evitae.net

…Not… Well, only on days like today. I woke up to what sounded like a waterfall running just outside my window. Every year the weather gets worse, and New York’s really starting to show its age because of it. Between the congestion (traffic and people wise), the cost of living, 9/11, the blackout, the pipe burst in Midtown, and torrential rains shutting down the subway system today, I am finding one reason after another to get the hell out of here.

What is normally a forty-five minute commute spanned nearly three hours. It started out well, but once I got to 145th Street in Harlem, all hell broke loose. I spent maybe twenty minutes in the heat of the subway, sweat dripping from every pore, before I decided to hike to 125th Street. On the way I saw about ten times the usual number of people waiting on buses, most of which fled by stops as they were filled well over capacity.

Once I finally arrived at 125th Street (about a twenty minute walk from 145th) I spied the BX15 bus rolling up to the bus stop I was near. For a moment I seriously considered hopping on and heading back home, but I figured I was halfway there and might as well continue. Thank goodness I bought an Unlimited Metrocard earlier this month.

By the time I went down into the subway, some service was restored, but that wasn’t saying much because not only was it local, but at just about every stop, the train sat idle for at least ten minutes, and the damn conductor (who could really use some work on his enunciation) wouldn’t shut the hell up, telling us what we already knew, that flooding in the subway was causing extended delays.

When I finally got to work, it was 11AM, just an hour before lunch. At least after all the stress of the subway, work went pretty well. But I swear, if it rains like that again, I don’t think I’m going to leave the house. It’s because of situations like today’s that I hate traveling. Hopefully everything will be better tomorrow. In any case, I can’t wait for September so I can get out of here!

For the life of me, I have to stop taking the Chinatown buses. Sure, they’re cheap, they’re fast, and they run at consistent, convenient times, but what you don’t pay for in cash you pay for in your comfort, and if you’re particularly unlucky, your well-being (or worse, your life). Here are just a few reasons why you and I should avoid the Chinatown bus companies.

• More often than not, the buses smell like one thing or another that they shouldn’t. The first time I’d ever taken a Chinatown bus, I was overwhelmed by an odor akin to that of a chicken coop. This past weekend, the scent of urine flooded the bus, and the bathroom door wasn’t even open. That can’t be particularly healthy for you, can it?
• Most of the buses are in disrepair. If you’ve ever had the misfortune to drive behind one of these buses, I’m sure you were at least mildly alarmed by the roar of its engine. On one occasion, the heavy rains had somehow managed to leak through the ceiling. I actually sat in my cold, damp seat, clutching an umbrella. On one trip from New York to Philly, the tire had blown out and we spent nearly two hours driving slowly - at about the same speed it would take one to walk - to the nearest gas station in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. On top of that, it was another hour or so before a truck came to change the tire. What was normally a two hour trip had turned into a five hour one. It was very lucky that the bus got to Philly just in time for the last train to Bryn Mawr, otherwise I would have been stranded.
• The buses are not typically well maintained in terms of cleanliness either. The sides of the seats are usually stuffed with trash, especially if you’re on a later bus. Of course that says something about the customers, because they’re not nearly as likely to litter on a Greyhound or Peter Pan bus. Of course all this trash attracts pests, and this past weekend I had the misfortune of discovering a roach making its way up my sleeve. That for me, was pretty much the last straw.
• While I have not been the direct victim of discrimination, I have seen it in action on these buses. During boarding for one trip from New York to Philly, the bus driver refused several customers when only the first eight front seats were available because they were men and “they have smelly feet” or because they were “ugly women.” Once the bus was finally in motion, he flipped out a couple of times because he thought someone was playing a video game, and the clicking noise irritated him immensely. The fact of the matter is, it was probably the windshield wipers, because no one was playing any portable game. I checked, and most customers were asleep or listening to music. Would you feel safe being driven by the insane?
• Other than these personal experiences, these buses have made a number of appearances in the media, particularly those running from New York to Boston. Here are just a few interesting links I managed to gather. I may update this time after time.
  • Murder and Vice on the Lower East Side (Thesis) by Cyrus Farivar
  • Overloading the Machine (Blog) by John Sullivan
  • Bus line looks to shed its reputation for risk (Article) by Rick Hampson

That’s all for now. It’s lunch time!