For the past few days, the steady stream of clients filing into my office to ask for SEPTA tokens has ceased - because SEPTA, the only source of public transportation in Philadelphia, is on strike. It's crazy how losing something as basic as the subway and the bus affects everyone's lives in this city.

My housemates have little option but to walk to work - although this morning I did drive one over to West Philly so that she could avoid the hour-long trek that she made yesterday. Having a car is a true blessing at this moment in time! Even the extra traffic on the road during rush hour is a small sacrifice compared to the challenges that many others are facing. I can't help thinking about the fact that this strike, while inconvenient for me, is likely to be seriously detrimental to those Philadelphia who are, as my roommate who works at a non-profit law agency said this morning, "one paycheck away from bankrupcy" - people who really can't afford to miss a day of work, but who are utterly dependent on public transportation to get there.