There are definite benefits to working in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. The holiday party is always the night of the tree lighting, the periodic celebrity sightings when folks come to NBC, the farmer’s market every year that has delicious apple cider donuts that I always want to buy in bulk, and exhibits in the basement such as the orchid show, the motorcycle show, and arts & crafts.
The bad part about working in Rockefeller Center? Parades and funerals.
This morning it took my city bus 35 minutes to get from Port Authority to 6th Avenue. Normally it takes 15 minutes to get from PA to FIFTH Avenue. I got off today at 6th because traffic wasn’t moving because the cops have 5th Avenue blocked off for the St. Paddy’s Day Parade today. One of the guys who works on the 5th Avenue side (like I do) was lamenting his decision to work in the office today. “Every year I say I won’t work in the office on St. Patrick’s Day and every year I forget.” The reason? The Irish bagpipes will be playing the same song OVER AND OVER AND OVER again for about 6 hours today.
The same thing happens with funerals that take place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (across the street from us). When a bigwig dies and has the funeral there, out come the Irish bagpipes. After 9/11 it was miserable to work here because for twelve months after 9/11 we had funerals every other day and it was so completely depressing that no one that worked on the 5th Avenue side of our office ever laughed.
So today is the parade and so we’ll have happy bagpipes, but no less annoying.
Funny to read this entry, because I was just telling Harold this morning that I interviewed at Christie’s exactly one year ago. Why do I remember this exactly? Because I was 20 minutes late to the interview, because I couldn’t cross Fifth Ave thanks to the stupid parade!