Transit Strike
November 5, 2009SEPTA, which is my cities transit provider is on strike. The strike is creating headaches for so many and I hope this is resolved soon. Traffic is nuts and the rail lines that still run are packed to capacity.
This strike is also creating headaches in my home. My husband usually takes SEPTA to work on days that I also have to work. I then meet him at work at 5:30 with the kids and the car. He then drops me off at work and takes the kids home for dinner and bed. Our new insanity is for him to motorcycle to work in the freezing cold. He leaves work at 4pm to arrive home hopefully before 5 so that I can get the 5:03 train downtown. If I am lucky I get to work at 6. The train lines are slow because of the quadrupling of commuters taking these few trains that run.
Last night the train got stuck in the tunnel for a while so I decided to get off a stop before mine and walk. It was a cool crisp night and the city lights were sparkling. I walked down blocks I used to frequent but with the addition of the kids to my life I don’t have a ton of time to stroll around downtown. I was marveling at the changes that have taken place to certain blocks and I enjoyed the ghostlike memories of places and events. It was so nice to just be me doing something that I love to do which is walking and people watching. It is why I love the urban experience. Maybe this transit strike is not so bad afterall.
I secretly love the strike. Not the gnarly traffic or the fact that everybody everywhere is running late, but I like that we are all in this together and it forces people to slow down a bit.
Yeah, taking a different route definitely moves your mind in different directions as well. Taking the train now means I end up in Market East and the other day I walked through The Gallery, something I hadn’t done since I think high school. It was so weird to see how much things had changed and stayed the same. Everything was so unappealing, but I did stop in the Hallmark store and found the cutest card for my nephew who is only 10 mos. On the cover, a squirrel is popping out of a pilgrim’s hat to offer the reader an acorn, and it reads: “Happy Thanksgiving to You!” And inside: “Thanksgiving Day / means so much more / with cute little you / to be thankful for!” So…thanks to the strike, my little nephew will be getting his first piece of mail.
With that said, I still want my buses and trolleys back!
So funny you were part of the reminiscing!! I remember a place Michael lived I am not sure you lived there on 13th street and the party we came to. I remember someone had a huge lizard.
that block is unrecognizable!!
I think they will settle soon………………….
Awwww little card for a little one. 10 months wasn’t he just born?? Time flies!!
Jared Jaffe, a friend of Michael’s, was the one who lived there. He had a pet iguana. I have great pics of us at that party!! We’ll have to catch up soon. Mike V. and I will get to McBar at some point.
Jared is still doing his art, check it out: http://www.jaredjaffeceramics.com/