Gothamist: New York: Frances's Bitch This Morning

joey

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 22:26:28 -0500

Gosh, it rained hard in NYC. Yer a brave bunch of navel-gazers.

BytchInNY

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 21:54:57 -0500

I took the L from 1st over to the 4/5 up to 59th Street. It took much longer than usual because the 4/5 going downtown all had to run on the local track due to flooding on the express track and I guess that came around full circle and affected the uptown trains as well. From what I've heard though, I was not affected as badly as most.

JJAY

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 20:08:03 -0500

I go to college up in the bronx, but i live in queens..so you can only imagine. First the E train (the last one going to the city, I think) took an hour at least to go from 71st to Roosevelt. Finally when the E train got into 7th ave, the conducter told us the B and D trains were working, so naturally i got off to take the D to the bronx..once I got off the train, the workers in the station are screaming "NO B AND D TRAINS UPTOWN OR DOWN". So after waiting half an hour for another E i left and walked to Times Square from 53rd street to take the S to the 4 train and finally when i got the 4 at grand central I took it all the way up to yankee stadium and switched to the D NORMAL COMMUTE: 1:30 TODAY'S COMMUTE: FOUR HOURS!!!

Paul

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 16:54:06 -0500

The 6 train outta 96th Street was horrible... but at least we have mass transit. Those poor people in Florida aren't as lucky as we to be able to ride the city for 2 bucks. As for the F express in Brooklyn, look for it to run to Church Street as an express and hookup with the V at 2nd avenue.

Paul

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 16:53:34 -0500

Paul

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 16:53:03 -0500

Lucy

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 15:57:21 -0500

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/alert/alertnyct.htm Everyone should check this to find out about continued delays and suspension of service on many train lines before they try to head home today. Good luck everyone!

Jenn

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 15:46:09 -0500

I was another of the lovely folks who had to trudge from the 7th Ave F stop in Park slope into 14th/6th, which usually takes about 25 mins and today took almost two hours. at Bergen we had to get off, let a G pass, and then wait for a V to come back around and take us on the G line to Hoyt, where we transferred to an A to 14th/8th and then an L to union Square. it was joyful, i assure you.

sophia

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:52:32 -0500

Since the 1/9/2/3 never works even on a good morning at 110th St & Broadway I walked in the pouring rain over to the C/B trains at Central Park. Everyone was leaving the station. My options were to wait underground or trek back to nowhere since nothing was working. So I waited. The station emptied out and my roommate finds me standing on the stairwell by myself. We get together, the B comes shortly and finally we're on our way to work. Two stops before we need to get off at 34th street, they decide to reroute the B train to run along the C-line and the next thing I know we're on Eighth Avenue by Port Authority. Times Square was one messy wreck. No way I was going to try to go through that tunnel of sweaty, angry commuters thrown off by Frances. So my roommate and I got out onto the street and walked from Eighth Ave/42nd St. to just above Union Square. We were soo close, yet so faraway... minutes away from our office, ending up becoming the looongest walk to the office this morning. At least we did find each other though. Hey, where was everybody the streets looked empty - still underground or playing hooky?

Dirty Pixie

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:09:38 -0500

It rained this morning? Hm. Must have slept through it. ;)

areacode212

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:04:54 -0500

I walked from 96th/Amsterdam down to 59th, and took the C to Times Sq. Then stood in the E train while it sat between 50th & 7th Ave. for about 20 minutes, at which point I said, "oh, fuck this. I'm calling in sick so I can watch my Angel DVDs". I mean, I work all the way out in Jamaica, plus I have a ton of sick time. They don't pay me enough to put up with this. I just walked all the way back home. I wish I had my camera, though. There were some nice shots I could've taken.

W

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:57:30 -0500

I take the D from Brooklyn normally; I don't have to be at work until 10 so it wasn't raining by the time I left. Things were going okay until about 9th Avenue, when they stopped the train and told us because of "two passengers on two separate trains getting sick" the entire 4th ave corridor was closed (D/N/R). We sat around for another twenty or so minutes and finally got moving. At Pacific Street they terminated the D and made us get on the N to get into Manhattan, then I had to take a 6 to Astor Place and walk several blocks. Left the house at 9:10 and did not reach work until 11:45. Does anyone know about this "sick passenger" thing? Or was the MTA just bored with telling us the tracks were flooded?

janelle

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:55:23 -0500

the manhattan-bound F from brooklyn was just fine at 8.15 or 8.30 this morning... the early bird really does gets the worm.

dr. demento

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:47:57 -0500

i swam.

jenny

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:38:03 -0500

wow, I feel for all of you. I don't have to be to work until noon so not so many people to deal with. Although still had to take the F from Bergen to Hoyt and transfer there with a whole hell of a lot of other people. F-- The MTA seems to be working on the F express lines so things may work out, but don't know when.

Sarah

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:32:23 -0500

But it is nice when you have the worst morning ever trying to get to work and you are so groggy, it being morning, that you don't really even take everything in and realize that this was some storm that swept in overnight, and just when you think the world is out to get YOU, you finally get in to work and realize that you are one of the first people there, even though you are half an hour late.

jenny

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:10:45 -0500

I have to commute to NJ for work from Brooklyn everyday. Besides the A train traveling at the speed of a turtle, my 2 hour commute this morning to work was about the same as usual.

eb

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:05:14 -0500

58 long minutes on the downtown F stuck in the tunnel between 57th Street and 47-50th Rock. Then it creeps up far enough into the station so everyone can walk through the train and exit out the first set of doors (I of course being in the last car.) Nothing running downtown... Miracle of miracles - got a cab on 48th & 6th!

Lisa

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:57:23 -0500

I was fortunate enough to catch a 4 train before it was shut down. Transfered to a 6 and caught a cab from Spring St over to Hudson and Houston. Whew. However, my boyfriend, who left not 20 minutes after me, walked down Flatbush in Park Slope and across the bridge to catch a train up to midtown, bless his little heart. You'd think New York had never seen rain!!

Phil

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:46:19 -0500

After reading these horror stories, my hour-long wait and ride on the 6 from 86th to Brooklyn Bridge doesn't sound so bad. I had to let about half a dozen trains go by before I could squeeze into one, and I kept getting dirty looks from this couple seated next to where I was standing. I guess they didn't like that had my legs near theirs -- it's not like I had anywhere else to go. At least we had A/C on the train. I can't understand how this subway system has existed for 100 years and the MTA still hasn't figured out how to keep the tracks from flooding. If it rains like this tomorrow I might just stay home.

honey2

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:45:36 -0500

New yorkers are not sissy's due to inclement weather--. To whom are you comparing us? It's the damn mass transit system that is the problem. If we were sissy's we all would have stayed home, instead we went out to get soaked in the disgusting hot humid late summer air and dealt with commutes to work that were at least triple what it would normally take us. Also, we didn't move out of the city after 9/11, so don't call us sissies *&%$!!! [this humidity is making me grumpy]

MandaT

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:40:52 -0500

Took a crowded-ass F from 15th St. to York where it just decided to go no further. After sitting there for 20 minutes, we were advised to go back to Jay St. on an F going the other direction and try the A. But one look at that sardine can and I went upstairs and walked over the 4/5, which I foolishly assumed would be much better off. After another 45 minutes of stopandgoandstopandgo movement I finally made it to Grand Central. After I arrived at work, I sat with my head down at my desk for a good 15 minutes before I felt like I'd regained enough sanity to check e-mail. 50 minute commute became one hour and 45, standing, in heels.

Nicola

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:40:13 -0500

I was able to get on the F right away at 7th ave, and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary untill our train stopped for 40min in the tunnel underneath the east river. Fun times. Did I miss the Hurricane? Where was all the rain that caused this utter system failure? Maybe it was early in the morning before I got up, but I'm still amazed, because we've had more rain than this before, right?

Dan Dickinson

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:39:13 -0500

Got to the N at Ditmars at 8:17. They told us we would leave in two minutes. Two minutes turned into ten and we left at 8:30. We made it just past the Astoria Blvd. stop when the entire train ground to a halt. We were then told we were backed up all the way from Queensboro Plaza. After having not had another train depart for 15 minutes before this, we were all incredulous - and remained incredulous for the next 20 minutes as we did not move at all. This was also the point where I started to hate elevated tracks, as everyone was on their cell phones bitching about the delay. We still made it through the tunnel before it closed, and the transfer to the 6 wasn't any worse than usual. The whole ordeal added 30 minutes onto what is normally a 45 minute commute - not including the time lost to having to find a drugstore to buy a new pair of socks at.

Erin

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:03:00 -0500

The A was still running when I came through, but I've never seen it so crowded. I managed to get to Times Square, where everything was totally crazy - wall to wall people on the level above the platform and cops screaming that no trains were running. Lots of disgruntled commuters wondering where to go, so no one was going anywhere. Rather than switch trains, I walked the rest of the way to work from there. Thank goodness the rain had let up. My boss didn't make it in, though. She got about halfway and then gave up.

judith klinger

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:39:21 -0500

Seems like only me and only BrokenRobot had a commute-as-usual. Highly recommend the bike!!

corie

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:35:02 -0500

The F to the A/C was awful...and speaking of A/C-- there was none. On the five cars I had to shuttle in and out of, there was no air whatsoever. On the C it was so humid that the floors were wet-- and not from rain. These are the days that I wonder why I don't just turn around and work from home.

Ben

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:33:18 -0500

Black out redux on the UWS this am. Jammed buses. No cabs. Hoofed it from 102nd and B'way to 59th street in soaked, angry shoes. Hordes of slow-wakers clogging the sidewalk, unfurled umbrellas making quick-pass manuevers difficult and highly dangerous. Biggest lie about NYC: Everyone is in a hurry. Been here two years and never seen such lolly gagging lazy bones disease.

Ben

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:33:12 -0500

jos�

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:20:27 -0500

It took me an hour to travel through Brooklyn on the 2/3 line�in a train without air-conditioning, no less. My trip from Franklin Ave to SoHo is usually 30 mins. I thought about switching to the A or whatever other option presented itself, but I realized a shorter workday is a good thing. The train emptied out and I got to stretch my legs. Not bad, except for the lack of A/C on this mugg day.

Jen W

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:17:42 -0500

What's stopping the MTA from running the V to 7th Ave.? (Even if only rush-hour) The 7th Ave. station is set up like 2nd Ave. The V is usually only half-full when it stops at 23rd, 'cause most people are going further than 2nd Ave. It took about 1:40 this morning. I let a couple of Fs pass at 7th Ave., got rerouted to Hoyt Fucking Schermerlamadingdong, took the A to Fulton, let 5 4/5s pass before I could sardine in, transferred to a superslow 6 so I could at least sit. I would have given up, but the thought of retracing my footsteps make me want to cry.

Lesterhead

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:17:25 -0500

From Ft. Greene: C train (major delays), to attempted F train (failed), to A train (stuck in tunnel bt Jay and High St. for 20 mins with no announcements made), to 3 train (stopped in station indefinitely after one stop), to 9 train to 28th St.

christina

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:10:30 -0500

took me 2 1/2 hours to get to work. was on the 5, then after tons of delays, it stopped at atlantic ave for about 15 mins, then went out of service. tons of bitchy people milling around and had to let one rediculously crowded 4 train go by before getting on another 5 train that kept having delays. then transferred to the 6 train at union sq. it sat there forever, and i gave up and got off and walked up to 28th street. all this, and i hadnt had my coffee yet. (oh, and did i mention that i had thought about calling in sick today but thought, nahhh.)

gerrard

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:59:59 -0500

Slowly...

Sparky

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:59:11 -0500

Total chaos at Queensboro Plaza, where all of Astoria was jettisoned from the N and W trains because of tunnel flooding. Unsuspecting folks were transferring from the 7 while the N/W crowds piled on the jam-packed 7 before everyone realized how screwed up the whole scene was. And that was before getting to Grand Central, were things weren't much calmer.

Greg

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:56:24 -0500

Every time I read an article or a blog entry that shows New Yorkers panicing in the face of mother nature, I stop by my friend Tim (the Vogner) Halls web site(http://www.tim-hall.com/vogner/archives/00000101.html) and watch his little video blog entitled "Snowsteria!!!!" Check it out.

F-is-for-f*cked

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:55:22 -0500

Note to Hy -- I agree with you, and let me add, the F has always been a drag. When I lived near the Carroll stop back in the eighties, the morning rush had the F packed by Carroll as well, and this was before the Great Migration to Brooklyn. I have clear memories of me and my college roomate bashing our backpacks into door blockers to get onto the train in time for our morning NYU classes. Why the MTA has never run an F express to alieviate this is beyond me. Heck, the tracks are there, the platforms are there, get the lousy G train out of the way, and run a friggin' express from 7th Ave to Jay Street and keep it moving, fer crissakes! Who knows, Carroll and Bergen folks may be able to get a normal ride in the AM that way.... glad you made it, F is...you already know

BrokenRobot

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:54:15 -0500

I rode my bike, same as every morning. No delays, no problems of any kind... it sure is great to be immune to transit problems!

Ginger

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:53:27 -0500

When I got the F platform at 8:50 at 7th Avenue, it was clear that no trains had been for 20 minutes. After another 10 minutes, I called my husband and borrowed the car to drive in today. let's not talk about how congested H amilton Avenue was. It took me an hour to get out of Brooklyn. It normally takes 10 minutes. At least I made it in, and not soaked in sweat.

neil

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:53:20 -0500

Waited for a half hour at the 15th Street F stop before being able to fit onto a train. Then the F decided to run on the G line. So at Hoyt-Skimmerhorn I boarded an A train, which was going so slow I could walk it. Then I transfered at Borough Hall for a 5 uptown, to the 6 uptown. Total commute time normally: 30min, today 1:40 min. Nice!

Michelle

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:46:07 -0500

Still haven't gone into work! Am watching Maury Povitch instead.

Debbie

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:41:36 -0500

Command bus from Kings Highway, after getting on a Q train at Avenue U (which came half an hour late) and then having it go back to the depot at Kings Highway. I got to work *two hours* after I left my house.

David

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:36:48 -0500

Great googly moogly! I'm glad I was staying at a friend's place in the city, otherwise I'd still be struggling like hy above to get into manhatten. Silly Frances, don't you know we've already had enough rain?

Susan

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:32:07 -0500

I made it from Kings Hwy to East B-way on the F and walked from there to 16th & 5th. Oh happy humid day! I feel like a washrag currently.

hy

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:21:14 -0500

Getting out of Brooklyn this morning was almost impossible--no B, D, Q, M, N, R, W, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Manhattan. I ended up taking an A-Train that moved slightly faster than a cross-town bus. And note to NBC--you can't get on the F-Train at Bergen St. even if there isn't a deluge (b/c usually the Park Slopers will have filled it up at 15 St. and 7 Av. before it hits Bergen).