Some find road to U. is stormy

The days of childish cavorting in the snow seemed far away to University students as what some called the storm of the century waged its war against the Eastern seaboard, making transportation an adventure from hell rather than a smooth and pleasant ride. "I felt like I was in Planes, Trains and Automobiles," said Engineering sophomore Sang Byun yesterday, safe and sound at last in Class of 1920 Commons. And while delays at airports, train stations and highways all over the country were inconvenient, they made sure that even those who stayed home over break with mom, dad, the dog and the VCR had an exciting story to tell. College freshman Joel Chasnoff said that while his trip back to the University from Boston "wasn't really that horrible," he wouldn't want to repeat the journey any time soon. Chasnoff said his train left three hours late, and after getting stuck in Hartford, New London and New York, arrived at 30th Street at 4 a.m. He then waited another hour for a taxi that would not charge $5 per person for a trip back to campus. "They were charging a premium on fares," College sophomore Lowell Koppel said of the 30th Street taxis. "They knew they were in demand." Students told stories of fighting and bargaining with cab drivers from the train station to get them to drive to campus. Wharton sophomore Carol Schneiderman said she and her friends waited for an hour and a half in the street for cabs, price-haggling with drivers to obtain the bargain price of a mere $20 from the station to High Rise South. "Escort wasn't running, cab companies weren't answering the phone," Schneiderman said. "We were not happy." And Wharton junior Ethan Falkove said that once he got in the cab, the roads weren't much better. "You literally got stuck in the snow," Falkove said. The people who truly suffered from the transportational delays, however, were not available for comment, as they were still stuck at airports. College sophomore Cres Pellechia, a member of the a cappella group Off the Beat, said that driving back from the group's spring break trip to Florida was nearly impossible, as "the rain came down so hard that you couldn't see out the windshield." Pellechia said the other half of Off the Beat has been stranded in Boston since Saturday, when their flight back to Philadelphia was diverted. Other people were not as unhappy about being stranded. "We got stuck in the Bahamas for another two days," Engineering junior Rob McKernan said. "Other people, I think, had worse troubles." And while students were having a hard time getting back to campus, others said the situation for those who stayed on campus wasn't much better. "We didn't leave the house," College sophomore Illisa Silk said last night at My Favorite Muffin. "This is my first time out since Friday night." "WaWa was even closed," Nursing sophomore Mandy Higgins said sorrowfully. Some people still managed to enjoy themselves, though. College sophomore Kim Saul said she rented 16 movies and did not move during the course of the blizzard. But College junior Debbie Rebell said that she braved the winter winds to trek to Rosengarten Reserve Room, telling friends that if she did not come back within a couple of hours, they should call 511. And the blizzard stuck some students in unusual situations. College junior Sabrina Walheim said that dog-sitting for her friend who is now in Puerto Rico is turning into a nightmare. She has not heard from her and has no idea when she is coming back to claim her pet. "I had to go walk the dog at eight in the morning on Saturday," Walheim lamented. "And now, the dog is throwing up."