My flight was rescheduled for Sunday. I know that "Oh no, I'm stuck in New York!" is a first world problem on a par with the Butter Crisis, but right now I would just like to go home.
Sandy would like you to know that you ain't going nowhere.
Still, things are starting to get up and running again here, so I'm not quite as stranded as I was. The public transport was shut down on Monday night, but the buses have been more or less running since Tuesday evening, and the subway is partially running again today, which is pretty impressive, as most of it is flooded or without power.
Yesterday I ventured out from the hostel for the first time in a few days, taking the bus to Williamsburg Bridge and heading into Manhattan on foot from there.
I definitely didn't see the worst of Sandy's damage, based on the pictures I've seen, but I did walk up through Downtown Manhattan, which has no power below 39th St. Most of it also has no cell phone reception, and some places have no water. I saw a lot of blown down trees, but otherwise not too much serious damage.
As a vegan in New York right now, this is too perfect a reference to pass up.
Was this a whole bicycle before Sandy? Post hoc ergo propter hoc?
The saddest wig.
One of many mangled flags.
It's quiet... Too quiet.
The sky is clearing and the sun's coming out! It's a latter day tomorrow!
Sandy was hard on trees.
I stopped for lunch at a falafel place, which was one of the few downtown shops open, and headed up to Times Square and the Rockefeller Center.
I've seen this on 30 Rock!
And this too!
By this stage, I'd been walking forever and I was flagging, so I took a bus to the East Side with a view to heading back down to Williamsburg Bridge. But then I got a very timely text from Henrik suggesting we meet up exactly where the bus was heading, so we went for coffee at Central Cafe, which is apparently in movies, and I had a chance to rest my long-suffering adventure feet. We tried to catch a bus back down to SoHo, but the buses were so crowded that three bendy buses in a row couldn't accommodate everyone, and so we decided to walk.
You know what, my feet aren't that sore after all.
Williamsburg Bridge in darkness.
Google Maps tells me I must have walked something like 10 miles altogether. I feel like that distance in those shoes should have had me weeping rather than just whimpering, but it does explain how much I ache today.
And today I just want to go home. So I washed my hair and had a cry, and listened to the Christmas episode of Cabin Pressure until I felt slightly OK about the world again. Then I put on red lipstick, which, unfortunately, thanks to this complexion, brings out my eyes, and made the great trek around the corner to the laundromat. I still felt sad and homesick, but the lipstick made me feel pretty fabulous despite the fact that I was wearing my very best "all my proper clothes are in the wash" outfit.
Right now I just feel like I'm killing time, which is not how I like to live my life, but the weather is cold and I'm lonely and homesick, and making it to Sunday without too much misery seems like a pretty reasonable goal.
I know I've been lucky with Sandy. I've had power and water and haven't been in any real danger. But I am clicking my heels together more and more. There's no place like home... There's no place like home... There's no place like... Manchester Airport? Sure, I'll take that.
0 comments:
Post a Comment