Staten Island

Hello Friends.

This is a friendly reminder that a person should not take a gig on Staten Island, even on a weekend, without having first procured a car (or at least a ride in one). Staten Island is very suburban, and thus, many areas are quite poorly served by public transportation. For example, if a person were to take a weekend gig there and attempt to use public transport, it is entirely possible the process of commuting could take over 2.5 hours. It is also possible that a certain bus schedule was incorrect on the Internet and that it had stopped running by the time the person got to the bus stop, at which point the said person would have had to hire a cab. This only costs $5, which is very reasonable in another context, but could definitely feel like the proverbial back-breaking straw (especially if one is feeling already somewhat camel-like because he or she has been toting around a rather heavy musical instrument--such as a French horn--on his or her back). Adding yet another insult to injury would be finding out that after taking the pleasant 30-minute ferry ride at sunset, a cab to the same place would have cost a mere $7, but would have only taken 10 minutes (bringing the musician to the rehearsal space in the waning daylight), rather than the 70 minutes the abortive attempt at public transportation had taken (in close to pitch-darkness).

Yes, friends, a person would almost be at his or her wit's end by the end of the evening, especially when finding out that the orchestra which had hired this person was not efficiently rehearsed, and had several members with little right to be holding an instrument in the first place, unless the purpose of their playing was one of misanthropic, nay--diabolical!--intent.

Thus I caution you, lest you feel the slightest temptation to augment your salary by accepting a job on Staten Island, to make sure you know someone with a car or are prepared to take a taxi. Better yet: take the night off, pour yourself some wine (a good Bordeaux is recommended), and listen to a Beethoven String Quartet or a Mozart symphony on your stereo played capably by the major professional ensemble or orchestra of your choice. You'll certainly save yourself heartache and frustration, and, who knows, you may feel fully rested by the end of the weekend!

With best wishes,

A concerned and caring friend.