even walked up to apartments with residents on Monday. Glen Guzi from the Port Authority was probably the most attacked person in the room, as representatives of the Port Authority tend to be. But he confidently stated that the PA would help--we'll just have to see. (Their track record is not exactly the best.) Many of the residents were confrontational, and understandably so, but many were also very calm and polite. Ultimately, the meeting didn't really bring out much new information, but it did allow residents to speak their concerns, and building management and City officials to hear them.

Now we wait and see if the promises are kept.

More Updates

My helpful upstairs neighbor sent some good news:

good news(relitive), i just returned from 90 west, and I can say that at least while I was there, they had an elevator working tentatively.
I say that because it seemed that it took a team of three, with a lot of yelling up and down the shaft to get it to work, but I caught a ride to the 19th floor to fill my suitcase.
I had to take the stairs back down but that’s a breeze. Also, the lights in the stairwell and hallways are back on, but still no power/gas/water inside the apartments.

I went back to the building this afternoon as well, but I wasn't so lucky. I took the afternoon off work, and headed down to meet Lynn around 2pm. (Side note: I have the greatest boss in the world, who has let me take whatever time I need to deal with this, and even recommended I telecommute from CT a few days!) When I got to the building, the doorman on duty told me an elevator was working. But just then, the super radioed down to the doorman to say that he was stuck in the elevator on the 21st floor. Oh, and the mechanic was stuck in there with him. By the time Lynn arrived, they were still stuck in the elevator, so we walked all the way up the stairs again. Surprisingly, it didn't seem so bad this time. We cleaned out the fridge of anything that would go bad, packed a few more things, and headed out.

Some more notes from management came in. The first around 3:30pm:

Dear Residents,

We have secured a large block of rooms at the Hotel Pennsylvania (Located at 401 Seventh Ave). These rooms are available immediately and you will be reimbursed for your stay there. You can call or go to the hotel directly. You MUST say that you are from 90 West Street. The hotel is pet friendly. A continental breakfast is also included. The phone number for the hotel is 212.736.5000

For those of you that have already checked into the Ramada in Newark, NJ. You may transfer to the Hotel Pennsylvania tomorrow (If you choose). We will reimburse you for the difference between the Ramada and the Hotel Pennsylvania for this evening. If you are comfortable at the Ramada and wish to remain there, we will compensate you for the difference between the cost of the two hotel rooms.

We also ask that you dispose of all perishable food items in your refrigerators and freezers.

Again we will be holding an informational meeting tonight at 6pm at 100 Trinity Place. We hope to see you there.

And at 4:30pm:

Dear Residents,

We are aware that many of you have been contacting the Hotel Pennsylvania and booking rooms. Should all the rooms be taken, we are in the process of securing more rooms at an alternate hotel in Manhattan. We will update you once the location is confirmed.

We'll be heading over to the information meeting tonight after all, having elected to stay in the city for it. News on that later.

Jersey Fun

One helpful neighbor posted some information in a comment on the last post. Although I'm not staying in New Jersey, I just wanted to pull that out here, in case any other neighbors stumble by:

so Im staying at the hotel in Newark, and i was terribly nervous about transportation. i had it in my mind that id have to spend $30 a day on the NJ train. As it turns out, you can catch the Path at ground zero, then jump on the Ramada shuttle bus from Newark Penn station to the hotel. Or catch the 62 bus which stops right in front of the hotel.
it doesnt sound to hard.

Thank you, neighbor! Meanwhile, the building management has announced a meeting tonight:

We will be holding an informational meeting at 6 pm at 100 Trinity Place. Hope to see you there.

I'm not entirely certain I'll be able to make it to the informational meeting, so if anyone out there does go to it, please fill me in! You can post comments to this blog, or email me directly at andrew.justin.fleming(at)gmail.com. I'm glad a few neighbors have already commented on this blog and emailed me, the more communication we have amongst ourselves, the better off we'll be.

Now, off to climb those stairs one more time....

Progress, of a Sort

This came in about 8:15pm last night, building management finally speaks about the mysterious hotel in Jersey:

Dear Residents,

We are currently working with OEM to set up a hotline to more efficiently answer your calls and questions.

We have gotten numerous inquiries regarding the 9am-5pm access to the building. If you need to access your apartment after 5pm, this may be done so on a limited case by case basis.

We understand what an inconvenience this situation represents. We have been in constant contact with our insurance companies as well as the Port Authority regarding the matter. Even though we have gotten no word about compensation or coverage, the management has decided to provide two possibilities:

If you find your own housing you will receive a pro-rated rent credit for twice the amount of your rent.

If you can't arrange your own housing during this period, we will provide accommodations at the Ramada Hotel in Newark, New Jersey PH: (973) 824-4000. If you choose to stay at the Ramada, we will pay for the room and give you a rent credit for the period of time you are out of the building. We are in the process of arranging transportation to and from the hotel and PATH station. We will have an update on the NJ hotel and transportation in the morning.

For those that want to stay at the Ramada please email XXXX XXXX ASAP at [email address]

Thank you

And then, around 10:30pm, information about carting us off to Jersey arrives.

The first confirmed shuttle bus to the Ramada Hotel in Newark, NJ will arrive at 90 West St at 11am to begin boarding passengers. The bus will depart 90 West St at 12pm sharp! Pets are welcome at the Ramada Hotel and on the shuttle buses. Please crate your pets for the bus ride. We will be adding additional shuttle bus information regarding future trips as we receive confirmation from our transportation. Please check the 90westresidents.com website for future updates.

Lynn and I have decided to stay with her parents in Connecticut until our building opens up again. (Yes, I can't believe I'm going back either.) As much as we'd love to stay in Newark, staying in Connecticut might be slightly more pleasant.

So, today we're heading back into the building one last time to gather a few things, and then it's off to Connecticut. I'll be commuting into the city most days, and will probably work from home for a few days. Now I'm just playing it by ear.

And hoping, like my neighbor who commented on yesterday's post, that it doesn't turn into more than two weeks.

Edit:

And hey, more media coverage!
The Daily News
The New York Post
Gothamist

It Just Keeps Getting Better (Worse) and Better (More Worse)

A new update from the building management:

Dear Residents,

We have been working around the clock assessing and repairing damage caused by the Port Authority. The major problem lies within the central electrical distribution room. The equipment needs to be entirely replaced due to water damage. We have received word from our electricians that 90 West St could potentially be closed for the next two weeks. The electrical and other repair crews will be working 24 hours a day to try and restore service to the building sooner. We will keep you informed of their progress.

We have agreed to reimburse tenants for hotel expenses incurred on Monday and Tuesday night. For people without accommodations for this evening we have secured a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn located at 440 West 57th Street. 212 581-8074. Contact Rachel. For people with pets there are still some rooms at The Hotel Pennsylvania located at 401 7th Ave 212-736-5000.

If you did not stay at a hotel for these nights a pro rated rent rebate will be issued.

Since the magnitude of the situation has grown we advise tenants to contact their insurance carriers. For those people who cannot find alternative housing after tonight we are working on securing rooms at a hotel in New Jersey near to a Path Station. We will update the web site with information on this option later today.

There will be access to the building from 9am to 5pm however no one can move back to the building until the repairs are complete.

We sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation represents. Please be assured that we and the City are doing everything possible to expedite the repairs necessary to get you back home at 90 West Street. We plan to hold an informational meeting tomorrow evening. We will update the web site with the time and place.

So, we're officially homeless for the next two weeks, if not more.

But hey, did you note the phone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania? PA6-5000! The oldest continually used phone number in history. Cue Glenn Miller....

Media Round-Up

Well, the press certainly has jumped on this one! If only that would speed things up....

Check out the coverage on;
Gothamist, a local NYC blog (on my favorites!)
New York 1, the local news station
The New York Times
The Daily News
The New York Post
WNBC

And hey, even hipster photographers are getting in on the fun! Bella atmosfera indeed.

Also, TV news: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ddcS85x2jtk

Of course, there are a few inaccuracies in the press. I'm not sure I'd consider the building "luxury." It's quite nice--nicer than any place I've ever lived in--but certainly not top-of-the-line for New York. Our rent is far more reasonable than most places in Manhattan. The parking garage beneath the building is a public garage. A few tenets have cars there, but no one I know in the building owns a car. It's mostly commuters who park there, since it's location is pretty convenient for people who drive in. And most egregious, all the people who do live in Battery Park City luxury apartments will tell you flat-out that 90 West is most certainly not in Battery Park City. In fact, the building pre-dates the construction of Battery Park City by 65 years. When 90 West was built in 1907, it was built right on the Hudson River. Construction on Battery Park City began in 1972, extending the coast of Manhattan west of West Street. The apartment building is on the east side of West Street, meaning it is a part of the Financial District.

Being a Refugee

Another update from the building management came in last night:

Attention Residents of 90 West Street.
Due to flooding in the sub-basement of your building and the negative effect on utilities, the New York City Housing and Preservation Department has issued an order to vacate 90 West St. Your building will be closed until the utilities can be restored.

As of 9 pm residents of 90 West Street will not be able to re-enter the building. Re-entry will continue tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 27th) with an escort for safety purposes. If you need to enter your apartment for an important purpose (i.e. a pet or medications), go to the front desk of the building tomorrow between 9AM and 5Pm, and you will be escorted up, and then back out again. Have patience, this could be a slow process.

It is not known exactly how long the building will be closed to occupancy. If you are re-entering your apartment to retrieve clothes or medicine, you may want to plan for the possibility that it may be 48 to 72 hours before the building is cleared for moving back in.

For additional information or services, The American Red Cross and the NYC Department of Homeless Services have opened a Reception Center located at 2 West St at the Ritz Carlton in the Heritage Room tonight. See below for directions.

For more information:

Tomorrow if you need updates on whether you can re-enter the building, you can check on the BuildingLink site's "Library" by going to www.XXXXXXX.com and using your regular login, or if you do not remember your regular login, you can log in with user name "XXXXXX" and password "XXXXXX".

We will also try to keep you updated via your email addresses in the BuildingLink database, and via BuildingLink's new voice-broadcast system, which will send you a voice message to your cell phones. YOU CAN ALSO CALL 311.

Temporary Relocation Information for Tenants of 90 West:

The following hotels have rooms available, just say that you are from 90 West St. Tenants are expected to make their own arrangements and pay for their hotel and will later be reimbursed by management. You are welcome to make accommodations at other hotels, and will be reimbursed by management as long as it is a reasonable rate.

IF YOU DECIDE TO STAY WITH A FRIEND instead of at a hotel, you will be reimbursed your 90 West rent for the days that you are displaced.

[long list of hotels and pet kennels]

About the time this email came in, Lynn and I had just arrived at the building to gather a few things. The streets around it were closed off and full of firemen, policemen, and city workers. In the lobby, stepping over hoses and cables that ran from the elevator shafts out the front door, we were greeted by a city worker who gave us a flashlight and pointed us to the stairwell.

We live on the 18th floor. It took a while.

When we got to our floor, we made our way through the dark hallway to our apartment. The apartment itself was actually pretty bright, with all the ambient light of NYC coming through the windows. We gathered some clothes, salvaged what we could from the freezer, and set off back down the stairs.

As we made our way down the stairs city workers and firemen greeted us every few floors calling down ahead of us on their radios that two more people were coming down. At the bottom were a group of other residents who were not being allowed up until we had reached the bottom.

We grabbed a taxi and went over to a friend's place to stay. He's been kind enough to take us in for the next couple of days.

Homeless!

Aw crap:

Dear Residents,

Due to the flooding in the cellar from to World Trade construction HPD has ordered all residents to leave your apartment. We anticipate that the building will be without power, cooking gas and water for up to 72 hours. If you need to collect your personal belongings there will be personnel in the building lobby to assist you. Support services will be located at the Ritz Carlton located at 2 West Street, 2nd Floor for further info call [phone number removed].

We are very sorry for this inconvenience.

I'm off to go gather some things and stay with a friend, it seems.

An Update

Well, it seems this morning's flood was a little more serious than I thought. From our building manager:

Dear Residents,

Due to a problem with the city's utilities, our building suffered a flood this morning. In an effort to preserve the safety of the building and our tenants- we were forced to cut off electricity & gas to the building. We are currently working with FDNY, NYPD, Con Edison and the Office of Emergency Management to restore service to 90 West. We are still waiting for an update from officials to let us know when we can expect power to be restored. We will be setting up an emergency hotline and will be sending you updates via email as we receive more information from the OEM. We apologize for this unforeseen event and we are exhausting every effort possible to restore service to you.

Fortunately, Lynn and I have candles everywhere in the apartment. Power outages are rare in NYC, but this could be interesting.

The Firemen are Back

This morning seemed like most mornings: I wake up, I take a shower, I leave for work. But when I walked out of my apartment, the only lights in the hallway were emergency lights. The elevators were out of order. And at the bottom of my 18-story walk downstairs, the lobby was full of firemen.

No fire, thank goodness, but it seems the basement has flooded. Hopefully it's all back in working order before I have to go home--I'm not looking forward to climbing back up all those steps!

Dropping In

I haven't seen many celebrities in NYC. You hear all the time about people spying celebrities everywhere, how many New Yorkers call them neighbors--heck, there are entire websites devoted to tracking their movements throughout the city. But I've never really run into anyone of note. The biggest celebrity I've seen, and yes I do consider him one, was when I was introduced to Bill Nye. (He was incredibly funny, by the way.)

I like to think I don't see celebrities because, quite honestly, I'm not sure that I would recognize many of them. Especially without all the camera make-up, fabulous clothes, etc. There are a lot of beautiful people in New York, so maybe I just don't pick out the ones who also happen to be famous.

Last night I went to Caroline's to see a friend who is trying her hand at stand-up. I've been to a few of her shows now at Caroline's and the Laugh Factory, and she's very funny. (Thank goodness! You always want your friends to be good, but it's especially pleasing when they actually are!) Last night was not only one of her best performances, but the other comics were great as well. Then, at the end of the show, they announced a special guest had dropped in. Up to the stage walks Darrell Hammond of SNL fame. He was hilarious, although I could not actually tell if his claim of being high on vicodin at the time was true or if he was acting.

When he was done, I figured that was a great way to end the show. But the host came back and announced another special guest. Who could possibly follow Darrell Hammond? Up to the stage comes none other than Rosie O'Donnell. She was there to try out some new material before her upcoming show at Lincoln Center. She refused to talk about "the V" or the "the T" (the View or the Donald), but did a long set of jokes about her family and her experiences with Kabbalah. She was very entertaining. It was a great show.

A Gradual Catching of Breath

Autumn is a great time of year--my favorite. I love the colors, the smells, the cooling temperatures. I love apple cider. I really love apple cider.

It's also been an exciting time of year for me this particular fall. I returned, relatively unscathed, from the trip across Italy and Paris. I'll try to write more about that as time permits. Not long after that, I was down in New Brunswick opening a new Chapter of my Fraternity. And perhaps the biggest change in my life thus far, this weekend my fiancé moved into my apartment with me.

Fortunately, it's a two-bedroom apartment, so we'll have plenty of space. It's an adjustment, and one that is not completely without a bit of turmoil, but it's one worth making.

Now, as my favorite season comes into its own, I can work on the little things. I can build a daily routine; something I've been waiting for quite some time to do. I can rediscover my city. I can upload some pictures of my trip. I can settle into a home that's new, despite my seven months of living there. I can buy some apple cider at the farmer's market. Things can slow, things can settle. Contentment is just over the horizon, and it smells like autumn.

Sono in Firenze

I'm sitting in a little internet cafe in Florence. There are ten minutes left on this computer, so this will be quick!

What an amazing trip--and it's only been a week! My fiance and I flew out of New York last Thursday. We had a slightly hectic connection in Dublin, but managed to make our flight to Rome Friday morning. We found the train into the city without much problem, and then hopped on to another train that took us down to Cassino. Cassino is where my grandfather lived, and was stationed when he served in the Carabinieri (Italian military police). We spent a few days there, mostly seeing the place he was born, and the town in which he grew up. And we even went to the most bueautiful mountain-top village I've ever imagined, which just happened to be where my family originally comes from. All these stories I've heard my whole life now have a real place for them to exist. And it's so much more stunning than I had ever thought. This country is beautiful. Bellissimo

From there we've traveled up to Florence, where we've spent the last two days soaking in the much larger (and much more touristy) city. And tomorrow we head to Rome. The words aren't quite here yet to describe everything, but they will come with time.

"Who is John Galt?"

This is a phrase I'm hearing a lot these days--and not because I've ever read Ayn Rand's book. (Though it is on my list.) I've walked by the name John Galt every day on my way to and from work. Perhaps if I had read the novel it would have caught my eye, but instead I, like most everyone else, walked right by it without a second, third, or forty-sixth glance.

The name John Galt appears on a sign outside the building next door to mine. The building that is not currently being taken down, as there is a stop-work order pending the investigation of the fire last Saturday. John Galt appears just below and to the right of the name Bovis. Now that name I do recognize. It is, after all, nearly twice the size of John Galt's name on the sign. When the building was scheduled to be taken down, the contract was finally awarded to Bovis Lend Lease, who then sub-contracted John Galt to do the actual demolition.

But who is John Galt?

We'd like to believe he's a visionary engineer and inventor, as in Rand's novel. The savior of mankind. Rather, it turns out that the deeper meaning of the question in the context of the everyman's helplessness in Rand's book is more correct--"Don't ask important questions, because we don't have answers."

There aren’t a whole lot of records, public or private, that explain who John Galt is. There is no record of employees, no record of clients, no record of past projects, or even current projects. In fact, it seems that the only reason to believe that John Galt is even a real firm is that it appears, just below Bovis, on the sign outside of 130 Liberty St.

As the investigations into what went wrong with the fire on Saturday continue, more and more damning details are emerging. The standpipe that failed to bring water up to the floors that were burning? Disconnected in the basement. The fire-resistant plywood (wood?) that was supposed to seal off the floors from each other? Burned quickly and efficiently, spreading the fire to nearly ten floors. John Galt, the firm doing the work?

Not exactly.

In reality, the workers doing the work, the experts, and the managers are all from the Regional Scaffolding and Hoisting Company, which even shares its address with John Galt. The Regional Scaffolding and Hoisting Company has never demolished a skyscraper before, as their name might suggest. The executives running the show are from the Safeway Environmental Corporation, which was already removed from a 130 Liberty St. contract because of questions about its integrity. John Galt is a facade, behind which these less qualified and less honest companies hide. And just in case you were wondering, Safeway lost its earlier contract on the building because it was hiding information that one of its owners was a convicted Gambino family associate. Oops.

But, with a 41-story skyscraper, years vacant since it was damaged beyond repair and filled with toxic chemicals, dust, and mold, no one else wanted the job of taking it down. There were a few contractors bidding for it, but all but one were eliminated for various reasons. When it came down to it, it was Bovis with the contract, and only the mysterious John Galt actually asking to do the work.

Now as the city wades through the mire of under the table agreements, failed inspections, and hidden information, the building is once again sitting and waiting for its end.

Read more here.

Fire in the Sky

The building on the left with the arched windows is where I live. This was in response to the seven-alarm fire on Saturday that raged through the old Deutsche Bank building next door.

In the picture below, my building is the one on the right, with the copper roof.



Fortunately for me, I was out of the city this weekend. When I got home, I found all the streets surrounding my building closed off to only NYPD, FDNY, OEM, and those of us who lived there. Although they let my fiancé, a guest, and myself through without question when we first arrived last night, I had to show ID to the police when I went to grab some food for breakfast this morning. And again when I left for work this morning. An investigation is on-going, though the streets are nearly cleaned up, and life has resumed. The main concern now is air quality in the area, although all of the emergency officials are walking around without masks.

Two firefighters lost their lives fighting this fire. Many of their colleagues were lost six years ago across the street. May they rest in peace.

The New York Times has a slide show here.

Coincidentally, on Friday the Times had a slide show of how the building is being dismantled.

This building has had a troubled history these last several years. It was irreparably damaged on September 11th, 2001, and was left vacant while the workers cleaned up the area around it. In that time, the water from putting out the fires combined with the chemicals released by the collapse of the towers to create a toxic and moldy environment throughout the building. As a result, the building was condemned to be taken down floor-by-floor, with air quality regulators and inspectors making sure that none of this material escaped to the rest of the neighborhood. For the last year, crews have been cleaning out the interior, and the main dismantling began back in February. Originally 41 floors, the building now stands at 26 floors, and will remain that way until the work crews can continue pending the investigation of the fire.

For now, I see a shell of a building out my window. Broken windows, collapsed scaffolding, and the eerie hulk of a building that should already have been put out of its misery by now.

Photos from the NYT wesite, www.nytimes.com

Rain, that Arch-Nemesis of Transportation

Of course, I slept through it all, but there were very high winds and even reports of funnel clouds over Brooklyn. What I woke up to, though, was simply a 102 year old subway system that was completely shut down. Utter chaos ensued. With no subway service, and barely functioning commuter trains, Manhattan was inundated with cars all trying to cram themselves in. And all the busses were similarly crammed with people trying to get to work.

When I first joined the masses at the bus stop, we all watched as three over-full busses went by without even stopping. Then two more came by where I couldn't get on. Finally, I was able to stand on the bottom step, just as the doors were closing. Seeing some space further in, I quietly asked the lady next to me if she would move in a little to give the rest of us some space. Some guy thought I was referring to him, and started yelling about how rude I was being. Then another guy started yelling at the first for yelling at me.

By the way, thanks. You got pushed toward the back, and I was pushed toward the front, so I never got to thank you in person.



Yet, all of this begs the question; how has a subway system over one hundred years old not yet learned to deal with rain?

A Few Changes....

I've finally gotten around to changing things around a bit. Just a few minor things, here and there. Feedback and suggestions are welcome. I'm also linking to some of your blogs now, and there are some of you that I don't know the urls off the top of my head. So, let me know.

I'm not quite comfortable yet with the idea of changing colors....but we'll see, I may get there.

You Can Always Go Back....

From the New York Times

Queen Guitarist to Complete Doctorate

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 25, 2007

Filed at 10:10 a.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- Brian May is completing his doctorate in astrophysics, more than 30 years after he abandoned his studies to form the rock group Queen.

The 60-year-old guitarist and songwriter said he plans to submit his thesis, ''Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud,'' to supervisors at Imperial College London within the next two weeks.

May was an astrophysics student at Imperial College when Queen, which included Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, was formed in 1970. He dropped his doctorate as the glam rock band became successful.

Queen were one of Britain's biggest music groups in the 1970s, with hits including ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' and ''We Will Rock You.''

After Mercury's death in 1991, May recorded several solo albums, including 1998's ''Another World.'' But his interest in astronomy continued, and he co-wrote ''Bang! The Complete History of the Universe,'' which was published last year.

He was due to finish carrying out astronomical observations at an observatory on the island of La Palma, in Spain's Canary Islands, on Tuesday, the observatory said.

May told the British Broadcasting Corp. that he had always wanted to complete his degree.

''It was unfinished business,'' he said. ''I didn't want an honorary Ph.D. I wanted the real thing that I worked for.''

--------------------------------------------

Some people have told me that they worry that I've given up my dream, or my principles. I'd just like to remind them that no decision is permanent, and you can always go back.

Harry Potter and the Converted Fan

I never thought I'd like Harry Potter. I avoided the first book, all those years ago, when all my friends were raving about it. I laughed when it hit number one on the New York Times Bestseller list. And I flat-out refused when the first movie arrived in theaters.

My family, as in many cases, decided for me. On Thanksgiving of that year, it was decided that the whole family would go see the first movie together after our Thanksgiving dinner. My younger cousin and I were the lucky ones who had the privilege to go to the theater and block off an entire row for the rest of our family. I've never been called so many nasty names by angry parents in my life. The movie was alright. It was fun, but definitely a kids movie. It was, after all, about a bunch of eleven-year-olds.

It was a few years, and four books, later when a friend of mine convinced me to give Harry Potter a chance. Reading the first book, I found, was much better than the only move I'd seen. The second, third, fourth, and even fifth only continued to get better and better. I wouldn't consider myself a fan, but they were definitely enjoyable to read.

When the sixth book came out a year ago, I read it after my girlfriend, and was transfixed. It was gripping, and I found myself frustrated by all the things I'd forgotten in the two years since I'd last read the series. I started over again, and read through all six books.

The seventh and final book, as if I even needed to say, came out last weekend. It's the first one that I've bought, and not borrowed. It's the first one that I acquired and started reading the day it was sold. It's also the longest book I've ever read in a single weekend--a weekend that also included a trip out to Connecticut.

Around 7pm, my fiancé and I went down to Harry Potter Place. Scholastic, the US publisher of the books, converted the small cobble stoned Soho street behind their headquarters into a veritable Diagon Alley. Here you could find a whomping willow, magicians, face-painting, a sneak peak at the final book, and a few other activities that would allow muggles to escape to Harry's world--if only as a pretext to get in line for the book. More interesting than the activities, though, were all the people, dressed as various characters real and imaginary. Unfortunately for us, the line to get into this tightly controlled space was quite long, and we'd hoped to find a better way to spend the evening.

And so we did. Down where I live, there's a Borders on Wall Street. Since there aren't many people who live in the financial district, we figured it would be a far better alternative to standing in line for ages and ages in Soho. We made the right choice. We got numbered wrist bands upon arrival, and were then free to peruse the store, or even leave. No lines! We whiled away, chatting and reading bits of books around the store. We took part in a brief debate on whether Snape was a friend or foe, and watched all the kids--and a few adults--in their costumes. When midnight struck, we bought our books and headed home to begin reading. We read nearly all weekend, with brief pauses to eat, sleep, and view possible wedding venues. It was so gripping, and so well-crafted, that I couldn't put it down. I even woke up a little early yesterday morning to finish it before work as I was so close to the end. It was wholly satisfying.

What a great story.