NYC Transit Strike
These events that change the city fascinate me. People move about and interact with each other in different ways and it subtly changes the feel of the whole place.
The strike does not impact me much, so I float a bit outside of it, watching the changes. On my walk to work, people stream past me on bikes, scooters, roller blades, and skateboards - weaving in and out of the cars filled with 4 and 5 people. Every taxi sign flashes 'available' (surreal if you've ever lived here) and children move about in pods surrounding that mother who doesn't have to be at work and is taking all the other parents' children to await the school opening.
Soho feels like any normal day, busy but navigable - but not what it should be at two days before Christmas. I recall last year at this time, the stores were bursting, and the streets bustled with people bristling with bags of purchases. The little boutiques I've visited all told me that business is down to about 20% of what it should be at this time of year. The strike is a financial hardship for them - far more than the financial companies and corporations hiring car services to pick up employees and return them home.
The strike does not impact me much, so I float a bit outside of it, watching the changes. On my walk to work, people stream past me on bikes, scooters, roller blades, and skateboards - weaving in and out of the cars filled with 4 and 5 people. Every taxi sign flashes 'available' (surreal if you've ever lived here) and children move about in pods surrounding that mother who doesn't have to be at work and is taking all the other parents' children to await the school opening.
Soho feels like any normal day, busy but navigable - but not what it should be at two days before Christmas. I recall last year at this time, the stores were bursting, and the streets bustled with people bristling with bags of purchases. The little boutiques I've visited all told me that business is down to about 20% of what it should be at this time of year. The strike is a financial hardship for them - far more than the financial companies and corporations hiring car services to pick up employees and return them home.
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