Manhattan in recovery

Manhattan in recovery, Tuesday and Wednesday post-#sandy, Oct 30 and 31. As you walk through the blackout at night, the darkness is surreal, impressive even. Dark towers into the sky marked by the occasional lighted window. Block after block of darkness, interrupted by the generator-lit building, the police station, the emergency services. Streets lit by passing car headlights and flashing police cars announcing their presence. Outside the blackout zone, people huddled next to each other at power outlets, tapping on phones and sharing stories with people near and far. But in the darkness, people hide and slide past each other without a word or a glance, except for the occasional candlelit restaurant or bar, full of people perched on their stools, leaning close and telling stories to old and new friends from the neighborhood. That’s Lower Manhattan today at night, after the sun goes down and the gridlock and bustle fades away. The quiet is astounding. The darkness is impressive. The atmosphere is surreal. But it’s ready to come back, it always does.