October 29th, 7.30pm: Lights out. This is MacDougal Street, West 3rd, home to (perhaps) affluent NYU students, musicians, artists, crazy and regular folk, in shoebox-size apartments, paying 2500+ dollars in rent, and sharing space with mice, and who knows what else. Not heaven, not hell, but definitely in the middle of things all year round. This night, we were plunged into eerie darkness, and SILENCE...except for the raging wind.
Two blocks west, the Hudson had breached its banks and my beloved pier was flooded all the way to West Street. With the lights, went the internet and phone service. No matter. Yet.
And then you see the Empire State Building - all lit up (picture later). Now on a regular night, this structure is beautiful (though sometimes I wish they'd light it different on four sides so I know which direction I need to walk). Tonight, all I could think was 'seriously? They have lights?? I need a realllllllly long cable and tap that power'. (I HATE the dark, one reason I live in the village).
Anyway, since I don't have a long cable, and since it was only now about 10pm (when the village buzzes on a regular night), I went for a walk around the block with a neighbor. Aah, the NYU dorms and Law School libraries have lights, bright lights. After bitching about it (since we're not particularly fond of NYU for ruining our neighborhood), we concede that if you are a student and shelling out a lot of dough in tuition, might as well provide lights. But heck, you can only be generous about things like this for 10 minutes, try living in the dark for 5 nights.
October 30th, 8am: Man, it is cold as hell, and damp as a swamp. And since I don't have gas, there is no point having 2 containers of instant and ground coffee. So, I venture out. And see 2 people with wow! store bought coffee cups. They tell me the deli on Bleecker and Sullivan is serving hot coffee. Boy was it crowded... I have never seen NYers so grateful for a cuppa. I had 3 people thank and bless me on my way back when I told them where to get it.
Now living on chocolate chip cookies can only go so far... as far as a day before you feel sick. So I decided to walk uptown. Now this is where it gets interesting. No traffic lights up to 40th Street on the east side, no phone service and lights up to 30th Street on the west. Ditto for phone service. And life goes on as normal above 35th Street. Shops are open (get hot hot coffee), ATMs work (run and get cash), all normal. Ok, good for them. This charitable feeling lasted all of one day. Seriously, these are two New Yorks - the ones with everything, where nothing has changed other than some transportation issue, and the other side - the dark New York, where you have to walk for miles to get a decent (tepid) cup of coffee, and phone service. After sunset, my neighbors on the block sat on the stoop and exchanged vital information - hot coffee and breakfast on Bleecker and Sullivan (you need to be up by 8.30am, else they run out), T-mobile service available on the pier near Hudson, or above 14th Street, 6th Av, Sprint service available north of Washington Square Park, AT&T service - just in front of my stoop (at least the cop on the beat told me he got service if he stands still in front of my stoop).
Day 3 and 4 - this is getting old. I would do anything for hot spicy food, but don't want to trek all the way up and eat, cuz by the time i trek back down I'm hungry again. And no I will not take a cab, I walk faster. And never trust a NYer who would rather take a cab than walk, or take a subway.
As for internet, NYU allowed the public to charge their phones and laptops (thanks very much), but wouldn't allow them to access the Internet through their network unless you have an (NYU) ID (asses). There are 3 ways of getting around this: 1. Look young enough and walk with a purpose past the security guard (avoid eye contact). 2. If they still ask for ID, say please and smile, and tell them you just need to, your life depends on it. and 3. Know someone who works there or studies there.
Or you can always give up and say to hell with work, but of course that is not an option.
Lessons learned:
1. Too much chocolate (and chips) make you sick - especially if you have to have it cuz there's no other option.
2. Always withdraw cash before a storm.
3. Stock up on candles, alcohol (one is never enough).
4. Reading while holding a candle in your hand is not a good idea. Wax spillage is unsightly, and a pain to get out of clothes and floor.
5. Coffee, pizza and hummus is the solution to all problems for NYers. And for some, peanut butter.
6. Battery-operated radios have the power to save lives, or your sanity.
7. Oh, and soap doesn't lather much in ice cold water. And it is the worst thing about all this - cold cold showers.
Now that the storm has passed, I am grateful that nothing serious happened where I live, save for some fallen trees. Oh I am especially grateful for the cops on the beat - their red and blue flashing lights provided me with my much needed night light to sleep in snatches. To my neighbors and roomie for Ramen noodles, entertainment, and company in the dark. And thank you Mike Francesca of WFAN for a great talk show and putting all things (not just sports) in perspective.
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