On the Way to La Strada

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the last stop for this train due to police action at the Bowery Station."

I'm not going to Bowery Station. I'm going to Essex Station. The next one. The one before Bowery. Take me one more stop. Please!

Unload the train. Stand on the platform. Wait.

The MTA worker walks past and repeats the message. So we wait.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. There is not train service at this time due to police action at the Bowery Station. If you want to go to Manhattan, take the B39 bus across the Williamsburg Bridge. If you want to go to......"

Frustration. Cussing. Mumbling. Shuffling. Herding towards the exits and down the stairs to the street.

The B39 is not listed on this bus stop. Where is the B39 stop?

"Where does the B39 stop?" the man asks.

I don't know.

Follow the crowd. Turn the corner. There's the bus stop. Wait while other buses pick people up and leave. Wait.

This is a lot of people who will want to get on the bus when it comes. Can a bus fit a train-load of people? Certainly not.

Here comes the bus. The crowd surges and crams. Not a chance of getting on this bus. Watch it depart, crammed full of people on their way to the bridge. Stifle jealousy. Wait.

Oh look. There goes the J train on its way across the Williamsburg Bridge. I was willing to wait for service to resume. Now it's resumed, but we still stand at the bus stop.

Faced with decision. Do I go back to the station and hope the next train comes soon, or do I wait for the next B39 bus? I wait. An older gentleman trips on the curb and another man and I go to see if he needs help. His shoe came off, but he's okay.

Here comes the next bus into the stop. A little ways across the lot it unloads its crowd of passengers from Manhattan. Painstakingly slow they exit the bus. Then, the bus turns off its marquee lights. Frustration permeates the air again.

What?!?!?!? Are you kidding me?

Start to head back to the station to wait for the train, along with a few other people. Look back. The bus turns its marquee lights back on and pulls forward to the bus stop. Turn around and go back to the bus. Wait in line. Load the bus. The crowd has thinned at this point and there are plenty of seats available. Then, the bus doesn't move. We wait. The bus driver leaves the bus running and gets off the bus.

Oh, look. There goes another J train towards the bridge into Manhattan. Guess I should have gone back to the station. Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh....

The bus driver gets back on the bus and we are on our way across the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan.

This was my experience getting into the Lower East Side for a La Strada concert at The Living Room tonight. Was it worth it? Yes. The band was late getting started, so I didn't miss a thing. I even got a seat at a table. La Strada is a band out of Brooklyn and they rock. They use guitar, percussion, accordian, violin, viola and cello in their music. They were the first band I saw in concert after my move to New York. I was glad to see them again. If you ever come to New York and want to hear a good band, I highly recommend La Strada. I'm spreading the word. Their sticker even got a place on the top of my laptop. Here's their website: http://lastradaband.blogspot.com/ They are also on MySpace. Check them out. They were picked by The L Magazine as one of the 8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear.