42 Minutes From NYC

Greetings from the great public library at 42nd & 5th, NYC.   Now I just have over 40 minutes left to complete this week's posting.  If not then I will have to wait a few minutes to get more time with the public computer.  Leaving my laptop at home forces me to utilize other computers, similar to my last trip to Europe back in the autumn of 2015.

Let's say everything I am doing has been delayed due to the snow back in Seattle. Yes, snow! began falling on Sunday evening, and by Monday morning there were 2-3 inches, with more coming.  My delay was caused by them taking over 2 hours to de-ice the airplane, meaning we left Seattle at about 10:15 AM instead of the scheduled 7:45 AM.

While a great and uneventful ride, it meant I arrived in the dark of a New York City evening, further slowing me down to my eventual arrival to my Brooklyn Bushwick neighborhood AirB&B abode, a room in a house for $118.00 total for four nights. Cheap, believe me, for staying anywhere in greater NYC.

This morning I walked around the clearly shop-worn working-class area while searching for a good cup of coffee.  Finding a "Dunkin' Donuts" I joined the many others just escaping the streets for a strong espresso and cake donut.

It was fun just walking the streets, just as I have been doing here in Manhattan.  Walking around I can clearly see I am suffering from boredom, Seattle's too well known streets offering me little in terms of either novelty or entertainment.  Not only am I bored with taxi, Seattle too adds to the tedium of something I dearly need to say goodbye to.  At this point, I require either the noise of a giant city or the compete reverse, the total quiet of birdsong and the great prairie and its open skies.

In terms of Seattle taxi news the only important item to report is the sudden resignation of Port of Seattle CEO Ted Fick, who stands accused of many things including giving himself an unreported $24.000 raise.  With more time I will list the litany of items the Port Commission is unhappy with but short to say, some of the charges are disturbing, including one alleging he directed Port business contacts to his father's company.

Fick himself got my attention during the various Port hearings concerning Seattle Yellow's  past Sea-Tac contract, during which he couldn't conceal his displeasure when Yellow's issues were brought up for discussion.  His obvious disdain was expressed through his irritation with Port staff and what he saw as their poor accounting practises in relation to Yellow Cab's potential Sea-Tac ride-counting errors.  Going back to a 17th Century Spanish proverb, it is now seems like Fick is the "pot calling the kettle black."  How I love the righteously indignant, especially when it proves otherwise.  Should I laugh or cry?

Upon that I have 8 minutes to do my final editing.  By the way, I left the snow behind in Seattle.  Here in NYC it is a spring-like 46 degrees F.  God! what a world and planet!