I frequently was a “day tripper” using the COACH/SHORTLINE bus to travel to and from New York City. It was reasonably priced, and it allowed me to visit friends in the city without the stress of finding a parking place. It was a trip I made a few times a month. I arrived in the mid-morning and caught an evening bus back to Monticello.

All that changed when the covid crisis brought our routines to a halt. Understandably, it was determined that boarding a crowded bus was too dangerous. Eventually bus service was suspended.

We “road” out the storm wearing safety masks and washing our hands as we sang the “Happy Birthday song” twice. Our routine required living in isolation. As the number of covid cases diminished, I looked forward to the day when commuting by bus would return.  

Eventually, I started seeing a bus or two at the station. I went inside and was told they were running on a limited schedule. When I asked what they meant by limited, the clerk handed me a small piece of paper. That schedule did not have the pre-covid frequency of buses to and from New York City.

When I asked how long this limited schedule would last, I was told a decision had not been made yet. Also, the company was short on drivers. So, I put the temporary schedule in my pocket and drove home.

The next morning, I contemplated resuming my visits to New York City. I realized the glaring omission in the schedule of buses back to Monticello. The last bus from Port Authority would leave at 6:30pm! Not having a choice of a later bus was a problem. 

Since it was the last bus, missing it would be problematic. To make sure I had a seat, I would have to get on a line at 5pm. Not only would it be a long wait, but I knew there were no seats near the departure gate at Port Authority. I would have to sit on the floor or lean on a wall. Neither one was appealing.

So, I decided to wait until the bus service returned to its former schedule. Well, last week I drove to our bus station and was told the temporary schedule was still in effect.

I decided to drive my car to Manhattan to see some friends for a long overdue lunch. The ride down was uneventful until I landed in my old neighborhood on the upper west side. Street parking was impossible. Some cars were already double parked. I drove around to find a parking lot, willing to begrudgingly pay for the day. However, the ones in my former neighborhood had signs that either said “FULL” or “RESERVED FOR MONTHLY ACCOUNTS.”

It seemed like the entire upper west side was already gearing up for the new congestion driving plan that is scheduled to begin in June. It would be appropriate if the congestion driving plan landed on June 6  known to us as D-Day.

To avoid paying a toll of $15 a day for driving south of 60th Street, many people have already realized a way around it. Park your car north of the overhead scanners and take a convenient subway or bus downtown to your daily destination. In fact, many of them have already crunched the numbers and prepaid for a monthly space in a parking lot.

Uptown neighborhoods are joining together to petition the city to require drivers to get a decal to prove that you live on the block where you park. Without the decal, you would be fined and eventually towed.

I have developed a plan to continue to see my friends from NYC this summer. They have an open invitation to visit me in Sullivan County. We have plenty of free parking and great places for dining. I even suggested they come up on a Wednesday afternoon and we can catch a Broadway-quality performance at the Forestburgh Playhouse!

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.