By Andrew Coen, Anne Marie Allocca and Nicole Falco
As of press time Wednesday, no agreement had been reached, meaning that Valley Streamers who commute to New York City via the Long Island Rail Road, which was not affected by the strike, were left with no subways or buses to reach their final destinations. Those who drove to the city needed to bring along at least three passengers to enter Manhattan south of 96th Street between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Joe Laxton is one of those commuters who usually drives at least part of the way in his case, to a construction site in downtown Manhattan. On most days, Laxton drives to Hunters Point, Queens, where he parks his car and catches the No. 7 train to Hudson Street. But because of the strike, he opted for the Long Island Rail Road and a Manhattan taxi ride on Tuesday.
"It cost me a lot more money to come into the city than it normally does," said Laxton, a union carpenter. "Fifteen dollars for the taxi and $15 for the railroad ticket. And I had to get up a lot earlier to be on time - and I didn't make it. It's a lot more walking and a lot more money. If it was a little warmer I would have rode my motorcycle in."
Laxton was planning to try a different route home. Instead of taking a taxi, he hopped a PATH train from lower Manhattan to Penn Station and saved a few dollars.
Joseph De Leo, a Web developer, hoofed it from Penn Station to his office in downtown Manhattan, and back again. De Leo began his day two hours earlier than usual and braved the frigid commute wearing sneakers, scarf, hat, gloves and thermals. "I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do that," De Leo said. "But my commute is already expensive enough."
Angel Freire earns a living by navigating the streets of Manhattan. The Valley Stream resident owns a courier and trucking company. Only one of his employees was able to make it to work before 11:30 Tuesday morning, which meant they didn't start making deliveries until noon. "It was not easy," Freire said. "I don't know how long all this will last."
For those making the reverse commute, travel wasn't any easier. Sean Steinmetz, who lives in lower Manhattan, usually rides the subway to Penn Station to catch the LIRR to his job at PC University Distributors in Valley Stream. "Not having the subway is a pain," Steinmetz said. "Luckily I've had the use of a car these past few days, so traveling [to work] hasn't been too bad."
Steinmetz has been borrowing his father's car, but he doesn't think he'll have that option for too much longer. "When I need to get to the LIRR, I'm going to have to walk a few miles in this weather," he said. "The good news is there's no traffic coming out to the Island. The bad news is I'm not going to have a car in a few days."
The transit strike barely registered on the radar of at least one Valley Stream-to-Manhattan commuter, however. James Michael, an art director, usually skips the subway and walks from Penn Station to his office at 25th Street and Broadway. "So far, the transit strike has affected me very little," Michael said. "My train reached Penn Station about 20 minutes late, but that's about it. The police have blocked off several side streets in the Chelsea area, which tempts me to get some people together and play stickball on those vacant blocks."
While commuters like De Leo and Michael had the benefit of catching the LIRR in Valley Stream, beating the crowds that gathered at Jamaica Station on their way to work, coming home was a different experience. The two were confronted by a sea of commuters. Michael compared the scene inside Penn Station to a zoo, with certain entrances blocked off and riders loudly voicing their discontent with the situation.
The last New York City transit strike, in 1980, lasted 11 days.
Comments about this story? Nfalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
