Last night I went to the Peoples Improv Theater to write an article about one of their shows for MurphGuide.com. It was just past 8:00 when I left and had to decide on the best way to get home. Should I walk to 23rd Street & 6th Avenue and take the PATH, which would require more walking? Or, since I was right on 29th Street and 7th Ave, should I take the much closer 1 train to the Port Authority then switch to the bus? I opted for the more walking because I really need to be more active.
So off I went. It was a pleasantly cool autumn night for a walk. Aside from several moments of fighting gale-force winds that is. Still I felt good about taking the more health-conscious route home. Until I swiped my card at the 23rd Street, propped myself up against the wall to wait and then hearing the announcement, “The Hoboken station is closed due to police activity.”
This threw a major wrench into my evening. You see, I figured I could have a nice, early night free of any stress or complications. That way I could relax for a while in my apartment before deciding whether or not to go out again. Now, instead I was forced to take the Journal Square train and switch at Pavonia/Newport station in Jersey City for the Light Rail.
At Pavonia/Newport, I slumped down on the handrail of the escalator feeling frustrated. I looked to my left and saw my friend Jinny. I had not seen her for a while and it was nice to see her smile. It brightened up what could have been a very unpleasant trek. She called her boyfriend Jim to let him know what was going on and we shared tales of our night as we made our way to the Light Rail.
As we chatted on the platform, standing about two feet in front of me was a familiar face. You could see us both register the other’s face and practically hear the bells go off in our heads. It was my friend Veronica who I had not seen in years. The last time I ran into her was on a bus to NYC right before she moved. Oddly enough at that point we also hadn’t seen each other in a couple of years. She now lives with her husband in Charlotte.
Veronica was one of my band Ya-Ne-Zniyoo’s biggest fans back in the day. I had recently found this adorable card she wrote to us as a thank you for a surprise we popped on her one night. It was back in February 1996 at the old Love Sexy club in Hoboken when we decided to premiere a funny little Latin-rock gem called Veronica Chavez in her honor. She got a big kick out of it. Now I just need to figure out how we always manage meet on NJ Transit several years apart.
Why was the Hoboken station closed? Apparently a 911 caller claimed someone had entered the train station with a pipe bomb. After several hours of searching, no bomb was found. Was this a hoax? Did someone have a bomb and simply eluded the police? No one is really sure or at least no one is saying. All I know is that I was able to reconnect with two friends. It just goes to show, when going thru life you need to keep your eyes and ears open. You never know what might happen or who you might find standing next to you.
See Also:
Adira Amram is an American Idol
