The 39 steps

Stairs don't usually bother me.  



Okay the circular staircase that leads to the lift in our house is a bit unsettling.  (Proof that I am an old lady, but hey it is narrow and a little strange.). Maybe I hold the railing when I go down the stairs .  It may be  the stairs in my house in NJ, or the steps that lead to the basement in the Poconos house, or the stairs that go down from the street to the light rail station.  But generally I have no.issues with stairs.  And maybe that's the whole point.


Every morning when I get off the light rail, I, along with my fellow passengers, climb 39 steps from the lower level of Penn Station (where the light rail drops us off) to the main concourse level.  But these are not just "steps" they are escalator steps.  Because the escalator hasn't worked in months.  As matter of fact, I can hardly remember when the escalator actually DID work.  (And I KNOW it did.)  I had to do research to find out WHY they are not working.  And as per NJ Transit's site:  "Effective immediately and continuing until further notice, escalators 34 and 35 serving Newark Light Rail Platforms 4 and 5 at Newark Penn Station will be closed due to modernization upgrades....Replacing these escalators is part of a larger accessibility project at Newark Penn Station. While the design phase is expected to begin soon, construction funds have not yet been secured."  


As far as I can see NOTHING has been done, other than the escalators being shut down.  And thus, day after day, we pile on and climb up, up, up those 39 stairs.  (Maybe it's actually 40...)  And by the time I get halfway up, I'm ready to call it a day.


Now I climb other stairs to get to my office.  There's 3 sets of 6 stairs that take me from one level of the concourse to another just before I get to my office.  I have no issues there.  Furthermore upon going from Newark Penn Station's mail level to the elevated indoor concourse, I get on an escalator that DOES work.  I don't usually just stand there motionless (because once I'm there, I just want to get to the office and officially start my day), I climb as the escalator goes up.  And that doesn't seem to be an issue either.


So why are those steps such a challenge?  Is it because of the unevenness in places?  Is it because we're all packed in and going up?  (I try to stay to the right...so that those who are faster or more physically fit, can pass me)  I've always got my hand on the railing...and sometimes I feel like I am pulling myself up.  Am I that out of shape?  (I've never been incredibly physically fit, but I'm no schlep either...or at least that's what I think.)  Does anyone else have challenges or issues when climbing an non-working escalator?


Most importantly, when will this work be done?  (Or perhaps I should say when will it actually begin?)  Will it be before the decade ends?  (That seems dire, but it may be true.)  Fingers crossed, that it gets updated and working before I give up!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more