July 5, 2000

New York! Not an ideal city yet

In spite of Rudolph the Wonder Mayor, who is himself coming apart at the seams, New York is still seriously dysfunctional as a city these days. That Mayor Giuliani gets so much credit for improving the city only shows how bad it must have been just a few years ago, before his tender concern. Before my recent visit, I hadn't been in New York City since my army days. That was some time ago.

The first thing I noticed was a subway system built before the Americans with Disabilities Act. Elevators and escalators exist in a few places, but for the most part, people rush pell mell up and down steep, narrow stairwells, then through narrow turnstiles. Passengers, whatever their age or infirmity, often have to hang on to pipes in crowded, lurching cars. Once we went from 79th st. via 125th st. just to get to 42nd st.. This solved some problem or other. In another case someone was ill or injured. "Everyone exit the train!" Then, somehow, the problem was solved. "Everyone re-board."

None of this is probably any great shock to those of you who travel. None of it should have surprised me either. New York has a reputation. It's well deserved.

I did enjoy a cup of coffee ($3.79) and a great view of a tiny Statue of Liberty from the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. The tops of the WTC are a seriously underused resource. While it takes only 75 seconds to get from bottom to top, the roof isn't open to visitors, and only a portion of the skyline is visible from inside the top floor.

Across the street from the WTC is the WFC, or World Financial Center, its huge first floor all marble, granite and empty, quiet elegance. In contrast, Houston (How-stunn) street, a rather grungy, rundown area of southern Manhattan, bustles with traffic and people, everyone rushing somewhere to do something, what, I wasn't always sure. Kids of diverse races play basketball together. Car horns toot. Church bells ring. The good news: pay phones need only a quarter. The bad news: calls end in a New York minute unless you feed the box more nickels. I was subjected to a really rude, snippy recording, demanding a nickel "or this call will be terminated." It's one thing for a live operator to lose her cool. Surely they can hire a really pleasant person to record their messages, even if it means going to Indiana for the voice.

On at least three separate occasions I tried to dial a local call only to be told "all circuits are busy now." Probably from all the guys walking down the street with a cell phone in one ear.

Front page news while I was there was the new Catholic Archbishop. He was cheered, analyzed, discussed. Inside was the story of a rabbi accused of having his wife killed. Like the Sherlock Holmes story about the dog who didn't bark in the night, the rabbi had no blood on himself after "discovering" his wife dead surrounded by blood. "Why" asked the detectives, didn't the rabbi rush to help his wife and get bloody in the process?"

I should report in all fairness the trains to Westchester County run wonderfully well, are clean and orderly, and I recommend them highly. Also, if any of your ancestors passed through Ellis Island (or not), don't miss the restored immigration museum.

Some recent Reactor columns may be found at Paul Azevedo's website, http://www.thereactor.net/ Reach him by e-mail at reactor@wenet.net