Lines of people going home via Penn Station Commuter Rail lines to all points East (Long Island) and West (New Jersey) of Manhattan/Metropolis.

Today I began feeling guilty over being lucky enough to still have 6.5 vacation days left and not have to endure what others (like some of my coworders) are enduring. My vacation days enables me to stay home, take care of my son and help a few elderly neighbors out in the process by doing errands for them while my son is in school. I racked up a total of 13.5 miles walking during yesterday's errands. Today I racked up almost 15 by picking up various prescriptions and making bank deposits for my elderly neighbors who are shut ins as a result of the strike and the frigid temps.

I've been asked to go into work on Friday to alternate with my colleague and give her a break and also to train the temp that will be covering for me part of next week while I'm using the remainder of my vacation time. So I'll be joining other New Yorkers in going over the 59th St bridge. walking all the way to work. I will start walking at 10:00am and will walk a total of 11 miles one way. Let's see if I'll still feel guilty or if I'll be cursing everyone involved as the wind off the East River hits me. I'll try to blog once I get into the office. I have a feeling I'll need to based on some of the quotes from NYers I've read (I've posted some of these on my companion site as the language is too colorful and too funny to pass up).

To answer a question some of you have asked in emails and calls, "How long do I think this strike will last?"

Well, if we look at TWU's strike history:
1966 Strike - January 1st, 1966 to January 13th, 1966 - 13 Days
1980 Strike - April 1st, 1980 to April 11th, 1980 - 11 Days
My guess: knowing the union leadership very well ... 12 days, which would mean this strike wouldn't be over until January 1st.

BTW, Friday I'll be picture blogging while walking over the Queensborough Bridge (see Turk 182, Spiderman 1 & 2 movies for a feel of this bridge).

Posted by: Michele at 05:06 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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