Williamsbubble

Williamsburg, 2012

It's been a surreal week in New York...yesterday I received an email from my yoga studio describing our neighborhood as the Williamsbubble, and that certainly feels apt. "The spookily halcyon era of post-hurricane Williamsburg continues - with packed coffee shops, bars, and yoga studios," it read, before suggesting ways people could volunteer or donate to the relief efforts in areas not so lucky.

On this side of the river, things have indeed felt quite normal, but I am nervous about next week when there is the expectation that everyone will return to work but Manhattan's infrastructure isn't yet up to the task. We will muddle through, I am sure.

Meanwhile, I am feeling quite sad that the marathon has been canceled. I understand the logic, that diverting resources from the cleanup effort is a bad idea, but I was initially with Bloomberg in thinking that going forward with it would boost the city's morale and be good for its economy.

Though I am not a marathoner, this time of year is always a special one for me, since it's around this time 9 years ago that I moved to Brooklyn. I have such fond memories of seeing my first race that year and watching the runners on Bedford Avenue is always an amazingly uplifting experience.

In any case, I will be relishing the weekend in anticipation of a few hard weeks ahead.

Equilibrium

Williamsburg, 2012

My tentative return to work yesterday was an epic disaster.

Car service into town was ok, if slow due to the lack of traffic lights below 39th Street. But on the way home, gridlock in Midtown and gas shortages meant it was impossible to get a scheduled ride or a cab home.

I wound up taking a bus to 26th Street and then walking the rest of the way home in the pitch black with no cell phone service, which was my only option at that point. Although there's an element of coziness and camaraderie to the situation downtown, that walk is not something I'd like to experience again. I've rarely been as happy as I was to see Brooklyn as I was last night, walking home over the Williamsburg Bridge.

Of course, the fallout from the storm is much larger than my work situation and plenty of people are in truly dire circumstances. But the new reality in the city has nonetheless made a hard transition all but impossible.

Last week, my first week back, I felt stretched beyond my limits under perfectly normal circumstances. Add a scary and uncertain commute into the mix, maybe another 2 hours on either side of my day, and it just feels untenable.

Working ten to twelve hour days with a three month old is intense. Doing so and then not knowing how or when you'll get home is another thing altogether. Walking that far when you are operating on 4-or-so hours of sleep for the past three months is not a simple endeavor. Pre-baby, I would have taken it all in stride, even thinking of it as a bit of an adventure. But now it just makes me feel really vulnerable.

One more obstacle to an already fragile equilibrium and I feel like curling up in a ball and not leaving home again anytime soon. Fortunately my boss was understanding and I did not go in today and nor will I tomorrow. I am playing it by ear for next week, hoping things start to settle back to normal. In the meantime I am grateful to be at home with the little fellow.

The Calm

Williamsburg, 2012

Manhattan is still without power below 39th Street, but Williamsburg feels almost like normal today, except of course that it's going to be an odd few days.

Yesterday, we walked around to see if anything looked out of sorts. The rest of the neighborhood was doing much the same, wandering down to the waterfront and looking at the city, astonished that so much of it could really be without electricity. There isn't all that much visible damage here. A few trees down, many of the restaurants closed because their chefs couldn't make the trek from wherever they live.

Mainly everyone is taking stock, catching up on the news. I am amazed to hear of the evacuation of NYU Langone, which is where Axel was born.

We lent our doorman our car last night, as he faced 3-plus hours of a commute home to the Bronx at midnight, and apparently taxis are charging people as much as $150 for a simple route. We also have a friend staying with us, since he lent his apartment to a colleague who walked over the bridge from the city in search of a hot shower and some power.

Last night we had a nice meal with both of them and heard a bit more about the chaos in Manhattan. No street lights, people walking up to midtown for provisions and to plug their various devices into outlets, wherever they could find them.


Will's company is still without power so they told everyone to work the rest of the week at home. I, however, work for a newspaper, which stops for no one (not even Sandy), so they are sending a car for me so that I can come in for a few hours this afternoon. I will report back soon!

Hurricane Sandy

Williamsburg, 2012

Sandy seems to have passed through New York and things are a little quieter this morning. Unlike many of our friends in Manhattan, we never lost electricity, which meant we spent the day watching movies and the local news, cooking, and enjoying the unexpected but blustery day at home.

At around noon yesterday, things got a little hairier. From seven p.m. 'til midnight, our building was making incredibly loud groaning and creaking noises, which made it impossible to sleep. We did see what must have been electricity transformer explosions lighting up the sky in the distance at around nine.

Fortunately, things died down overnight and Williamsburg seems at least relatively unscathed. It's quiet out there, but I don't see any flooding on our street. What isn't clear is how quickly the city will be back to normal. I am off work again today, but have no idea when the L train will be up and running again and when it will be possible to navigate around the city.

Frankenstorm

Williamsburg, 2012

Axel and I are prepping for the Frankenstorm. We aren't in "Zone A" but we are near it, so the plan is to hunker down inside for the next couple of days and keep dry.

We weren't here last year for Irene, so I have no idea how tomorrow will play out in the city but I do know that the subways are closed and that I will not be trekking into work, thank you very much.

We have a pretty well stocked pantry on a day-to-day basis, but I got a few extra things this morning and plan on filling the bath tub with water in case we lose water pressure. So far there aren't many signs of the storm in Brooklyn except for a bit of wind and a lot of chatter in the shops.

But obviously the city is taking Sandy seriously so I am not planning any long walks this evening.