All Quiet On The Post Office Front

By Katharine Shilcutt Thu., Apr. 15 2010 at 3:45 PM

Categories: Spaced City

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

Daniel Dover finishes his Form 1040EZ.

Daniel Dover didn't wait until the last minute to file his taxes. He simply picked up the wrong set of information the first time around.

"I already had my stuff filled out for the most part, but I picked up the wrong booklet when I got my first forms. I need the EZ booklet, since I use the 1040EZ form, so I just had to go get that," he said.

He was bent over one of the tall tables in the University Station Post Office's lobby, calmly filling out his green 1040EZ forms while referencing the booklet every few minutes.

"I just had to get the right booklet before I could get everything sent in," he smiled.

Other than Dover, the post office was mostly deserted. A few people stood in line to conduct business with the sole postal worker behind the counter, but most were mailing packages or bundles of envelopes. Despite today being the deadline to file with the Internal Revenue Service, few were there to send off their taxes.

The University Station Post Office.

Dover, a resident of the Montrose neighborhood, was pleased with the quiet post office and the quick in-and-out service. The other two post offices -- one on West Gray and one in the Heights, on Yale -- that Hair Balls visited this afternoon were similarly quiet.

"It'll be late tonight before it kicks in," Dover laughed. "The downtown post office around 10 or 11 will be packed."