Frankenstorm

Happy Halloween Everyone!
First off, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers, concerns, and phone calls (even if they didn't get through) over the last two days.  Hurricane Sandy hit NYC very hard but I am happy to say that I am safe and well, back in my apartment.  There is no damage to my building, and I'm even lucky enough to have electric and hot water.  So, it is a very happy Halloween indeed for me.  I am so grateful to be writing this blog from my own kitchen table rather than from a hotel or shelter, like so many East-Coasters today.

I know many of you are curious about how my last couple of days went, so here is the low-down.  I had originally intended on staying in my apartment during the storm, because I had heard that it wasn't supposed to be as bad as originally predicted, and I was not in an evacuation zone.  But as the reports grew more and more worrisome on Sunday, I began to get scared and think that maybe I should leave Manhattan for the storm.  My fears were confirmed when it was announced that the subway would be closing at 7 pm.  If the subways were closed, I knew it would be serious.  My apartment was located right outside the c-zone for evacuation, so I knew that there was no way my building was going to get flooded, but I was worried about the fact that I don't have a ton of food in my apartment, and most of it needs to be microwaved, so I'd be in a difficult spot if I lost power.  I could have gone to the grocery store, but lines were literally out the door and around the corner.  It was a very disconcerting sight to see.  Also, my apartment is very small with no TV and my roommate, luckily for her, happened to be out of town this weekend.  So if I got stuck in here it would be a very long and lonely couple days.  Fortunately, Joe happened to be in Manhattan that morning doing community service for his job so I contacted him and he said I could come home with him to his parents' house on Staten Island.

I know, I know what you're thinking: Is Staten Island really a safe place to be in a hurricane? Well, parts of it certainly were not, and in retrospect getting suck on the rock was probably not the best thing for us, but his family's house is in the middle of the island, much father away from the evacuation zones than my apartment.    Also, they had plenty of food and actual news.  Plus, it was much better not being alone during the storm.  Joe's family was incredibly welcoming and I am so, so grateful for their hospitality over the three days that I was there.  Also, I have to admit, we really had a lot of fun during the hurricane.  We were stuck inside, so we did what any Italian family would do under the circumstances: cook, bake, and eat.

To get in the Halloween Spirit,  Me, Joe, and his sister made red velvet cupcakes and carved two giant pumpkins on Monday.  We did them from stencils and one has a witch and the other a ND leprechaun.  I'm very proud of them, if I do say so myself.  We lost electricity at Joe's house around 9:45 pm on Monday.  We played some board games and told some ghost stories and then went to bed.  At that point, we had only heard on the news about one death and were beginning to think the storm was going to pass without mass tragedy.

  It wasn't until we woke up the next day that we learned about the 17 deaths total on the East Coast and the 80 homes burned down in Breezy Point, Queens.  So it was a much more somber Tuesday as the whole family gathered and Joe's grandma's.  Luckily, there was electric there so we were all able to shower.  We cooked a little and watched a movie.  We still weren't really able to go outside, but the storm had let up.  It wasn't until about 2 that a bridge opened and it was possible to leave Staten Island.  The police were still asking people not to drive unless they had to though, so we decided not to return me to Manhattan just yet.  I was able to stay for a big "Aftermath Party" and Joe's Aunt Diane's house.  Thank you Aunt Diane for all the Sangria, we really needed it.

Finally, around 9 pm last night Joe drove me back into Manhattan. Strangest sight of the storm: driving past the New York skyline completely dark.  It was a very eerie scene.  I had seen online that my building had electric, but I was worried about my neighborhood.  Imagine my happiness when we pulled onto my street and saw that my corner bar was open and hopping.  Gotta love the resilience of New Yorkers. 

I am still off school until Monday because of the power outages and the lack of subway, but I am getting back to work on my plays for class.

I realize that in the chaos of the storm I slacked on the actual purpose of this blog, and I still have yet to review the most recent play I have seen, Glengary Glenn Ross on Broadway (Starring Al Pacino!)  But this particular entry does not seem the correct time to do so, therefore I will post a review in the next few days.  Stay tuned...

Everyone please pray for all the people whose lives and property were lost in Hurricane Sandy.