New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal at 42st Street
was built during the second term of Mayor Bill O’Dwyer—which, for anyone
keeping score, ended (hastily) in 1950. Commuters like me are familiar with how
much it is showing its age, most notably during the winter, when buckets all
over the place try to keep the leaks from the roof.
Maybe because it keeps hoping against hope that
Something Big (like enough money for a completely new building, perhaps?),
maintenance on this structure has been haphazard. Maybe the PA also thinks
that, if they can give us some entertainment, bus and subway passengers won’t
radiate so much palpable discontent.
In the evening rush hour, passengers have gotten used
to seeing musicians and singers (even sopranos, for Heaven’s sake!) in a perch
on the second floor. During the last two mornings, though, I’ve noticed
something different: a big screen offering footage of the World Cup.
I took this photo yesterday, when the crowd, as you
can see, was already substantial. This morning, the crowd around this video had
grown even more. One possible explanation of the intense interest in these
video proceedings: Commuters were suffering delays in getting to their normal
destinations, so why not while the time away a bit longer by watching the
games?
As you can see, it looked like it worked.
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