i heart new york

so, in case you haven't heard- the transit union workers are on strike. i'm torn- part of me hates this because hello? inconvenience and possible chaos is not that fun- the other part of me is supportive, because it must be kindof a sucky job where you don't get much respect and spend most of your day underground, seeing more rats than sunlight. but then again- most everyone is paying for part of their health insurance in some way or another and no one is getting 6% raises a year. i'm just hoping that this is not long and drawn out because people can't sit at a table and properly negotiate. i hate the mta, as i've posted before, i don't want to hate the transit workers as well- and if this thing goes on much longer its gonna be hard to keep on being sympathetic. and i don't even have it that bad. it takes about an hour to walk to work, which sucks in the freezing cold, but is doable. although yesterday i was exhausted when i got in- walking in the cold, with all the layers and breathing in that cold air, really makes me tired. but i certainly don't have it as bad as most people who live in the boroughs or surrounding area.

kpr drove me to work today, because i am a very lucky girl and we picked up a hitchhiker! sooo exciting. ok- so the guy wasn't a hitchhiker, he was just someone standing on the corner looking for a cab and he looked pretty normal, and non serial killer like (i know, i know, serial killers look just like you and me), so i told kpr we should pick him up. i rolled down my window and asked him where he was going and he said 'grand central' i said 'get in!' it was so weird and random, but seemed perfectly natural. we chatted about the strike, and traffic and such, and then when we got close to grand central he and i hopped out and he insisted on giving kpr a twenty- although it was no skin off our nose- so wine money!! hooray!

so many people are riding bikes, roller blading/skating, walking, carpooling- it's like an environmentalist's dream come true. i know its a huge hassle with all of this going on, but i think it would be interesting if the city passed legislature that limited the number of cars on the road, encouraged people to carpool, especially in midtown. we'll see what comes out of this.

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i was interviewed recently by a writer from the charlotte observer. he read my post regarding us air (they suck monkey balls) last year at christmas time.

names have been changed to protect my identity- teehee! you can go to the actual article here

Never again-- well, at least not for a while

TONY MECIA

tmecia@charlotteobserver.com

Last year, Tanya Churchill, Drew Bendler and divinemissk publicly stated they'd never fly US Airways again.

This year, all three say they're still steamed at the airline for last year's travel fiasco, and that they avoid it when they can. But in 2005, they've all flown US Airways again, or plan to.

Airline experts say they're not surprised, because leisure travelers tend to buy tickets based on price, not service.

"If it's a duck with a chair on its back and it's cheap, they'll take the duck," said aviation consultant Mike Boyd.

Here are the three travelers' stories:

• Steve and Tanya Churchill of Holly Springs, outside Raleigh, told the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle they'd never fly US Airways again after the airline lost their luggage for three days -- including a car seat for their 9-month-old daughter.

Tanya Churchill says she threw away the couple's Dividend Miles cards.

This year, though, she booked on US Airways because its tickets to Rochester were $100 cheaper than on rival carriers. She's planning to check as few bags as possible.

"It was either I go US Air, or I don't go," she said.

• Mailman Drew Bendler of Pennsauken, N.J., told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last year: "I'm done. I won't fly US Air again." He had waited at the Philadelphia airport from Christmas Eve until 7:30 a.m. Christmas Day to try in vain to find his teenage daughter's luggage.

This year, his daughter is flying in from Missouri on Delta Air Lines, and Bendler says he didn't even look at US Airways' fare.

Earlier this year, he did fly US Airways to Miami on a "quick weekend trip" -- with only a carry-on bag -- but only because his brother made the travel arrangements.

• Last year, New York actor divinemissk wrote a blog entry, which recounted her frustrations when the airline canceled three flights to Columbus, Ohio, where her parents live. She says mean employees made her cry at the airport, and she never made it to Ohio, though her bags did.

"i hate them i hate them i hate them," she wrote. Other entries are unprintable in a family newspaper. (this is possibly the greatest quote i could ask for!)

divinemissk, 20something, says she wound up on a US Airways flight to Las Vegas this fall, though, after a previously booked flight on America West was discontinued, and it moved her to one operated by US Airways. She hadn't heard that the airlines had merged, but she says she has no plans to fly the airline again if she can avoid it.

"You lose trust like that, it's hard to gain that back," she said.

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so, apparently, i'm a crybaby (what can i say, airports make me cry), i use language unsuitable for a family paper (yes!), and i'm not very eloquent (see last quote, uggh, please, couldn't i think of anything better to say? gah.). but i'm happy to join the club of people who have been interviewed because of their blog- imagine how blogging has made journalists jobs that much easier. no longer do they have to search for people who have had certain experiences or hold certain opinions- they just have to google the idea and bam! the interview subjects just line up for ya!