New York City commuters can avoid pope-induced traffic by taking a $95 helicopter ride
Two million people across Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia are expected to flock to various Pope Francis peeking-grounds throughout his holiness' U.S. stay. Of course, that means just about everyone is panicking about the traffic situation. As the Mid-Atlantic manager of AAA warned USA Today, "This is not the time to just wing it; it is a time to plan ahead and prepare accordingly, similar to planning ahead of a snowstorm."
On the contrary, now might be exactly the time to wing it, at least if you've got $95 to spare and live in New York City. Blade, a company that's basically Uber for helicopters, is offering short-hop 'copter rides to users for $95. Let's put it this way: For the cost of about 17 NYC-priced venti pumpkin spice lattes, you can get shuttled above the heads of Pope gawkers on Friday and wave so-long to the poor, unfortunate souls navigating around the NYPD's labyrinth of closed streets.
Blade plans to ferry people between helipads on East 34th Street (near FDR drive) and West 30th Street (near the West Side Highway), The New York Post reports. The helicopters will run every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For comparison: On a normal day, that cross-town trip would be about a 37-minute walk (free), a 25-minute bus or subway ride ($2.75), or about a 20-minute ride in a ground-tethered Uber (between $13 and $18). But of course, when the Pope is in town, it's never a normal day. Godspeed out there, everyone.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published