PENN STATION SHUT DOWN-FIRE

02/14/03

[Destro]

PENN STATION SHUT DOWN-FIRE

wabc radio just reported

[Destro]

It's no biggie

[GovernmentShrinker]

Well, now that it's been evacuated, maybe no one would get hurt if it burned down. A heap of charred rubble might actually be an aesthetic improvement . . .

[Lloyd227]

"...maybe after experiencing enough of this, they will lead us out."

What are the odds they could lead their way out of a wet paper bag?

[Labyrinthos]

Possibly a trial run by terrorists to see how we respond and hit at weak spots later??

Although I have a tin foil hat for each season, the fire is really much to do about nothing. At least once a year there is a track fire of some sort at both Penn and Grand Central that causes a lot of smoke and shuts down the system for a while. I will say, however, that NYC is very, very tight -- the tightest I've seen it since the days following 09.11. I was down there on Wednesday and everyone seems on edge, particularly the police and National Guard, who were carrying heavy duty weapons with live ammo. (I know the ammo was live because a friend of mine is a special ops officer with the NYPD told me so.)

The sad fact remains, however, that there is very little that can be done to stop a motivated person from committing an act of terror unless you have good intelligence before the operation is set in motion and a lot of luck on your side. More people use the NYC mass transit system (Metro North, PATH, LIRR, Amtrack, and subways) on a daily basis than live in all but our largest cities, and without advance intelligence, there is very little that can be done to stop a person from getting off a train in Grand Central during rush hour and pulling the cord while in the middle main terminal.

[skeeter]

wabc radio just reported

Can't be too bad 'cause WABC is right above Penn Station...

[JustPiper]

Be ever vigilant of dreams!

About 20 years ago, I had a daymare

The Chicago Sun Times read the year 2031.Headlines said air unlivable from fallout (nuke or bio/chem I don't know).Three of us decided it was time to go 'up'.We were tired of living underground. When we got up we removed our gas masks, knowing we would die, but it was our choice.

Now, 20 years ago we believed oh sure, nukes. But now who knows. I know the dream was real.

[JustPiper]

Disable a train, then attack?

[rmlew]

Can't he take the 7 to Jamaica?

[Milwaukee_Guy]

"Fox just emphatically stated NOT terrorism-related."

The original post was at 3:13 CST and FOX makes their solemn promouncement at 3:18 CST.

How can they be so sure, that early into the event?

Was one of their people on the scene able to -verify- what they were being told. I doubt it.

Before this is over, the media will mess up big time......

[rmlew]

Nix that. I meant the "f"

[gridlock]

Mrs Gridlock reports that there were four helicopters hovering motionless in formation above the station for about an hour and a half. Mrs. Gridlock is not an big fan of military hardware, but she says they look a lot like a picture of an Apache that I showed her. She said that they were longer and thinner than your usual news chopper, and they were all painted the same.

There has been CAP above NYC for the last few days we have been on Condition Orange. Maybe they brought the choppers in while they sorted this all out.

Did anybody get a good look at these birds? I don't even think news choppers can fly over NYC while we are at Condition Orange, and four in formation hovering for an hour and a half is a little unusual, don't you think?

[max_rpf]

I saw four in the sky. One of them (flyover my balcony) was definitly a news chopper... The others were much larger choppers, but with my crappy eyesight all I could see was a little ball in the sky making noise...

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Jet fighters have been flying over the city too.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

AMTRAK is reporting that their Empire Service to Albany is delayed indefinitely

Amtrak is adding extra cars to take Anti-War Protesters from Albany to NYC, wgy radio | 2/14/2003 | wgy radio - posted 5:12 PM.

????

[Joe Hadenuf]

I am glad I don't use public transportation....With or without terrorist, it sucks.

[finnman69]

Apaches? ROFL!

They were news choppers. You can see the camera pod in the nose.I see them all the time hovering over Chelsea because they are looking at traffic conditions. Today I saw 3. there are 3 network choppers. ABC, CBS and NBC.

[ffusco]

What exactly is greasy kid stuff anyway?

BTW, You've got moxie.

[ffusco]

You mean the Mckim, Mead and White masterpiece designed to resemble the Roman Baths at Caracella. The senseless destruction of this stately terminus almost single handedly started the preservation movement. Excellent Book Lost New York.

[Black Agnes]

One of the 9/11 hijackers operated a newstand in Newark NJ's Penn Station. I saw him there pre 9/11 selling papers. He was a kinda creepy guy.

[alisasny]

He got lucky, took the E to jamaica as I suggested and then got a 6 our of Jamaica, was home by 7. Very lucky as my tenent got stuck at Jamaica for a while and didnt make it home to 9. Was standing room only so crowded that they couldnt check tickets.