[SIZE="3"]If you’ve been paying attention, you know that I agreed to do two signings on back-to-back nights in Manhattan to support the launch of the THRILLER anthology. The first, on 6/1, came off very well. But the next night…
I live about an hour out of NYC. Since 6/2 was a Friday, and since Fridays can be hell getting in and out of the city (especially during rainy weather – and storms are predicted), I decide to take the train. I catch the 3:38 out of Little Silver, NJ.
We travel maybe 3 stops before the conductor comes on the speaker and tells us that a transformer to the north has been hit by lightning and we may not be able to proceed. Swell. But it’s not wasted time. I’m revising Virgin for the Borderlands edition. I have the ms. along, so I pull out my red pen and get to work. After a while we’re moving again. We pull into Penn Station by 5:30. The signing is at 6. No problem. I’m a subway pro. I can make it to the Borders at Park and 57th in no time.
Ha!
It seems a violent storm hit the city around 4pm, dumping a huge amount of rain, flooding train tracks and subway tunnels in Queens and Manhattan. Penn Station is like a scene out of a disaster movie. Mobbed. LIRR, Amtrak, and NJTransit trains are being canceled or delayed. The Station is huge and there’s barely room to move.
But I fight my way to the subways and now I’m in Bladerunner: hordes of people hopping puddles formed by the water leaking down from the street as they hurry through decrepit tiled gullets. I catch the 1 up to 42nd Street where I plan to take either the Q, N, R, or W over to 59th and Lexington, leaving me 3 blocks from the bookstore.
Again: Ha!
Another mob scene. Flooding has stopped all those trains, and all Queens-bound passengers are jammed on the dripping platforms wondering what to do. And it’s got to be 95 degrees down here. With 110% humidity. I’m drenched, and not with rain. So I take the 42nd Street shuttle to Grand Central Station where I think I’ll grab the 4, 5, or 6 uptown on the Lexington line and make it to the store just in time.
All together now: Ha!
I can’t even get into the subway station. So I walk 16 blocks in the rain and arrive at the bookstore at 6:25 looking like a drowned rat. The other 3 authors are already there and the discussion is in gear. It’s a small crowd – who’d want to brave the weather and the mass transit nightmare to hear us? – but at least somebody showed up.
At 7:10 it’s over. Transit is still in chaos, so Maggers and I find a bar and we kill some time. Finally, with some gin in my gut, I feel brave enough for the trip home.
The Q, N, R, & W still aren't running but the 6 is, so I take that from 59th down to Grand Central, then shuttle back to 42nd where I take the 1 which delivers me to Penn Station at 9:15. I catch the 9:45 train back to Jersey.
So, here’s the bottom line: I left my home at 3:15, got back in at 11:45 – an 8.5-hour trip to spend 45 minutes at a 70-minute event that netted maybe 20 signed copies.
It’s the glamour, folks. That’s why we write. The glamour. [/SIZE]
I live about an hour out of NYC. Since 6/2 was a Friday, and since Fridays can be hell getting in and out of the city (especially during rainy weather – and storms are predicted), I decide to take the train. I catch the 3:38 out of Little Silver, NJ.
We travel maybe 3 stops before the conductor comes on the speaker and tells us that a transformer to the north has been hit by lightning and we may not be able to proceed. Swell. But it’s not wasted time. I’m revising Virgin for the Borderlands edition. I have the ms. along, so I pull out my red pen and get to work. After a while we’re moving again. We pull into Penn Station by 5:30. The signing is at 6. No problem. I’m a subway pro. I can make it to the Borders at Park and 57th in no time.
Ha!
It seems a violent storm hit the city around 4pm, dumping a huge amount of rain, flooding train tracks and subway tunnels in Queens and Manhattan. Penn Station is like a scene out of a disaster movie. Mobbed. LIRR, Amtrak, and NJTransit trains are being canceled or delayed. The Station is huge and there’s barely room to move.
But I fight my way to the subways and now I’m in Bladerunner: hordes of people hopping puddles formed by the water leaking down from the street as they hurry through decrepit tiled gullets. I catch the 1 up to 42nd Street where I plan to take either the Q, N, R, or W over to 59th and Lexington, leaving me 3 blocks from the bookstore.
Again: Ha!
Another mob scene. Flooding has stopped all those trains, and all Queens-bound passengers are jammed on the dripping platforms wondering what to do. And it’s got to be 95 degrees down here. With 110% humidity. I’m drenched, and not with rain. So I take the 42nd Street shuttle to Grand Central Station where I think I’ll grab the 4, 5, or 6 uptown on the Lexington line and make it to the store just in time.
All together now: Ha!
I can’t even get into the subway station. So I walk 16 blocks in the rain and arrive at the bookstore at 6:25 looking like a drowned rat. The other 3 authors are already there and the discussion is in gear. It’s a small crowd – who’d want to brave the weather and the mass transit nightmare to hear us? – but at least somebody showed up.
At 7:10 it’s over. Transit is still in chaos, so Maggers and I find a bar and we kill some time. Finally, with some gin in my gut, I feel brave enough for the trip home.
The Q, N, R, & W still aren't running but the 6 is, so I take that from 59th down to Grand Central, then shuttle back to 42nd where I take the 1 which delivers me to Penn Station at 9:15. I catch the 9:45 train back to Jersey.
So, here’s the bottom line: I left my home at 3:15, got back in at 11:45 – an 8.5-hour trip to spend 45 minutes at a 70-minute event that netted maybe 20 signed copies.
It’s the glamour, folks. That’s why we write. The glamour. [/SIZE]
FPW
FAQ
"It means 'Ask the next question.' Ask the next question, and the one that follows that, and the one that follows that. It's the symbol of everything humanity has ever created." Theodore Sturgeon.
[SIZE="3"](Gasp!) I just realized: This all happened on the day Forum membership hit 666!
Do you think...? Nah.[/SIZE]
Do you think...? Nah.[/SIZE]
This post was last modified: 06-03-2006, 12:23 PM by fpw.
FPW
FAQ
"It means 'Ask the next question.' Ask the next question, and the one that follows that, and the one that follows that. It's the symbol of everything humanity has ever created." Theodore Sturgeon.
When you walked in to the signing, you really did look like an oddly parched drowned rat, but I didn't want to be the one to tell you.
It's amazing that in 2006 a torrential downpour can paralyze the City. Granted, it was a REALLY heavy rain for many hours, but you'd think the City would be prepared.
Ha!
I left Paul at the subway station thinking he'd be home, nice and dry, in a couple of hours. Then I wound up walking home because traffic was at a standstill and the subways were still messed up. There were NO taxis available. People trying to take buses to Queens were standing in lines that went on for blocks; they'd been waiting for 3 hours by that time. The 59th Street Bridge was crowded with pedestrians, and it's not a bridge that easily accommodates walkers. There's not much of a wall protecting pedestrians from plummeting to the water hundreds of feet below.
When I got home and heard on the news that the R train, which Paul was going to take to Penn Station, was not running, I had a sinking feeling that he was in for a hard time. I didn't think it would be THAT hard. Then I saw the video of mobs at Penn Station milling around and going nowhere.
It is, indeed, a glamorous life you lead, Paul.
It's amazing that in 2006 a torrential downpour can paralyze the City. Granted, it was a REALLY heavy rain for many hours, but you'd think the City would be prepared.
Ha!
I left Paul at the subway station thinking he'd be home, nice and dry, in a couple of hours. Then I wound up walking home because traffic was at a standstill and the subways were still messed up. There were NO taxis available. People trying to take buses to Queens were standing in lines that went on for blocks; they'd been waiting for 3 hours by that time. The 59th Street Bridge was crowded with pedestrians, and it's not a bridge that easily accommodates walkers. There's not much of a wall protecting pedestrians from plummeting to the water hundreds of feet below.
When I got home and heard on the news that the R train, which Paul was going to take to Penn Station, was not running, I had a sinking feeling that he was in for a hard time. I didn't think it would be THAT hard. Then I saw the video of mobs at Penn Station milling around and going nowhere.
It is, indeed, a glamorous life you lead, Paul.
Reading is freedom.
The mind soars, no earthly cares,
no limitations.
A Maggers Haiku, 2005
Years ago my mother used to say to me... "In this world, Elwood, you can be oh so smart or oh so pleasant."
Well, for years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.
You may quote me.
Elwood P. Dowd
Marc B. Wrote:Please tell me you got a photo.
LOL! I did get photos, but I deliberately waited until Paul's color returned to normal and his hair dried somewhat. Poor guy was beet red from hurrying in the heat and 110% humidity.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/maggers224.../my_photos
Reading is freedom.
The mind soars, no earthly cares,
no limitations.
A Maggers Haiku, 2005
Years ago my mother used to say to me... "In this world, Elwood, you can be oh so smart or oh so pleasant."
Well, for years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.
You may quote me.
Elwood P. Dowd
fpw Wrote:[SIZE="3"](Gasp!) I just realized: This all happened on the day Forum membership hit 666!ROFL! We had created a thread just for this. It also seems that my posts are nearing that number as well. Webby was even posting a down count after me!
Do you think...? Nah.[/SIZE]
Travel story/nightmare, but I was one fan that appreciated your efferts on 6/1. I'm very glad that you made it home okay, albeit late!
EWMAN
Amon Wrote:You have my sympathy.I can't stand humidity, and 95 degree humidity sounds like Hell itself.
Welcome to the board, Amon.
And should you ever make it to NYC in the summer, welcome to 90+degree temps and 80+% humidity. Head into the subways and the heat and humidity jump to near smothering levels. The trains are air conditioned but the platforms aren't. Yeech.
Reading is freedom.
The mind soars, no earthly cares,
no limitations.
A Maggers Haiku, 2005
Years ago my mother used to say to me... "In this world, Elwood, you can be oh so smart or oh so pleasant."
Well, for years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.
You may quote me.
Elwood P. Dowd
Now, if you lived in the Great Midwest, you'd have just been stuck on the highway in your car for all those hours, running the A/C, burning up gas to move inches at a time... and if you drive a manual transmission (as I do!), holding down the clutch that whole time is a real pain - literally!
.
It's Thirteen O'Clock
-------------------------------------
"I said, Hey Senorita - that's astute, I said, why don't we get together and call ourselves an institute?" --Paul Simon
-------------------------------------
"In the final analysis, the last line of defense in support of freedom and the Constitution consists of the people themselves." -- Ron Paul
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
fpw Wrote:[SIZE="3"]If you’ve been paying attention, you know that I agreed to do two signings on back-to-back nights in Manhattan to support the launch of the THRILLER anthology. The first, on 6/1, came off very well. But the next night…
I live about an hour out of NYC. Since 6/2 was a Friday, and since Fridays can be hell getting in and out of the city (especially during rainy weather – and storms are predicted), I decide to take the train. I catch the 3:38 out of Little Silver, NJ.
We travel maybe 3 stops before the conductor comes on the speaker and tells us that a transformer to the north has been hit by lightning and we may not be able to proceed. Swell. But it’s not wasted time. I’m revising Virgin for the Borderlands edition. I have the ms. along, so I pull out my red pen and get to work. After a while we’re moving again. We pull into Penn Station by 5:30. The signing is at 6. No problem. I’m a subway pro. I can make it to the Borders at Park and 57th in no time.
Ha!
It seems a violent storm hit the city around 4pm, dumping a huge amount of rain, flooding train tracks and subway tunnels in Queens and Manhattan. Penn Station is like a scene out of a disaster movie. Mobbed. LIRR, Amtrak, and NJTransit trains are being canceled or delayed. The Station is huge and there’s barely room to move.
But I fight my way to the subways and now I’m in Bladerunner: hordes of people hopping puddles formed by the water leaking down from the street as they hurry through decrepit tiled gullets. I catch the 1 up to 42nd Street where I plan to take either the Q, N, R, or W over to 59th and Lexington, leaving me 3 blocks from the bookstore.
Again: Ha!
Another mob scene. Flooding has stopped all those trains, and all Queens-bound passengers are jammed on the dripping platforms wondering what to do. And it’s got to be 95 degrees down here. With 110% humidity. I’m drenched, and not with rain. So I take the 42nd Street shuttle to Grand Central Station where I think I’ll grab the 4, 5, or 6 uptown on the Lexington line and make it to the store just in time.
All together now: Ha!
I can’t even get into the subway station. So I walk 16 blocks in the rain and arrive at the bookstore at 6:25 looking like a drowned rat. The other 3 authors are already there and the discussion is in gear. It’s a small crowd – who’d want to brave the weather and the mass transit nightmare to hear us? – but at least somebody showed up.
At 7:10 it’s over. Transit is still in chaos, so Maggers and I find a bar and we kill some time. Finally, with some gin in my gut, I feel brave enough for the trip home.
The Q, N, R, & W still aren't running but the 6 is, so I take that from 59th down to Grand Central, then shuttle back to 42nd where I take the 1 which delivers me to Penn Station at 9:15. I catch the 9:45 train back to Jersey.
So, here’s the bottom line: I left my home at 3:15, got back in at 11:45 – an 8.5-hour trip to spend 45 minutes at a 70-minute event that netted maybe 20 signed copies.
It’s the glamour, folks. That’s why we write. The glamour. [/SIZE]
You were going to Borders, Paul. Did you think the bookselling gods wouldn't take notice and show their displeasure?