Mayor Bloomberg Gets A Lift to Express Train, Media Sprints to the "Invetigation" Room

This morning, we learned that the New York Times spent upwards of five weeks
stalking NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg outside his Upper East Side home in an effort to learn whether he really does in fact take the subway to work every day.

Apparently he doesn't. At least he sort of doesn't. According to the report, the Mayor actually has two large ethanol powered Suburbans idling outside his home, which then drive him past two 6 (local) stations and then drop him off at the 59th Street express.

The article is filled with moments of pure journalistic brilliance like, "Being driven to the 59th Street station shaves about a third off the mayor’s commuting time, based on a reporter’s test runs. It also saves him aggravations others cannot avoid, like taking the local and transferring to the express." And an interview with the guy who sells newspapers down the street from Bloomberg's palace: "“I never see him,” said Namela Hossou, who sells newspapers every morning at the downtown entrance to the mayor’s nearest stop, at 77th Street, four blocks from the mayor’s house. “Never, never.”"

Not that this story matters one bit - who cares if he only takes the subway part of the way. Just the fact that he's willing to take it means a lot, I think, to some New Yorkers (or at least people who visit New York and are scared shitless by the prospect of getting mugged by Sly Stallone.)

But one question about this report that's left un-answered is why this has taken so long? This guy was elected in 2001 and has been claiming to take the subway ever since then. It's 6 years later, halfway through his second term. Do we really care that he gets a lift to the express? The man has a fucking ticking clock running down the seconds to his last day in office. Let the man do the people's business, not be an anal freak show about taking the subway every last stop to his humble, magnificent abode.

(Above is an animated gif depicting the history of the NYC Subway system, courtesy of the del.icio.us depository of animated gifs.)