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It's snowing, it's snowing!
Dec. 26th, 2010 12:59 am
I, like a fool, went out today to the bookstore. I cannot fathom why except that I go every week to the bookstore and did not want to pass it up this week for no other reason than that the roads are totally impassable. I figured I'd be taking the train anyway, totally forgetting that I can't do that on Staten Island. Bus all the way for me!
Actually, Manhattan was fine, once I got there. Streets largely deserted, and stores with signs on them indicating their "bad weather" closing times, but that's all right. Didn't get any new books. I exercised restraint. Go me!
But then we come to the trip home. The 8:30 boat was canceled due to weather, and we all had to wait for the 9:30. Now, the 9:30 boat got us across in half an hour, which is pretty amazing considering the snow - but there were no buses. My bus has been relocated to this weird location, which was pretty lucky all things considered because that means it has a (small) heated indoor waiting area. So all of us from the past two boats were huddled inside this tiny little lobby, standing room only (not that there are any seats), peeking out through the window to see if the bus had shown. Occasionally somebody would intrepidly decide to walk home... only to change their mind after five minutes and make a strong attempt to dart back in. The wind was blowing fierce off the water, and the snow was stinging where it touched.
When the 10:30 boat came in, the bus finally came. For some reason known only to her, the driver decided not to park in the usual spot, nor in a spot with a lower snowdrift, but in the spot with the highest possible amount of snow right in front of her door. Also, she made us all swipe our cards even though those of us with pay-per-rides had surely lost our transfers by then. (I had, at least.)
So we all surged onto the bus (except the ones who couldn't fit, and the driver had a particularly draconian idea of what maximum capacity means, but I got a seat so I can't complain) and... waited. And waited, and waited because the snow was that bad she couldn't leave the terminal.
It's a 10, 15 minute bus ride. I didn't get home until midnight.
When I got off the bus, the street - a typically busy street - was absolutely deserted, and clearly had been for a while. Oh, and we'd detoured, so it was a longer walk than usual. So I trudged home in snow up to my knees. Trudge, trudge, trudge. As I neared my block I bumped into a man going the same way, so I outright decided to just walk in his footprints.
Funny thing. First time I saw a crowd on the streets all day was when I turned into my typically quiet street, where I saw two groups of teens/young adults, no less than 10 people all told, hanging out and generally having fun.
Which is just what I expect, you can always count on the kids on my block* to find a way to entertain themselves, and a big storm like this is sure to be a hit.
*Also, perhaps somebody can explain to me why the minimally supervised children on my block prefer to go outside after the sun goes down to play. They don't commit minor (or major) acts of vandalism or anything like that, in fact, for the past month they've mostly just been playing kickball in the street, but is there a reason they can't do that when it's light out? It's not a homework thing either, because they acted like this all summer as well. Are they vampires and I just never noticed?
Actually, Manhattan was fine, once I got there. Streets largely deserted, and stores with signs on them indicating their "bad weather" closing times, but that's all right. Didn't get any new books. I exercised restraint. Go me!
But then we come to the trip home. The 8:30 boat was canceled due to weather, and we all had to wait for the 9:30. Now, the 9:30 boat got us across in half an hour, which is pretty amazing considering the snow - but there were no buses. My bus has been relocated to this weird location, which was pretty lucky all things considered because that means it has a (small) heated indoor waiting area. So all of us from the past two boats were huddled inside this tiny little lobby, standing room only (not that there are any seats), peeking out through the window to see if the bus had shown. Occasionally somebody would intrepidly decide to walk home... only to change their mind after five minutes and make a strong attempt to dart back in. The wind was blowing fierce off the water, and the snow was stinging where it touched.
When the 10:30 boat came in, the bus finally came. For some reason known only to her, the driver decided not to park in the usual spot, nor in a spot with a lower snowdrift, but in the spot with the highest possible amount of snow right in front of her door. Also, she made us all swipe our cards even though those of us with pay-per-rides had surely lost our transfers by then. (I had, at least.)
So we all surged onto the bus (except the ones who couldn't fit, and the driver had a particularly draconian idea of what maximum capacity means, but I got a seat so I can't complain) and... waited. And waited, and waited because the snow was that bad she couldn't leave the terminal.
It's a 10, 15 minute bus ride. I didn't get home until midnight.
When I got off the bus, the street - a typically busy street - was absolutely deserted, and clearly had been for a while. Oh, and we'd detoured, so it was a longer walk than usual. So I trudged home in snow up to my knees. Trudge, trudge, trudge. As I neared my block I bumped into a man going the same way, so I outright decided to just walk in his footprints.
Funny thing. First time I saw a crowd on the streets all day was when I turned into my typically quiet street, where I saw two groups of teens/young adults, no less than 10 people all told, hanging out and generally having fun.
Which is just what I expect, you can always count on the kids on my block* to find a way to entertain themselves, and a big storm like this is sure to be a hit.
*Also, perhaps somebody can explain to me why the minimally supervised children on my block prefer to go outside after the sun goes down to play. They don't commit minor (or major) acts of vandalism or anything like that, in fact, for the past month they've mostly just been playing kickball in the street, but is there a reason they can't do that when it's light out? It's not a homework thing either, because they acted like this all summer as well. Are they vampires and I just never noticed?
