INDEPENDENCE HEART BLOCKAGES.

The mass exodus has started. Panic and mega planning take over this city during this time of year as those who leave spend more time calculating what the best time to depart is, than their actual journey. This year the 4th of July falls on a Monday. We finally get a legitimate three day weekend as opposed to a brief midweek work stoppage .



At this point I would like to voice a complaint against the 4th of July. Not because I was born in England and still hold joint nationalities. It is however quite ironic that I celebrate a day when the English were kicked out of here for no taxation without representation; yet I was a green card holder for 8 years paying tax and not being able to vote. I complain because the 4th of July holiday should always be on a Friday or a Monday allowing for a three day holiday. On the three occasions it falls smack in the middle of the week it turns out to be an inconvenient holiday rather than a joyous one. The 4th of July should be mandated to fall on a Friday or a Monday. It doesn't really matter if we celebrate it on the 6th or the 7th of July. Three day weekends should always be the norm. In England the holidays are always Bank Holiday Mondays for that reason alone. Otherwise it becomes too disruptive.



Those who leave, do so in patterns and in droves. This year as I stare out of my office window into the abyss, I can already cast my tired eyes down on the Thursday night exiting brigade as they frantically attempt to miss the Friday rush hour disaster scenarios. I do have some rather bad news for them. The Thursday night rush hour ain't that much better than Fridays and may even be worse. Because of their early departure, Friday may have less traffic. Thursday nights include the normal rush hour crew plus the early get away folk adding to congestion.



The smarter folk leave in the dead of night as Thursday turns to Friday. They depart after 10pm and experience very little traffic. The problem is they are so tired when they start their journey that they are a much greater risk for an accident than their earlier peers. The journey during the wee hours is clearly conducted in the dark and is more terrifying but does seem to present a much quicker escape than those who peril the same routes just hours before.



The Friday morning choice, just after rush hour provides NYC leavers, with most likely, the best time slot. They miss the morning madness and sandwich themselves between the rush hour commuters and the holiday travelers. Those who have no choice but to wait until after work Friday to get away to their holiday destination , are in for a nasty surprise. Even a ten per cent increase in traffic over the normal mess creates total havoc on New York Streets. Comparing the roads in and out of New York to a dodgy heart is a fair one. The arteries get clogged because of bad driving habits of its citizens and the sheer increase in volume on the roads adds stress to the heart because the arteries cant pump the blood fast enough to allow New York to breathe. Without any stints or a prospect of bi-pass or open heart surgery, New York City's ticker gives up causing massive heart failure on those days just before the start of the holiday weekend.



I have a really good solution to this problem. Do what I do. Go nowhere. Be a stay at home family. Gather in large amounts of food and drink from New York's finest grocery stores, lock the doors and relax in good air conditioning, thus avoiding the pandemonium below. Take a stroll on the 4th of July and watch the fireworks and then stroll home again. You therefore don't ever have to deal with the utter insanity of getting away. Don't forget that those who have left have to come back and repeat this painful exercise on Monday night, many of whom scramble to get back while I am gazing into the sky at the bright lights and loud sounds celebrating the fact that 235 years ago they kicked my lot out of here.