Gridlock

After heavy rains in Manhattan, a number of subway lines are closed, limited, or flooded. In a city where public transportation so often functions like a well oiled machine, hiccups can derail the busy system. Whenever there’s rain or when work gets out, getting a taxi becomes impossible. So when there’s rain and limited subway flow, you can imagine the city gets busy above ground.

When I decided to head downtown, I thought I’d try the bus. Unfortunately so did everyone else. Adding to the gridlock streets, completely full busses only stopped when requested and even then only let a few passangers switch with crowd on the street. I eventually got on a bus only to ride in front of the white line in the doorway with 6 other people. I had to wondering about the engineering and testing of busses. Do they fill them so full that everyone is touching his or her neighbor?

I got off the bus after 20 blocks after feeling like walking would be faster when throngs of passing feet filled my view. I was neck and neck for a few blocks, until the traffic cleared and the dinosaur-wine drinking bus pulled ahead to a clear lead.

I overheard throughout the day that a number of people were hours and hours late getting to their destinations. In a Lush store near Union Square I overheard the manager talking to a worker from another store who couldn’t get in because the boss hadn’t shown up. At the “They Might Be Giants” show the frontman said it was a good thing his master plan included being two hours late today, so the delays didn’t cause him trouble.

All-in-all it was a hassle, but I really enjoyed my walk through the southern half of Manhattan island.

Maine and Montreal

Over the weekend I drove with my dad and stepmom to the French speaking part of our continent, Quebec. Even after years of French class, I somehow missed that French is their primary language. It certainly has a strong accent to someone who is used to the French French accent. The difference reminds me of British English compared to American English, only less extreme.

The Circuit (French for track) Gilles Villeneuve (a famous Canadian driver) is usually used for Formula 1 and thus is not the usual NASCAR turn-left oval. I really enjoyed the first turn which would look like what would happen if you or I tried to take a 90 turn at full speed without thinking it out in advance. Right after the start-finish line a gentle left turns into a very sharp right arc, perfect for slinging an inexperienced driver into the adjacent wall.

With a day in Maine on either side of the race, I got a chance to review, sort, and begin to tag the few thousand pictures from the last few months. While I still have a long way to go, I made some serious headway. I did enjoy the brief rest in Maine, but my bike called from the garage, ready to head south.