A week in New York during Hurricane Sandy
We’re returning to California after a week in Manhattan with Hurricane Sandy. We were there for the marathon, which was supposed to be tomorrow but got canceled. Here’s how our week went.
Day 1: Saturday
Arrival
We flew in to JFK on Saturday night and found our way to our Airbnb apartment across the street from the Google office in Chelsea. We walked around the block, excited to be in the city. The weather was fine at this point: no wind or rain.
Day 2: Sunday
Apples
We got an early start for apple picking since the forecast was for rain in the afternoon. Suzzy and Terry picked us up and we drove out to New Jersey.
Apple picking was so much fun! We got a map of the apple varieties in the orchard and got some long apple picker things that looked like lacrosse sticks. The Crispin apples were the best: huge (2-3 times the size of a fist), crisp, and sweet. We ate them right off the tree.
We spent the afternoon at Suzzy and Terry’s place on the East Side of Manhattan, baking an apple pie and napping. We talked about how last year’s Hurricane Isaac was over-hyped and that this one would probably be the same.
It was getting windy as we left their apartment. Police were broadcasting over megaphones that the area was being evacuated because we were in a flood zone next to the East River. Police cars were parked every few blocks answering questions. Given that it hadn’t started raining yet, we were sure that this was all over-cautious and it would be over in a couple rainy days.
We took a taxi back to the Chelsea apartment and Li went for a short run. It was windy but no rain yet, to our surprise.
We walked half an hour to the Flatiron district to have dinner with Li’s Stanford dorm-mate Sam and his wife Rachael. Still no rain, even on the windy walk home.
Day 3: Monday
Storm
We awoke to wind and rain but we both managed a run along the Hudson anyway. Certain stretches along the bank were closed because of flooding and debris. The water was rough and lapping at the docks. People were out taking pictures of the high water and debris.
We went across the street and worked from the Google office for the day. It was empty but we were thankful that the food service folks had stocked the microkitchen with cereal and milk and snacks in preparation for the office closure due to the hurricane.
For lunch, we went to a nearby diner to meet our friend Derek. It was one of only two restaurants open in the vicinity. Streets were deserted with branches strewn over them and police cars with sirens blaring. Umbrellas weren’t much use since the wind inverted them pretty easily.
Back at the office, we were getting nervous with the wind and rain picking up in the evening. Our apartment was across the street, though, so we figured we could weather a couple minutes in whatever weather. A couple Google Security folks came by Li’s desk to warn him that a window had just blown out on the sixth floor.
Cat heard a bunch of firetrucks outside of the building and peeked out a window. The entire facade of a building across the street had collapsed into a pile of bricks on the sidewalk exposing the inside like an open dollhouse. You could see each apartment’s bed and closet and desk--everything. Police, news crews, and bystanders gathered.
We left work to find dinner at the Corner Bistro nearby, known for its burgers. It was bumping! Seth Meyers (SNL head writer) was there.
Just as we left the bar, the power went out in the bar and on the street. Li put on a head-lamp and we headed home. En route, a news crew interviewed Li about his preparation for the storm, given that he was wearing a headlamp.
As we turned the corner to our apartment, the sky lit up. “Lightning,” we thought. But the thunder never came. Later we learned that it was an explosion at a power station a block away, which is why it took so long to restore power to the neighborhood. Here’s a video of the explosion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K2OWYG61GY
Meanwhile, Suzzy and Terry watched their apartment building flood. The cars on the street had water up to their windows. The water crept into the lobby of their building -- maybe 1 foot deep.
Day 4: Tuesday
No power
Cat tried getting into Google; however, there were no lights except for a dim red glow. It felt like a horror movie. Nobody there. The automatic locks on the doors didn’t open. It was a sign to go home.
During this ordeal, kind co-workers, Steve and Dave, forwarded updates from the office --- don’t come into work for the rest of the week because there’s no power, etc. Words can’t express how much we appreciated the information about the office, transportation, etc & their genuine concern for our well-being. It was really heart-warming. Thank you!
Li went for a run again. It was windy and rainy but runnable. He took a cold shower when he got home, since there was no power for hot water.
After the run, we went outside. The corner convenience store had no power but was bustling with people in search of candles, snacks, batteries, and instant noodle. We stocked up and continued uptown in search of hot food.
We started seeing people walking toward us eating burgers and we soon passed a closed business that was grilling burgers on the sidewalk and giving them away for a $5 donation to the Red Cross.
Any restaurant that was open was jammed with people. We found a gyro restaurant just as it opened so we managed to be the first in line. It felt weird to see electricity in this restaurant whereas across the street was dark. They didn’t have a generator: they were just lucky to be in a lit part of the grid. A customer walked in and said, “You’re blessed!”
Times Square had power but nothing was open except hotels and a couple restaurants. We headed to the Marriott to use the bathroom and found people stationed at every visible power outlet charging their phones. “We should bring chargers and a power strip tomorrow,” we thought.
We headed back to the dark apartment and watched a downloaded video on our tablet before sleeping.
The wind was howling. We moved our pillows to the other end of the bed in case the wind blew out the windows. It kept us up most of the night.
Day 5: Wednesday
In search of power. Annie
Still no power.
We headed to the Marriott to power our devices and attempt to work. It took awhile to charge our depleted devices to just power them on. After about 1 hour, a security guard starting shooing away all the riff raff. “It’s getting a little out of control -- you’ll need to pack up and find power elsewhere.” We were surprised because they had so much room and so many outlets. Really? In a time of crisis -- we haven’t had power in 2.5 days? We really empathized with the NY times article about those with power vs those without.
It was about 5 pm so we decided to try for the “Book of Mormon” lottery (several Broadway shows re-opened on Wednesday). After not winning the tickets, we headed over to the “Annie” lottery & won front row center!
Annie was surprisingly good. The 11-year-old lead girl (Lilla Crawford) could really sing and the other little girls could sing/dance too.
Day 6: Thurs
Power oasis
Still no power. Then, we got a gift. Carolyn generously allowed us to share her corp housing. What an amazing, kind offer! We went over. Hot water. Power. Wifi. Gym. Laundry. What bliss! By the time we trekked over, got through the basics, we didn’t have a ton of time to work. Around 6, we walked over to the convention hall for the NY Marathon packet pickup. Li took off for a play -- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf -- and Cat continued to roam around the convention hall before meeting up with Suzzy & Terry for dinner.
We swapped Sandy stories over dinner. We discussed whether the NY marathon would continue or not. At this time, it was still ON although the ferries to the start had stopped & the course was to be altered significantly.
Day 7: Friday
Work from home
Since we slept over at Carolyn's place, we awoke to full power! Huzzah! We promptly started on our backlog of work.
In the afternoon Dave emailed Cat the news --- NY Marathon canceled. We immediately booked flights back to SFO since we’re in the middle of moving houses in Mountain View.
No more need to carbo-load for the marathon, but we had pizza three times in two days anyway because we found a delicious wood-fired thin-crust pizza place around the corner: Waldy’s. It’s a small, low-key place with a cut-your-own-herbs station.
Day 8: Sat
Heading home
We're on the plane now flying home.
What a crazy week. Cat would have loved to run the marathon but canceling in the wake of the devastation seems right. We felt a kinship with the folks we met walking the streets and on buses, looking for power and hot food. People helped each other, like a bus driver who let people warm themselves in his bus and Cat’s coworkers who forwarded important info. We realized how much we appreciate power and hot water when we didn’t have it for days. And we didn’t even have it that bad compared to many others.
Day 1: Saturday
Arrival
We flew in to JFK on Saturday night and found our way to our Airbnb apartment across the street from the Google office in Chelsea. We walked around the block, excited to be in the city. The weather was fine at this point: no wind or rain.
Day 2: Sunday
Apples
We got an early start for apple picking since the forecast was for rain in the afternoon. Suzzy and Terry picked us up and we drove out to New Jersey.
Apple picking was so much fun! We got a map of the apple varieties in the orchard and got some long apple picker things that looked like lacrosse sticks. The Crispin apples were the best: huge (2-3 times the size of a fist), crisp, and sweet. We ate them right off the tree.
We spent the afternoon at Suzzy and Terry’s place on the East Side of Manhattan, baking an apple pie and napping. We talked about how last year’s Hurricane Isaac was over-hyped and that this one would probably be the same.
It was getting windy as we left their apartment. Police were broadcasting over megaphones that the area was being evacuated because we were in a flood zone next to the East River. Police cars were parked every few blocks answering questions. Given that it hadn’t started raining yet, we were sure that this was all over-cautious and it would be over in a couple rainy days.
We took a taxi back to the Chelsea apartment and Li went for a short run. It was windy but no rain yet, to our surprise.
We walked half an hour to the Flatiron district to have dinner with Li’s Stanford dorm-mate Sam and his wife Rachael. Still no rain, even on the windy walk home.
Day 3: Monday
Storm
We awoke to wind and rain but we both managed a run along the Hudson anyway. Certain stretches along the bank were closed because of flooding and debris. The water was rough and lapping at the docks. People were out taking pictures of the high water and debris.
We went across the street and worked from the Google office for the day. It was empty but we were thankful that the food service folks had stocked the microkitchen with cereal and milk and snacks in preparation for the office closure due to the hurricane.
For lunch, we went to a nearby diner to meet our friend Derek. It was one of only two restaurants open in the vicinity. Streets were deserted with branches strewn over them and police cars with sirens blaring. Umbrellas weren’t much use since the wind inverted them pretty easily.
Back at the office, we were getting nervous with the wind and rain picking up in the evening. Our apartment was across the street, though, so we figured we could weather a couple minutes in whatever weather. A couple Google Security folks came by Li’s desk to warn him that a window had just blown out on the sixth floor.
Cat heard a bunch of firetrucks outside of the building and peeked out a window. The entire facade of a building across the street had collapsed into a pile of bricks on the sidewalk exposing the inside like an open dollhouse. You could see each apartment’s bed and closet and desk--everything. Police, news crews, and bystanders gathered.
We left work to find dinner at the Corner Bistro nearby, known for its burgers. It was bumping! Seth Meyers (SNL head writer) was there.
Just as we left the bar, the power went out in the bar and on the street. Li put on a head-lamp and we headed home. En route, a news crew interviewed Li about his preparation for the storm, given that he was wearing a headlamp.
As we turned the corner to our apartment, the sky lit up. “Lightning,” we thought. But the thunder never came. Later we learned that it was an explosion at a power station a block away, which is why it took so long to restore power to the neighborhood. Here’s a video of the explosion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K2OWYG61GY
Meanwhile, Suzzy and Terry watched their apartment building flood. The cars on the street had water up to their windows. The water crept into the lobby of their building -- maybe 1 foot deep.
Day 4: Tuesday
No power
Cat tried getting into Google; however, there were no lights except for a dim red glow. It felt like a horror movie. Nobody there. The automatic locks on the doors didn’t open. It was a sign to go home.
During this ordeal, kind co-workers, Steve and Dave, forwarded updates from the office --- don’t come into work for the rest of the week because there’s no power, etc. Words can’t express how much we appreciated the information about the office, transportation, etc & their genuine concern for our well-being. It was really heart-warming. Thank you!
Li went for a run again. It was windy and rainy but runnable. He took a cold shower when he got home, since there was no power for hot water.
After the run, we went outside. The corner convenience store had no power but was bustling with people in search of candles, snacks, batteries, and instant noodle. We stocked up and continued uptown in search of hot food.
We started seeing people walking toward us eating burgers and we soon passed a closed business that was grilling burgers on the sidewalk and giving them away for a $5 donation to the Red Cross.
Any restaurant that was open was jammed with people. We found a gyro restaurant just as it opened so we managed to be the first in line. It felt weird to see electricity in this restaurant whereas across the street was dark. They didn’t have a generator: they were just lucky to be in a lit part of the grid. A customer walked in and said, “You’re blessed!”
Times Square had power but nothing was open except hotels and a couple restaurants. We headed to the Marriott to use the bathroom and found people stationed at every visible power outlet charging their phones. “We should bring chargers and a power strip tomorrow,” we thought.
We headed back to the dark apartment and watched a downloaded video on our tablet before sleeping.
The wind was howling. We moved our pillows to the other end of the bed in case the wind blew out the windows. It kept us up most of the night.
Day 5: Wednesday
In search of power. Annie
Still no power.
We headed to the Marriott to power our devices and attempt to work. It took awhile to charge our depleted devices to just power them on. After about 1 hour, a security guard starting shooing away all the riff raff. “It’s getting a little out of control -- you’ll need to pack up and find power elsewhere.” We were surprised because they had so much room and so many outlets. Really? In a time of crisis -- we haven’t had power in 2.5 days? We really empathized with the NY times article about those with power vs those without.
It was about 5 pm so we decided to try for the “Book of Mormon” lottery (several Broadway shows re-opened on Wednesday). After not winning the tickets, we headed over to the “Annie” lottery & won front row center!
Annie was surprisingly good. The 11-year-old lead girl (Lilla Crawford) could really sing and the other little girls could sing/dance too.
Day 6: Thurs
Power oasis
Still no power. Then, we got a gift. Carolyn generously allowed us to share her corp housing. What an amazing, kind offer! We went over. Hot water. Power. Wifi. Gym. Laundry. What bliss! By the time we trekked over, got through the basics, we didn’t have a ton of time to work. Around 6, we walked over to the convention hall for the NY Marathon packet pickup. Li took off for a play -- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf -- and Cat continued to roam around the convention hall before meeting up with Suzzy & Terry for dinner.
We swapped Sandy stories over dinner. We discussed whether the NY marathon would continue or not. At this time, it was still ON although the ferries to the start had stopped & the course was to be altered significantly.
Day 7: Friday
Work from home
Since we slept over at Carolyn's place, we awoke to full power! Huzzah! We promptly started on our backlog of work.
In the afternoon Dave emailed Cat the news --- NY Marathon canceled. We immediately booked flights back to SFO since we’re in the middle of moving houses in Mountain View.
No more need to carbo-load for the marathon, but we had pizza three times in two days anyway because we found a delicious wood-fired thin-crust pizza place around the corner: Waldy’s. It’s a small, low-key place with a cut-your-own-herbs station.
Day 8: Sat
Heading home
We're on the plane now flying home.
What a crazy week. Cat would have loved to run the marathon but canceling in the wake of the devastation seems right. We felt a kinship with the folks we met walking the streets and on buses, looking for power and hot food. People helped each other, like a bus driver who let people warm themselves in his bus and Cat’s coworkers who forwarded important info. We realized how much we appreciate power and hot water when we didn’t have it for days. And we didn’t even have it that bad compared to many others.
