We're still up if you are. Weird. People are out in the streets. Pretty calm.

I'm thinking martial law. I doubt they can bring it up very quickly.
- jim 8-15-2003 1:16 am

The pictures on TV are pretty impressive with everyone walking across the bridges. Reports are there is calm. We are ok in Massachusetts. Supposedly we are on a different power grid and should not get sucked in. Parts of CT are out, and it extends to Ohio and into Canada. I am just glad I am not in a subway in the dark or in an elevator. Yikes!

- jeanne 8-15-2003 1:43 am


Hi, Jim. I had sort of a brownout and now everything's fine. Bill's block, one block over, has no power. Weird. I've been listening to the radio and hope no one we know was in a train!
- tom moody 8-15-2003 1:45 am


I can't believe you have power Tom. Maybe it's not so bad.

I'm at alias and 2 cops just came in asking if we were going to stay open. They "suggested" we close up:

"The power is not coming up anytime soon. We're here now, but we won't be later. People are calm now, but you don't know what's going to happen later."

- jim 8-15-2003 1:50 am


It seems very hopscotch from the radio. Rockville Centre (LI?) has power. New York City sounds pretty dead across the board, so closing probably is a good idea.
- tom moody 8-15-2003 1:52 am


Bloomberg is saying a couple of hours.

I will be highly impressed if they can bring that much of the grid up in a few hours. But it is nice to hear from Tom that the whole thing is not completely down.

Is it not correct what I heard that toronto, detroit, and cleveland are down too?
- jim 8-15-2003 2:06 am


Bloomberg is saying a couple of hours.

I will be highly impressed if they can bring that much of the grid up in a few hours. But it is nice to hear from Tom that the whole thing is not completely down.

Is it not correct what I heard that toronto, detroit, and cleveland are down too?
- jim 8-15-2003 2:12 am


The best thing so far is the random guy who has been directing traffic (rather well) at the corner of clinton and rivington. People are really cooperating. And when the cops finally came I figured they'd kick him out, but they seemed sort of bemused. They watched him for a second and then shrugged. Now they're just hanging out on the sidewalk and he's still running the show. For hours now. Nice.
- jim 8-15-2003 2:29 am


Toronto, Ottawa, Detroit are, most of Ohio, northern NJ, parts of CT and parts of western MA are out.
- jeanne 8-15-2003 2:47 am


Im home after walking from the Park across the 59th St Bridge. Looks like a sticky night...
- alex 8-15-2003 3:02 am


we just got our power on about a half an hour ago. luckily mike was in a taxi headed down the fdr yesterday around 4 so he got back to brooklyn ok. this neighborhood was quiet lsat night. mostly people sitting with candles and flashlights out on front stoops trying to catch a breeze. i wanted to walk over to the promenade to see the dark skyline but couldn't convince anyone to come with me.
- linda 8-15-2003 4:49 pm


4:02 cab pick up at 82/First Ave
5:35 cab drop off at Hoyt/3rd St

We took two elderly ladys also along the way....
One we grabed on Broadway, the other on the brigde,
we had room for one more which we all agreed we would save
it for an emergency if we saw one, $30 ride we gave $60....

- Skinny 8-15-2003 6:10 pm


alex how long a walk??

for me if i didnt grab the cab it would have been subway for me and I would have been stuck (its hard to get a cab at 4:02 that wants to go from upper east to lower manhattan which was my goal to visit a customer on Chambers St.)
- Skinny 8-15-2003 6:12 pm


We're still out. Fun night. The city was great. Everybody was out in the streets. Very friendly vibe. We fired up the bar-b-que behind 135 and the boys from 71 grilled up all sorts of stuff I usually don't eat but was thankful to have. Matt had his guitar. A little too much knob creek was going around. And then around 3:00 (okay, I don't really know when it was) we walked out to half way on the Williamsburg bridge to look at the city. Dark as expected.

I'm down with Dave's plan that the city should do this once a year.
- jim 8-15-2003 7:17 pm


no photos, jim? i thought for sure you'd be out and about yesterday documenting the blackout on the les. are alias, aka, & 71 able to open tonight?
- linda 8-15-2003 8:18 pm


Still no power. Possibly aKa will open, but that will be the only one.
- jim 8-15-2003 9:13 pm


Still no power in Greenpoint, and my battery is almost dead. Must have walked 5 miles, after starting the day at dawn. Almost walked down to LES to see what I could find, but figured it was smartest to get home; probably the wrong choice. It’s a drag here, and not much to eat...
- alex 8-15-2003 9:31 pm


Found something to eat on the Queens side of the Creek, where the power was already on; mine returned at 3:30.
- alex 8-16-2003 12:04 am


the bitch is back 4:45 pm (24 hrs down ?)
- bill 8-16-2003 1:41 am


We had another cook out behind 135. Having several restaurants full of wine within a few blocks is really handy in an emergency situation. Not to mention a bunch of chefs.

I think the LES was the last neighborhood to be restored. We might not have even noticed, except at 9:00 pm an explosion of cheering was heard from every direction and we saw the lights were back on. It was a nice welcome home to the 21 century. It's a cliche, but you really don't realize what you have until it is gone. And with something as fundamental as electricity this is even more true. Possibly the biggest feeling of community I've ever experienced in NYC where, granted, such outbursts are not too common.

Glad to be back. If this was a test I think we passed. Good job.
- jim 8-16-2003 6:13 pm


cool
- jimlouis 8-17-2003 12:57 am





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