Monday, August 30, 2004

Chapter 17.7: Escape From New York

Here's something that I haven't seen reported yet. Trains out of New York's Penn Station were cancelled on Saturday due to the volume of people trying to leave the city in anticipation of the final week of August and the surge of Republican conventioneers. The volume apparently delayed so many trains that afternoon trips out of the city had to be cancelled. I don't know if there were similar problems on Sunday.

Estimated thousands of New Yorkers were forced to wheel their suitcases out of Penn Station and find alternate travel or stay home. In addition, New Jersey highways were filled with drivers -- seemingly half with N.Y. plates -- to the point where traffic jammed up the Garden State Parkway, the N.J. Turnpike, Route 9, Route 195, and Route 33. Those are the roads where I puttered along at 25-30 mph.

I feel sorry for those poor New Yorkers stuck in the city this week. There may be no end to the protests and stress of the Republican convention. One more reason not to go to Shea Stadium!

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