Day one of the RNC

In case anyone is interested in a real-life report from the trenches, I thought I'd let you know how things are going here in NYC. I promise to keep this non-partisan and factual. No, really.

Well, I didn't make it in on Sunday for the big protest, so I don't have any info to share with you there. Today's commute into the city was quite good, actually. Instead of my usual parking spot 3/10's of a mile away from the station, I got a spot in the lot about 1/8 of a mile away. If only every day could be like this! A lot of people decided to take this week off, so the train was incredibly empty. Again, another beautiful thing. I didn't spot one single police officer on the train on the way in, though there were many on the platforms at Jamaica station (which is a major transfer point) and at stations closer to Manhattan. The train was 13 minutes late, but that happens every once in a while, so it wasn't such a big deal.

Penn Station was quite a different matter altogether. Wall-to-wall police officers. Probably as many officers as commuters. I have never seen anything quite like it before, even after 9/11. Oddly enough, not one stopped me, even though I had a large black backpack on. I guess I didn't fit the profile of a troublemaker. Ha! Little do they know.

I took a detour down to see the "Unfiltered" talk radio show, which was broadcasting live from Porter's restaurant on 7th Avenue and 23rd street, just south of the zone the police have blocked off. For those who don't know, Chuck D, one of the show's hosts, is a former client. I didn't stay long enough to say hello, but I'll probably stop by again this week.

Heading uptown to work (I work at 53rd and Broadway) was a breeze. Subway was quick. When I got out I had to walk a few blocks to my office and there were cops on every corner. Curbside parking was not allowed on most streets. I also walked out at lunch time, down to Times Square, and saw another incredible number of officers there. Walking through Times Square was a relative breeze also, which is unheard of.

And the commute home was uneventful and on-time.

Tomorrow I think I'll survey the area around Madison Square Garden, where the convention is being held, and see if I can snap some interesting photos. And if I can figure out how to post them online, I'll do so.

So far, the protests have been very peaceful and orderly.

Well, off to listen to John McCain speak.

RNC Preview on the LIRR?

I'm hoping my travels this week on the LIRR are no indication of what's to come next week when the Republican National Convention begins. I've had one train that just didn't show up, and 2 that were late, including my train home tonight that was 15 minutes late, for reasons unbeknownst to me. That's usually performance I expect in the winter from the good folks at the LIRR, not in 70 degree weather in late August. I don't hold much hope for my commute next week. Adding to my aggravation was the fact that I lost my unlimited Metrocard. Fortunately there are only 2 more commuting days this month, so I won't be out much money there.

I suppose there was one good sign, which was that the train, and Penn Station as well, were surprisingly empty. I was even able to get a parking spot in the lot close to the station today, something that just doesn't happen.

I am prepared for the Republicans, though. Got my anti-Bush buttons ready for action. I'm hoping that whatever protests are planned will be peaceful, but a good bit of raucus protest is good for the soul, so I'm sure there'll be enough to keep us New Yorkers satisfied.

I love the Long Island Rail Road...NOT!

I live on Long Island and work in Manhattan. Since I'm not a total masochist, I choose to avoid driving into Manhattan. So I take the Long Island Rail Road, perhaps the world's most overpriced mode of transportation. I pay over $240 per month for a Rail Road and Subway pass. And there is talk that they are considering raising the fare on both the Rail Road and Subway. In 2003, I believe it was, they raised the Rail Road fare 25%. To be fair, they had not raised the fares for something like 8 or 10 years prior to the 2003 hike. Regardless, a 25% hike is pretty tough to bear. And I live in the closest "fare zone" on Long Island. There are people who live further out that actually pay more than I do, believe it or not.

I have a history of correspondence with the LIRR. As you can probably guess, most of that correspondence is not complementary. The vast majority of the trains that the Rail Road used up until about last year were 20-30 years old. They recently began purchasing and putting into service new cars, which are quite nice, truth be told. Since they have to conform to the Americans With Disabilities act, there are more spaces for wheelchairs and much larger (yay) bathrooms. Now these brand new trains with their spacious bathrooms have had problems. Most bathrooms are closed on the trains because the toilets get backed up quite easily. Gotta love that.

Today, my train home from work had door problems one stop away from my stop. At first the train workers tried to fix the problem. Delay. Then they told those of us in the last 2 cars to walk up and get back into the train further up, which we did, begrudgingly. Then, after waiting for about another 5 minutes, they determined that it made sense to take the train out of service, dumping several hundred people onto the platform. They told us to wait for the next train scheduled to stop at the station, which would be in another 10 minutes. Brilliant. So the several hundred of us were supposed to squeeze into what was likely an already crowded train. Who makes these decisions??!!

I am very much not looking forward to what will happen on both the Rail Road and the NYC Subway during the Republican convention. But I'll be sure to write about it, so if you have any interest, check back in a couple of weeks.

And away we go....

So I'm new to the blog world. Haven't even read too many of them either, but don't hold that against me. What I'm not at a loss for is an opinion. My political leanings are to the left, but not so far left that I would consider voting for Ralph Nader. And, in my opinion (see, here I go), neither should you. But what I do respect is your right to vote for Mr. Nader. Just know what it is you might end up with if you do.

What informs my opinions? Well, here's what I read: Vanity Fair, Wired, Business Week, and Time. I also read Entertainment Weekly from time to time. And I've been known to peruse RealSimple...when I'm not reading comic books. I also check out the web quite a bit - New York Daily News , Excite and other random sites that I might run across. Oh, and let's not forget the radio. I'm an avid Air America Radio listener.

I don't have anything of much value to add tonight (Sunday, 8/15), but I hope to have something up shortly. I'm trying to catch up on some of my magazine reading. I recently finished reading Al Franken's book, Lies, and the Lying Liers Who Tell Them, and Richard Clarke's book, Against All Enemies. Definitely worth reading. Al's book is a pretty quick read, which both made me laugh and made me angry. Richard Clarke's book was a slower, dryer read, but well worth the effort. At some point I'll probably pick up the 9/11 report, after I catch up on my magazine reading.

Off to get some sleep....