Tag Archives: new york

Commuting Fun

Commuting from northern new jersey to new york city is always a… challenge. I often have to be somewhere (i.e. a rehearsal) at a specific time, so making train connections is critical. I frequently tell people that if it weren’t for NJ Transit, i’d be in jail for committing road rage-induced murder. Of course, NJT isn’t perfect, but some days, it’s just abysmal. Take yesterday, for

On rehearsal days, I leave work between 5:10 and 5:15 to catch a 5:47 train out of Hoboken. Percussion ensemble starts at 7. I arrived at the PATH World Trade Center station around 5:22. When I arrived, people were already waiting, which means I didn’t just miss a train. Three or four minutes later, the train shows up, loads, and takes off. i should still make my connection; the ride is usually around 12 minutes.

Until the PATH train stopped.

For at least 5 minutes.

No announcement, no indication at all what was going on. As we sat in a dark tunnel, I started
getting antsy, frequently checking my phone for the time. We arrive, finally, around 5:49, obviously missing my train. I’m now pissed and anxious, as this rehearsal is one of our last. The next train home isn’t until 6:18, and I have all our music and some instruments there with my car. S made her train, but it would take too long for her to go home, pick me up, and then drive home. The only solution is a cab. Twenty-five bucks, a rather aggressive cab ride (i’ve never seen anyone hug the inner curb so tightly) and a lot of frustration later, everything worked out. But, the extra stress and overly buttery slice of pizza scarfed down on the train were quite unnecessary.