Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog

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  • Winter 2010 Blizzard in New York City: Part 2

    Yesterday’s blizzard started innocently enough.  When I left church it was already snowing.  It was really cool.  It was real snow, unlike the flurries from a few weeks ago.  The blizzard went all night long and then into the morning.  When I got up, we still didn’t have heat or hot water.  I don’t think that’s going to get fixed until tomorrow because the roads are pretty jammed up with snow.  I was thinking about going up to Central Park today for the photo opportunity.  I figured Central Park would look nice under a blanket of snow.  After listening to the news though, I decided against it.  The transit system isn’t working properly either and I didn’t feel like getting stranded or having to walk all the way back home from Central Park, if I could even get up there.  I thought about going to Union Square but that was still too far away given the conditions, so instead I just went to the grocery store.  There was more than enough to see on the way there.

    13th Street and Avenue B covered in snow.

    The side streets were still covered in snow.  Some of the sidewalks had been cleared of snow, but not everywhere.  In some places, the snow had been packed down into chunks of ice by people who had walked over it.

    Partially cleared sidewalks.

    Yes, that is a delivery guy trying to ride his bike on an icy sidewalk.  I wonder if he managed to bust his ass?

    People working to clear the sidewalks.

    People were working to clear the sidewalks in front of their businesses on 14th street.

    Chunks of ice that were scraped from the sidewalk.

    These chunks of ice were scraped from the sidewalk.  It had been packed down into chunks like that by people who had walked over it before it was shoveled clear.

    An NYPD cruiser that got stuck in the snow.

    This NYPD cruiser was abandoned, stuck in the snow.  It wasn’t the only vehicle like that.

    A partially cleared road.

    The city really looks empty today, with most people not bothering to leave their homes.  You could actually walk around in the streets because there wasn’t any traffic to speak of, and what traffic there was couldn’t move faster than a crawl, when they weren’t getting stuck.

    An abandoned taxi, left parked at an odd angle on the road becuase it was stuck in the snow.

    Like the police cruiser, this taxi was left abandoned in the street, parked at an odd angle because it was stuck.  The front of the car is pointed out into the street.

    An M14A bus, stuck in the snow on Avenue A.

    The bus behind it was also stuck in the snow. It looked like it had slid off the beaten path and gotten hung up.

    Another M14A being towed out of the snow.

    Just past the bus was another M14A bus that was also stuck in the snow along Avenue A.  It was being towed out by a tow truck.  A guy I talked to said that there were quite a few M14A buses stuck along the road.  He said he saw 3 more than these two.  I wonder why they even bothered to use Avenue A for buses when it obviously hadn’t been cleared well enough yet?

    Speaking of clearing the roads, the buses weren’t the only ones having a hard time with the snow.  When I was just about back at our building, I saw a snow plow truck slide on the road and almost slam into a parked car.  I figured I’d record the truck for a while to see if it did anything else interesting, and it did!  The snow plow driver managed to get the snow plow stuck in the snow.  If that isn’t a fail, I don’t know what is.

    If you look at the road behind it, it looks like the driver got ahead of herself, probably in a rush to get done and get home.  When I was walking away I turned back to look and people had come out of nearby buildings with shovels to help the driver get the truck unstuck.  I imagine she would have been really embarrassed to have to call a tow truck to pull her snow plow out of the snow.

    Anyway, I’m back home now, getting ready to eat hot chicken soup and read a good book.  Tomorrow, the temperatures are supposed to come back up above freezing, so this snow should all start to melt.  By the weekend, it’s supposed to be up to 57 degrees again.  Really weird weather!

  • Winter 2010 Blizzard in New York City

    A few weeks ago, there was a bit of snowfall that had me really excited.  I hadn’t seen snow in years.  That sad little bit of snowfall was nothing compared to the white madness going on outside my window right now.  My mom was saying they haven’t seen snow like this is December for years here in New York City, so maybe this is my welcome home snow?

    The beginning of the snowfall in Times Square, New York City, December 26th, 2010.

    Yesterday, we started noticing the reports on the radio saying that there would be a lot of snow today.  We didn’t pay too much attention to it, because weather typically hits everywhere but in Lower Manhattan.  Still, I was hoping to see a little snow.  This morning when we got up, everything looked the same as it had for the past few days: grey, overcast and cold.  Right on schedule, though, the snow started coming down around noon.  I was surprised by how accurate the weather report was.  We came out of a church service at Times Square and the snow was coming down.  I got so excited, I Tweeted about it.

    The big tree at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, December 2010.

    We took the time to walk over to Rockefeller Plaza.  I’d been pretty busy working over the past month so I didn’t get a chance to see the tree.  I thought I’d missed it for the year, but it was still up and lit.  It was really impressive looking.

    The Swarovski crystal star at Rockefeller Plaza, December 2010.

    This is the Swarovski crystal star, a copy of which is on top of the big tree in the previous photo.

    The snow falling outside the PATH train Newport / Pavonia station in New Jersey, 2010.

    From there we took a trip out to Newport / Pavonia in New Jersey to visit the mall.  The snow actually didn’t seem as bad there as it did in the city, and that was more evident when we left New Jersey and went back to Manhattan.  We had a good stack of coupons we wanted to cash in on and needed a new tea pot.  We wound up picking up a good picture frame too.  We bought 80 bucks worth the goods, but had 53 dollars in savings, paying only 33 bucks.  Not bad huh?

    Driving snowfall on 14th street on the night of December 26th, 2010.

    Driving snowfall on 14th street on the night of December 26th, 2010.

    By the time we made it back to 14th Street in Manhattan, the weather was turning from amusing and fun to near miserable.  The wind was picking up, the snow was being driven into our faces, and it was beginning to pile up on the roads.  When we were heading out in the morning, the buses already had chains on the back wheels, leaving marks on the roads.  It’s a good thing they took that precaution.  Definitely.

    The corner of Avenue B and 13th Street, December 26th 2010.

    The road we live off of isn’t a main thoroughfare and it hadn’t been plowed at all, so everything looked sort of pristine.  The small businesses hadn’t bothered to shovel the walks and you could hardly tell where the road ended and the sidewalk began.

    Our cat, Marble, exploring snow on the balcony.

    Even our balcony has a layer of snow on it, which our cat Marble decided was worth exploring.

    Cooling down two cans of Coke in the snow and cold on the balcony.

    That snow and the cold is also good for quickly cooling down drinks!

    The weather is turning worse.  The wind is picking up.  The tree outside our balcony is swaying back and forth nonstop and the snow is flying in every direction out there, getting thicker as it gets later.  All I can say is I’m glad I’m home, relatively warm, and hadn’t planned to do any serious traveling today.  Over a thousand flights were canceled out of New York City today.  I feel bad for the people who will have to camp out in the airport.  I feel worse for the homeless who will have to find shelter tonight.

    I’ll have a cup of hot chocolate in a bit and do a little reading.  It seems like a good night for it.  Tomorrow, I think I’ll go visit Central Park.  I bet it’ll be a good day for pictures, before the snow all melts later in the week.  This snow is supposed to come down until around noon tomorrow.  Hopefully I don’t get lost in any snow drifts!

  • A “Bah! Humbug!” Kind of Christmas

    A little tree and nativity scene on the dresser.

    Ok, so maybe it’s not all that bad.  In fact, it could be a lot worse.  The fact remains, however, that I spent this Christmas apart from my wife, and that seriously put a dent in my holiday spirit.  This year just feels different.  The ‘spirit’ of the holiday seems to have gone around me without touching me.  The lights are up.  The tree is there.  The gifts are under it.  The food was good.  I had family around me.  And yet, without my wife it seems pale.  All I can do is look forward to next year, when we can do things right.  Next Christmas will be extra special.

    Some of my photos came out fairly decent, so I thought I’d share a few.

    Roast pork, black beans with rice and yuca.

    Traditionally, my mom’s side of the family does Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, so last night we had a simple meal of roast pork, black beans with rice and yuca.  It looks simple, but trust me, it tasted great!  We also had cake and homemade oatmeal cookies.

    Bacon, frying on a griddle.

    Potatoes frying.

    Fresh biscuits.

    This morning we followed up the dinner with a really good, traditional breakfast of bacon, biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes and eggs.

    Christmas isn’t completely without joy this year, but like I said, it’s just not the same.  My wife and I spent every day together for almost 2 and a half years until we had to temporarily part ways.  It really puts a damper on my holiday spirit, and instead of really enjoying this Christmas, it feels more like another step on a path to something more fulfilling, when my wife and I will be together again.  I’m looking forward to it.

  • NYC Crazy: “Don’t Sit On My Legs”

    It seems like there’s an endless number of crazy people in New York City, and an endless variety of the types of craziness they may be suffering from.  I encountered another one tonight on my way home, on the train this time.

    I had to stand for the first leg of the trip, but when we reached the 1st stop, a seat was freed up, so I moved to sit down.  It was one of the benches at the end of the train car, where there are only two seats in the row.  The other seat, the one closer to the front of the train car, was occupied by a small black lady, dressed fairly regularly, gnawing on a lollipop like a crazed beaver trying to gnaw down a tree.  I figured she looked harmless enough so I took the other seat.

    I’d barely sat down when the woman said, “Oh you can sit down, but I have big legs so watch that you don’t sit on my legs.”

    I wasn’t sure I heard her right, so I asked her if she could repeat herself.

    “I have big legs.  You can sit, but you have to be careful that you don’t sit on them.”

    I looked at the woman’s legs.  They were shorter than mine and no bigger than any other average sized person.  She was actually a small woman.  So, of course, I realized she’s crazy and I had to defuse her craziness so that she wouldn’t turn into a violent lunatic and make the next few minutes on the train unpleasant.

    “Oh, don’t worry.  I won’t sit on your legs.  I’ll just mind my business over here and play a game on my phone.”

    I had indeed been planning to play a game on my phone.  I’d downloading something during my break where you try to free a particular block from a puzzle to clear a stage.  I had my phone in my hand already and had opened the game.  I was hoping that this would cause the woman to realize that I didn’t want to bother her, and that I was preoccupied and not ready to talk to her.

    Instead, it backfired.

    “Oh, games! I like games! What game is that? It’s some new one huh?”

    She then proceeded to reach over and start pushing buttons below the screen on my phone.  I thought about getting up and moving away but you never know what might happen, what a crazy person might say, do or have on them that could be potentially lethal to the innocent sane people around them, so I decided the best way to get past the problem was to just humor her.

    So, I sat there, trying to explain to her that she had to use the touchscreen to move the pieces.  I didn’t let go of my phone of course, and it was sort of amusing to watch this old woman getting pissed off over a touch screen game where the blocks only move in certain directions.  She couldn’t seem to figure that out.  Horizontal blocks only move horizontally and vertical blocks only go vertically.

    “What the fuck? You do this. Move that motherfucker right there over that way.  Get that block out of the way. How the fuck does this thing work? This shit won’t move!”  She was stabbing at my phone with her bony fingers, cursing, getting irritated, and still gnawing on her lollipop.  I saw several sprays of saliva fly from her mouth, thankfully onto the floor, and just as I thought I was going to have to risk her flipping out and accusing me of everything from picking on an old lady to racism to having a magic game that fucked her over, or perhaps swinging at me with her bag, the train pulled into the next station, my station, and I excused myself and got off the train.

    As I exited the train I heard the woman say, “You have to be careful with your bags if you’re going to sit down. I have big legs.”

    And a woman replied, “Oh, did I hit your legs with my bag? I’m sorry.”

    “No, it’s just that I have…” I heard her saying, and then I was too far away to hear.

    I think from now on, I’ll just stand.  Or at least not sit next to anyone past the age of 40.  It’s only two stops anyway.

  • First Snow For the Year in Lower Manhattan Last Night

    Yesterday afternoon when I was out, we were just about to step into the Food Emporium at Union Square when I noticed snow flurries.  They were light and sort of disappeared by the time we left the grocery store to head home, but when we were walking up the street to our apartment building we noticed them again.  The snow continued to come down late into the night.  I took the following photos from our balcony.

    First snow in Manhattan, Winter 2010.

    First snow in Manhattan, Winter 2010.

    First snow in Manhattan, Winter 2010.

    First snow in Manhattan, Winter 2010.

    I was really excited to see snow again.  I hadn’t seen any in years.  I always managed to be out of the country in deserts or the tropics, or in a part of the country where it didn’t snow, during winter.  This year, if there is any heavy snow (and it looks like there will be) I’ll get to see it all first hand, for better or worse.

    First snow in Manhattan, Winter 2010.

    The snow last night was light, and it didn’t last too well through the day today, but I’m sure there’ll be more.  It’ll be exciting for sure, at first at least, until the novelty of it wears off.

  • New York City Graffiti and Wall Murals – Part 2

    Wall mural of black man with fan and robe at 5th Street and Bowery, Manhattan.

    This wall mural, located at 5th Street and Bowery, caught my eye right away.  I have no clue what culture the figure is supposed to represent, but it looks like a fusion of African and Asian to me.  The mixed background patterns and colors were a nice touch.  If you look on the left side, there’s a small depiction of a blonde girl, with her hair up in short pig tails.

    Here’s a view from the building opposite the mural:

    Wall mural at 5th and Bowery, with Cooper Square in the background.

    The photo has some blurry looking spots because I took the picture through a window screen.  That’s Cooper Square in the background.

    As a bonus, I found this image on a large metal shipping container on the street in front of and to the right of the mural:

    An artistic rendering of right wing denial of global warming and climate change.

    This is obviously an artistic rendering of the right wing denial of climate change and global warming.  The figure in the image is intentionally covering her eyes to scientific fact.  The way the image has been slightly torn away just makes it more interesting, to me.  Haunting in a way, too, sort of like something you’d find in a post apocalyptic city where denial of science and fact has led to catastrophic disaster.

    If you enjoyed this post, keep your eyes out for more.  I’m constantly keeping an eye out for cool images and wall art like this scattered around New York City.

  • Man Got Wedged Between Train and Platform at Union Square Station Last Night

    Last night there was an accident in the Union Square train station that required an ambulance and firefighters to respond.

    I first realized there was something going on when I was trying to board the train at a station further uptown on the same line.  An announcement was made in the station saying that the express trains would all be running on local tracks in the area around Union Square.  The express trains left on the usual track, but after leaving the station they switched over the local tracks, which seemed to make the trip take a lot longer.

    When the express train pulled up to the local platform in Union Square I made sure to pay attention to where I was stepping.  Sure enough, there was an almost foot long gap between the side of the train car and the platform.  It seemed dangerous.

    Emergency responders in Union Square station, where a man was wedged between the train and the platform.Right across from me there was a train sitting on the track in the center of Union Square station.  It was sectioned off from the rest of the station by yellow tape.  All but one of the stairs heading up to the next level were being sectioned off as well.  The area was also full of firefighters, medics, and, of course, spectators.

    Emergency responders in Union Square station, where a man was wedged between the train and the platform.

    I asked a couple that was standing there watching what had happened.  They told me that on the other side of the train from where we were, there’s a moving platform that closes the gap between the train car floor and the platform, for safety reasons.  It’s supposed to help prevent people from falling between the train and the platform.

    Emergency responders in Union Square station, where a man was wedged between the train and the platform.

    Well, somehow, a guy got ahead of himself and maybe didn’t wait for the platform to move, so he got himself wedged between the train and the platform.  He must have been stuck in there pretty good, too, because they couldn’t just retract the platform.  The firefighters I saw had hooks and crowbars to try to get him out.

    After the guy had been freed from the train, emergency responders disappeared quickly.

    I never saw the guy, but a few minutes after I got to the station, a firefighter told us the guy got out and he was ok.  He had remained conscious the entire time and had been talking to him.  So, everything ended well, but it was a really interesting scene, with the area packed tight with emergency responders and a whole train cordoned off.

    Emergency vehicles outside Union Square station.

    Emergency vehicles outside Union Square station.

    New York City’s subway system is by no means new.  It’s falling apart in a lot of places and the whole thing could use a facelift.  I’m sure you could tell that from the photos.

  • NYC Crazy: “You need to back the fuck up off me, bro.”

    Today, on the way home, I got another dose of crazy while using public transit.  While I was standing on the platform, waiting for my train to show up, I saw a coworker, so we started talking about some crazy stuff that had happened during the day.  When the train finally arrived, we snagged some open seats and talked until we got to my stop, Union Square.

    This is where things took a turn for the bizarre.  As the train pulled into the station and started to slow, I stood up and crossed to the side where the doors would open.  I gripped the rail with my right hand, the one that runs from the floor to the ceiling at the end of the row of seats, and I held my hat in my left hand.  There was a guy standing in front of me.  He was a black man, and well dressed.  When the train stopped, the doors didn’t open right away.  He looked over his shoulder at me.  Then he shifted a bit and turned half towards me and mumbled something.  I didn’t quite catch it so I just ignored him and put my hat on, so my hands would be free for the climb up the stairs from the platform into the station.

    When the doors opened and we started to get off the train he said something to me again, but I still couldn’t hear it over the noise, so I leaned a little closer to him and said, “Pardon?”

    “You need to back the fuck up off me, bro.”

    Uhhh.  Well, we were walking with the group of people all rushing for the stairs, so I didn’t give it too much mind.  It’s not like a person can expect to have a lot of free space in that situation.

    When we turned the corner of the rail and started up the stairs, the guy looked back and when he saw me, he jumped a bit, like he was surprised, and then bolted up the stairs, taking them three at a time.  When he hit the top, he took off at a dead run through the station.

    The woman next to me gave me a questioning look.  I shrugged and said, “Crazy fucker.  He thought I was following him or standing too close to him or something.”  She just smiled and shook her head, as if she’d seen it before herself.  I suppose she had.  New York City seems to be half full of crazy people at any given time.

    I understand that people have a desire for personal space, and that desire is magnified when living in a congested city, constantly surrounded by people, but this guy’s reaction was unreasonable given the circumstances.  I wonder what exactly set him off this time?  I was dressed in business casual, chatting with another person in business casual, and I didn’t act oddly when I positioned myself to exit the train at a stop, so it’s not realistic for him to have thought I was a potential robber.  It’s also not reasonable to expect to have no one behind you when exiting a train at a station, or when climbing the stairs to the platform.

    In any case, this just reinforces the fact that when you’re in New York City you have to stay aware of the people around you.  You never know who might snap, or when, or why.

  • Do You Have An Unlimited?

    metrocard_skirt-435x326Twice now, on my way home, I’ve passed through the turn-styles at Union Square and had a guy ask me that question.  In fact, I’m pretty sure it was the same guy, though I could be wrong, since the last time this happened before tonight was about a week ago.

    So, what’s it mean?  Well, when you ride the mass transit in New York City you have to use an MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) MetroCard, which is what the skirt in the photo is made out of.  People are creative aren’t they?  Anyway, you can get these things and add amounts to them and use them until they run out, or you can buy a weekly or monthly unlimited ride card, which saves you money if you travel frequently.  Unlimited cards are a lot more convenient too because you get them and then you just don’t have to worry about what your balance is, or when you need to add more cash to it.  You just use it until it expires and then you toss it and get a new one.

    So, the problem with some guy asking people if they have an unlimited card is that he wants you to swipe it on the turn-style so he can get a free ride.  On the surface, this may not seem like a bad thing, especially if he’s had a bad day and lost his somewhere, and can’t afford his trip home.  It’s also possible that he’s scamming people and never buys a card and is trying to get a free ride all the time.  That’s bullshit.  We pay, so should he.  Or, another possibility is that he’s an undercover cop working with a partner that will write out tickets to people who let him use their card.  Any way you look at it, it’s not the best idea to let a person get a free ride on your card.  It’s just not worth the risk, or worth letting someone else be a cheapskate while you pay for what you get.

    Funny story about this though.  I saw a whole family of about 6 people, obviously tourists, all use the same card to go through the turn-style.  They should be glad there weren’t any cops around.

    (Photo credit: Subwayblogger via edstern on Flickr.)

  • New York City Express Train Gymnastics and Dancing

    A night or two ago I was on the express train, either the 4 or 5 (they run the same track), heading to Union Square, and this guy announced that he was going to give us a performance.  He reached into a plastic bag on the floor and turned on his radio.  Then he did some gymnastics and dancing using the bars in the train that you’re meant to hold onto.  I was a bit worried that he might accidentally kick someone in the head, maybe me since I was sitting so close.  He pulled it off without incident though, and it was definitely entertaining after a long day, so when he asked for a handout afterwards, quite a few people gave him some change.  I gave him a dollar.

    I never hand out money to beggars, because it annoys me and there are plenty of social programs to help them get a job, but I don’t mind handing out a little cash to someone that’s working for it, even if it’s just a minute long show on a subway train.