<p>zoosermom - I am only reporting on what I see. I don’t think you necessary have all the info of what’s going on in the City. I took a bus to work and there was no problem, traffic was moving much better than yesterday. Someone else took a subway down. I don’t understand where you come off in telling people what to say or do. I think people should just report what they are seeing and experiencing. But I think you are being a bit of an alarmist - telling people food is running out in Manhattan and people wouldn’t be able to buy metro cards. I don’t think you have been to Manhattan to give any accurate report about the city.</p>
<p>I’m in Manhattan right now. I’m standing here talking to my boss who lives in a multi-million dollar co-op in the West Village and hasn’t had power or a working toilet since Monday. You are the one who is out of touch Oldfort. Stay safe in that bubble.</p>
<p>oldfort - I think zoos is simply reporting what’s going on in her part of the city, or parts that her husband is working in. In those areas, where recovery and clean up efforts are still underway, resources are still scarce because they are not being replenished, and emergency personnel are helping the residents, it would in fact be selfish IMO for someone to take an unnecessary trip to those areas. Airlines, hotels, and shows are being very generous in giving refunds for people who want to change or cancel plans. </p>
<p>You are reporting what’s going on in your area, and that’s good information. If people plan on just being in that area they can know what to expect. </p>
<p>On the subject of the marathon…FWIW, personally I think the added stress on the cities resources right now outweighs any benefit, but again that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>Please know that our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the residents of NYC/NJ and surrounding areas most affected by the storm. We realize that many of you are a very resilient bunch, but we offer good thoughts for a quick recovery nonetheless.</p>
<p>Oldfort, I am seeing exactly what you are seeing. I live in the city, and I definitely realize I am one of the lucky ones, but the stores around me are open and doing fine. It took me just a little longer to get to work today. People are out walking around on the streets where I live, walking around the Riverside Park (I do realize that part may not be wise, because the trees have probably not all been checked). I went down to Lower Manhattan on Sunday, and it is very different there, obviously. I think the point is, it really depends on what part of the city you are in.</p>
<p>“God bless you for being aware of that emilybee. Being on an island with no direct connections to the outside world, there hasn’t been food delivered or gas. We also have overhead power lines. It’s really tough and it means more than I can tell you when other people are sensitive.”</p>
<p>Zoosermom, my DH is director of Emergency Communications for NYS and believe me the state is well aware of what is going on in Staten Island and are working on all those issues. The last few days have had to be about search, rescue and recovery and damage assessment (which are needed so they know what the needs of the communities are and where the resources need to go.) That phase is pretty much over and aid can begin being brought in. DH isn’t directly involved in most of those types of issues but he has been in the command center and in every briefing since Saturday. We just had a convo this morning about SI because of what I saw on NY1 last night (he came home to sleep for about 3 hours before going back in at 7:00 ) and they are well aware of the situation in SI. They are doing everything humanly possible at the moment.</p>
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You really are lucky and you should be congratulated for being aware of that. It could easily have gone the other way, you know? With a mess uptown and order downtown. Perhaps the hungry hordes should make their way uptown.</p>
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Yes they are. But I was speaking of you, as a person, and how much your sensitivity is appreciated.</p>
<p>I understand that being without power and having to boil water is inconvenient. However, it is not a “war zone”. Is the national guard handing out MREs? If not, then there is not a food shortage.</p>
<p>Just a reality check…</p>
<p>^ Actually, the Governor requested 1 million MRE’s and a million gallons of water (think that is the amount) from FEMA yesterday. They are working on setting up distribution sites right now, which seems like an easy thing, but logistically, is not (DH was on a conference call from home around 6am which he had on speaker so I overheard, discussing communications needs for one specific very large distribution site in one of the boroughs.)</p>
<p>Zoozermom, you’re welcome. I know SI isn’t getting much, if any attention in the media - except for NY1, which is only how I know about it.</p>
<p>Really, Financegrad? You posted that from Texas? have you seen the pictures of Staten Island, where Zoos lives? 14 people killed there; many houses swept away. In Brooklyn, on Long Island, the entire Jersey Shore–there thousands of people in shelters, millions with no power (and it’s getting chilly), many stores closed, almost impossible to find gas to get to them–hundreds if not thousands of businesses closed indefinitely which means people out of work…</p>
<p>I could go on and on–but Zoos is living in the middle of this, and some of you want her to chill???</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but “How am I supposed to get” as the title, like what a big inconvenience this is, sounds like it should be posted on Whitewhine.com. Zoosermom was more than patient, considering the reality.</p>
<p>The Staten Island experience is on a level unto itself as far as NYC Sandy aftermath is concerned. We all feel terrible for those there. </p>
<p>There are TWO vastly different Manhattan experiences currently. </p>
<p>And yes, life uptown is totally fine. And yes, people from downtown are heading up to shop for food, eat in restaurants, charge their phones, etc. </p>
<p>Don’t get down on oldfort for being able to flush a toilet. Describing all of Manhattan north of 39 street as a “bubble” may be a bit of an overstatement. Just as describing the truly terrible devastation that is going on on the small borough of Staten Island as representative of what one should expect in the city at large is inaccurate. We are truly living a “tale of 2 cities” right now. So strange that if you are in midtown and can’t flush a toilet, you can in some cases cross the street and do so. Very hard to comprehend, and it’s understandable that the unfairness of it is affecting people.</p>
<p>This is turning into one of those needless arguments. Needless because people just need to remember that whatever they are experiencing in their corner of NYC isn’t necessarily what “the ENTIRE city” is experiencing - good or bad.</p>
<p>I don’t think OP should be attacked for asking a question. It’s a reasonable one. If she doesn’t want to cancel her visit, that’s her choice (quite honestly, I would do the same in her situation if everything was already paid for). Just because some people are in terrible situation, and they are, doesn’t mean that the OP shouldn’t be able to ask a question.</p>
<p>As for Manhattan being a “war zone”, I have to disagree. I went down to Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, at night, and while I would certainly not recommend someone should wonder around with no power after dark, I did not feel in any way threatened. There is no looting, as far as I know, and there is lots of police around (again, this is only speaking for Manhattan, not anywhere else), and while I am sure crime always goes up when power goes out, I don’t think anything extreme is going on there, in terms of crime spikes. I work with people who live there, and it’s tough for them, no question about it, but it’s not a war zone.</p>
<p>“Really, Financegrad? You posted that from Texas? have you seen the pictures of Staten Island, where Zoos lives? 14 people killed there; many houses swept away.”</p>
<p>Yes, I am posting this a as a gulf coast resident who has experienced several hurricanes in very recent history. And I do stand behind what I said. It is not a “war zone”.</p>
<p>"I could go on and on–but Zoos is living in the middle of this, and some of you want her to chill???</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but “How am I supposed to get” as the title, like what a big inconvenience this is, sounds like it should be posted on Whitewhine.com. Zoosermom was more than patient, considering the reality."</p>
<p>And despite living in a “war zone” you are both still able to post on the internet? Look I’m not trying to say that life for vast majority of people in the are is not uncomfortable, inconvenient, and frustrating. </p>
<p>It just bothers me when hyperboles such as “war zones” and “food shortages” get thrown around. Especially with the implication that it applies to a very large area. Remember this was all in response to the OP saying they wanted to visit family and friends…</p>
<p>Not for asking a question, but for how it was asked. I do think she’s modified her approach since.</p>
<p>I have a D who “survived” Katrina. I remember these online arguments between parents and others as to the status of New Orleans. Those who had kids with stuff high and dry in dorms on campus—wondering what all the fuss was about when kids with apartments just two blocks away under eight feet of water. Folks…it’s all relative and situations can change(and change radically) according to where you are standing. Respect the observations of others who are observing and reporting their own reality.</p>
<p>I was just reading the coverage of the situation on Staten Island in a local paper there. The comment columns from 3 days ago are filled with anti-government types calling the mayor an idiot and comparing the evacuation order to Soviet Russia. Some of them seemed to think that Bloomberg personally established flood zones. Ye gods.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, they are still looking for missing people and pulling bodies out of basements. Fourteen dead so far, I think. It is not surprising that zoosermom thinks the situation is dire. Thankfully, though, as others have attested, the situation is not bad uptown.</p>
<p>[Hurricane</a> Sandy: After Landfall - In Focus - The Atlantic](<a href=“Hurricane Sandy: After Landfall - The Atlantic”>Hurricane Sandy: After Landfall - The Atlantic)</p>
<p>musicamusica is exactly right. The impact varies by neighborhood. It’s like that old story about the blind men who touch the elephant and then are asked to describe what it’s like. The one who only touched the tail described something completely different than the one that only touched the tusk. </p>
<p>I went to church last night on the “lower” Upper East Side (low 60s). (All Saints Day is a holy day.) The Church was not affected in the least by the storm. Never lost power. Absolutely no damage. As I left, there were lots of families with kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking along. Restaurants were open. Duane Reade ( a local drug store chain, now part of Walgreen’s) was open. The lines were short. It was almost sold out of water, but otherwise seemed well stocked. Halloween candy was very marked down and in plentiful supply. I guess not much sold. </p>
<p>At the same time, the lines for the buses to Queens were the longest I’ve ever seen. Literally thousands of people waiting for the buses. Thousands of people were walking across the 59th Street bridge.I’m sure the happy East Side families I saw have a very different perspective than the people waiting in those lines or walking across the bridge.</p>
<p>I returned to my own neighborhood. We were hit worse than the Upper East Side, but have nowhere near the damage of downtown. It varied from building to building. Some are still without power. Mine never lost power. A couple more lost power for 10-12 hours and it was then restored. This was in part because there were water leaks and the supers shut down power to avoid fires and avoid damage to elevators. When the rain stopped, power was restored. Our local drug store had less stuff in it than the Duane Reade on the Upper East Side, but there was stuff to buy that would keep you from going hungry. I haven’t ventured to the local grocery store yet, but it was only closed on Monday. It opened Tuesday morning for regular business, but has shorter hours because some employees can’t get in. One restaurant is closed. All the others are open. We had trick or treaters last night, but fewer than usual. </p>
<p>Columbia U is up and running and was yesterday too. NYU is closed and the students have been evacuated from powerless dorms. Kids in those schools must have very, very different views of this experience. </p>
<p>Buses and subways are free right now, so evita doesn’t have to worry about buying a metrocard. If she wants to get to Astoria and isn’t coming during rush hour, it really shouldn’t be all that hard to get there. As far as I know, Flushing is fine too but the #7 train which serves it is out. There are lots of neighborhoods that are fine but are cut off from subway service. </p>
<p>I’m sure if you lived in Breezy Point, you think NYC is a war zone. If you live on the Upper East Side, it isn’t. It’s all about the neighborhood.</p>
<p>And truly zoosermom, I don’t mean in the least to be snarky when I say that if you are short on supplies, I’d recommend you take a subway north to a residential neighborhood and go to a grocery store because it really isn’t hard to find most things other than water.</p>
<p>I’m not in NY (live in MA) but I was pretty surprised when I heard on the Today Show this morning that the New York City Marathon wasn’t cancelled. It’s going on this weekend. I ran it many, many years ago and know that there were lots of police/fire/EMT resources devoted to handling runners. I believe that the organizers are making changes in the route to accommodate storm problems and that activities surrounding the marathon are cancelled and just the race itself is on. One of the great things about the race for me was the huge numbers of folks who lined the streets and cheered everyone on. Maybe this will bring locals together–don’t know. What do people think?</p>
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I’ve been doing that today, so no snark taken! I will be bringing back home whatever I can carry. I have seen trucks today, so I’m hoping that’s a sign that the worst is going to be over.</p>
<p>I’m in Times Square and not everything is open or in good shape. It just isn’t. The outer boroughs are much worse, but downtown is pretty bad in some places.</p>