Being a transient person for much of my life, I am used to strange destinations and strange trips. But few things have been as surreal as this trip to Netroots Nation in Baltimore.
I don’t want to bore you with many of the details so...I monitored the transportation company that I preferred but by the time I was ready to buy that ticket to Washington D.C., those tickets were sold out. So I bought a ticket for an alternative transportation hub. I had to change the day of travel because of life events. What also changed was a direct trip to D.C. without a transfer; instead, I had to make three changes in buses. A 17-hour trip turned into a 33-hour trip.
OK, whatever.
I went through the deal from Indianapolis on through Columbus, Ohio (made a sign of the cross when I was there!) and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and on to Newark, NJ. My ticket said that I had to transfer in Newark into New York City and transfer again in New York City to Washington.
I didn’t understand any possible reason to make a stop and transfer in Newark and then another stop and transfer in New York City but, yes, I got off the bus in Newark and waited for the bus to New York. And waited. And waited. And waited. I received text messages indicating that the bus carrying me from Newark to New York and dropping me off near Madison Square Garden was delayed, delayed, delayed. And that I was about to miss my connection to Washington D.C.
And become stranded in New York City. Again.
More on the “why” of this surreal story after I tell you who we are and what we do in Top Comments.
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Eventually the bus taking me from Newark to New York City arrived and, honestly, tried its best to reach the transfer point in NYC on time but I already knew once I saw the midday traffic jam going through the Lincoln Tunnel that we were already too late. Across the street from Madison Square Garden, I saw the bus that was to take me to Washington D.C. drive off.
[Over 38 years ago, I was supposed to be on my way back to college in Florida when I changed the destination on my bus ticket from Florida to NYC. Subsequently, I decided to move on from NYC and continue to Florida but I lost the bus ticket. And Traveler’s Aid would not issue me another ticket. Therefore, I was stranded in New York City for quite a time, which is how I fell in love with that city.
Well...that’s a whole other story of my youth. I’ve told bits and pieces of that story but I have to say that much in order for the irony of the moment to be understood. To continue...]
Seriously. I know enough to know that I could have exercised two alternatives and made my bus to D.C. on time. I could have taken a PATH train into New York. Or I could have stayed on the bus that I was already on prior to Newark into NYC. That bus was, in all likelihood, going to Port Authority and then I could have taken the subway or...hell, walked to the other bus depot across the street from Madison Square Garden with time to spare (I wanted to take a picture of myself and the lions at the 42nd Street Library).
Although...I must confess, seeing and being in New York City for the first time in almost 40 years...being stranded for a night would not have been a bad option.
I talked to the person managing traffic at the bus depot across the street from MSG and he told me to wait “right there” and don’t move because there was another bus leaving for D.C. in about an hour. And he meant don’t move; he chastised me for want to get a closer picture of MSG.
It was hot in NYC, too. I wanted to get a bottle of water but the vendor at one of the food carts ignored me so I went into the pizza joint at the corner of 31st across the street from MSG. One of the people working did give me a cup of ice water (here’s a secret about NYC: people ARE, generally, nice). I wanted to get a bottle of water but I wasn’t about to pay a $10 purchase from my debit card; I wasn’t hungry.
I thanked the man again for the ice water. About 20 minutes later I boarded the bus for D.C. That’s when I took the photo above and I wasn’t the only one that took a photo either as the bus was moving.
Comments below the fold.