So apparently, the MTA has decided that the way to pay New Yorkers back for daring to doubt the fare hike is to screw them into the ground.

Yesterday, I had to go to band practice, then go to the office to get some work done. Straighforward enough, one would think. First, I go to the L train. The L train is not going into Manhattan. For you non-New Yorkers, that means there's pretty much no way for me to get into the city. However, I've been here before and I know how to get sneaky. I walk to the Lorimer st. station and pick up the G cross-borough. I figure I'll take it up to Queens and get the N into Manhattan at Queens plaza. It'll turn a half-hour trip into an hour trip, but no biggie.

I call the other guys, I get on the G and one stop before Queens plaza, I hear the dreaded announcement: "Last Stop, everybody off". You see, they're working on the G too.

Okay, okay, I'm screwed, but not totally. I can change where I am for the E or V. Both local trains that I usually never take, but I can't be choosy. The E comes first so I ride it down to West 4th street change for the F and get to the practice space. 2 hours after I left the house. It would have been quicker to drive there from Staten Island.

Alright, so we practice, and that's all good. After, I figure I'll walk over to the Bleeker st. 6 and go up to the office. Oh-ho! Did I think it would be that easy? What a fool! The uptown 6 isn't running! I have to walk another 12 blocks to catch the 8th st N/R.

So by now, it's almost 5 by the time I get to my office. And it turns out I have a lot more work to finish than I thought. It ends up I'm not out of there until close to midnight. I wander down to Union Square thinking maybe the L is running after midnight. No such luck, not until 5 am. So, screw it I'm taking a cab.

I get in the cab we cruise downtown, speed onto the Willliamsburg bridge, and come to a dead halt. You see, everybody else needed to take a cab back to Williamsburg because there's no train. Oh, and they shut all the lanes except one down on the bridge. You see, because actually getting somewhere is apparently letting the terrorists win.

I guess the MTA has decided to change NY from 'The City That Never Sleeps' to 'The City That Packs It In And Gives Up On The Weekends.' Less catchy on a t-shirt, if you ask me.

Seriously though, I can deal with NY being in flux. No jobs, bad times, even rising crime. Been there. But if the subways are going to just be useless, than why the hell am I here? It's just too much work.

Seattle, here I come.
  ¶ 2:46 PM