Transit Strike, Day 2

I had a shoot in Manhattan today, so I spent some time last night online, looking at my options for getting into town. I can't drive because: unless I have four humans in my car, I can't enter Manhattan from 5 am until 11am. Lucky for me the LIRR has a Hub at Main Street, Flushing. I was on the phone twice, at around one in the morning. The first time, to make sure I could get a ticket. I was pretty worried because according to the website, the ticket booth is closed for six weeks. Cue Tim Allen/Moto "HUH!??". WTF MF?

I wait for about fifteen minutes and finally talk to a human and he reassures me that I can get tickets from the ticket machine. Okay, great. Thanks.

A few minutes later, while looking at schedules, I click on the box in the schedule window that is flashing in red "Special Message". It opens and informs me that there is no service to Manhattan during peak rush hour, 6 am to 9 am. HUH!??WTF MF?!

I call again and fifteen minutes later, finally talk to a representative and find out I have to go EAST, to Bayside, get out and then get back on a WESTBOUND train, in order to go to Manhattan. WTF?

So, I wake up at about quarter to six in the morning, trying to get out of bed. Finally do, get in the shower- did I blog about my shower? No? My shower sucks! The water temperature is always going up and down. I'm freezing, or I'm getting scalded. I finally get out of the shower and get dressed, check email etc and head out the door a little before seven.

I walk down my street, west, towards Main street, it's about four blocks, but they're long blocks. I stop at one of the little coffee 'n' bagel carts on the way and get a croissant and a large coffee and make the next block to Main Street and the LIRR platform.

Thankfully, there is a ticket agent there, by the ticket vending machines helping people and he helps me get my round trip tickets and I'm all set, no transfer, no extra fare to go east before going west to Manhattan, I'm all set. I walk up the stairs to the elevated platform and mill about in the morning chill. The wind is pretty good and cuts any part of your body that isn't covered.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, a train finally comes and everyone gets on. It's pretty full, but not packed. The train goes to Bayside, everyone files out and walks up the stairs to the street and then walk back down the stairs on the other side to a waiting train.

I ended up sitting next to a nice woman, named Janice, who works as an archivist and proof reader for an advertising agency. I gave her one of my cards, she tells me that her boss could use someone like me for their video department. We'll see. Nice talk and a pleasant way to pass the time. Unfortunately her job is slowly being downsized, so she figures that she better hustle in to work, even though she's part time, but she wants to make a good showing, lest they scale her hours back even more.

I talked to her about going freelance and that she could make better money by being a freelancer, she was worried about healthcare. I told her to join the Chamber of Commerce. Then she remembered that there was a Librarian organization that had benefits. I hope I planted a seed of entrepreneurship in her that will expand her current situation. I will also pass her info on to my sister who works in publishing.

We get out at Penn Station and slowly slog our over the platform and up the stairs to street level. I feel like chattel, moving with the herd as we slowly approach Seventh Avenue. I bid Janice goodbye and we wish each other Happy Holidays.

I walked the few blocks to the studio where we were shooting and find that it's just a little after eight. I don't have to be in 'til nine and I'll probably arrive early, but I still have a lot of time to kill. So I read the script for this feature I might shoot in January.

But that's another story...