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A little inspiration from the storm
Nov. 2nd, 2012 12:53 amTonight, my cousins Paul & Debra Saltzman Hill came up from lower Manhattan, where they've been living without power since the storm; Paul, an architect, has been organizing their building to make sure everyone has water and support - including getting people to carry water up to folks on the 12th floor (no elevators!), checking on the elderly, etc. Because of this, it's one of the few buildings in their neighborhood that didn't need to evacuate just because of no power.
Here on the Upper West Side, they got hot running water and connectivity, and sent out a note to friends letting them know how they were. I was particularly struck by this, in Paul's note:
"As you can see, we have a
Here on the Upper West Side, they got hot running water and connectivity, and sent out a note to friends letting them know how they were. I was particularly struck by this, in Paul's note:
"As you can see, we have a
lot of problems. That is a good thing. A few years ago, our rabbi told a story (...) that ends with the moral that only people who are doing pretty well can afford to have lots of problems. Someone who has a serious problem, like their apartment being flooded to four feet by the East River or someone whose neighborhood was burned to the ground can afford only one problem, like no home. We are fortunate to have so many problems."
* * *
We also went out to dinner with them at our favorite local Turkish restaurant. Our neighborhood is close to utterly normal - just some gaps in the stores where the owners/workers couldn't get here from other boroughs (or NJ!). Our mailman said it took him 3 1/2 hours to drive in from NJ yesterday, since he couldn't use a lot of the roads. Our doorman got up at 4:30 to come from Queens, so he wouldn't have to worry about the mayor's rule that from 6am - 11pm no car without 2 passengers could cross a bridge into Manhattan.
Some of our subways are already back up & running! Including the one from our place to Times Square - so we are going tomorrow night to see a new production of Beaumarchais' Figaro off-Broadway.
I tell you this not to boast or to minimize what's happening, but in the spirit of "Things the Media Won't Tell You:" the News is all horror stories & images, which have frightened & worried many; I think you need to know that not everyone in NYC is in the dark.
My cousin did say, however, before she left (on the bus, which is free through tomorrow, and runs pretty much from our door to hers 80 blocks away) that we could have no idea what pure joy it was to be able to simply flush a toilet.
Yep.
We were supposed to leave for WFC in Toronto today, but we canceled rather than face the possible difficulties of travel from here. And, to be honest, I felt I wanted to be with my city while this was going on; to see my cousins & make sure they had hot showers; to help Lizza Aiken get to the airport on Saturday; and possibly to take in more friends from downtown who had to flee their apartment when it lost power, because no one can live on the 21st floor without an elevator or running water for long!
They're saying power may be back by Saturday, though. Considering the miracles city workers have accomplished so far, I wouldn't be surprised. And I will be proud of them all.
* * *
We also went out to dinner with them at our favorite local Turkish restaurant. Our neighborhood is close to utterly normal - just some gaps in the stores where the owners/workers couldn't get here from other boroughs (or NJ!). Our mailman said it took him 3 1/2 hours to drive in from NJ yesterday, since he couldn't use a lot of the roads. Our doorman got up at 4:30 to come from Queens, so he wouldn't have to worry about the mayor's rule that from 6am - 11pm no car without 2 passengers could cross a bridge into Manhattan.
Some of our subways are already back up & running! Including the one from our place to Times Square - so we are going tomorrow night to see a new production of Beaumarchais' Figaro off-Broadway.
I tell you this not to boast or to minimize what's happening, but in the spirit of "Things the Media Won't Tell You:" the News is all horror stories & images, which have frightened & worried many; I think you need to know that not everyone in NYC is in the dark.
My cousin did say, however, before she left (on the bus, which is free through tomorrow, and runs pretty much from our door to hers 80 blocks away) that we could have no idea what pure joy it was to be able to simply flush a toilet.
Yep.
We were supposed to leave for WFC in Toronto today, but we canceled rather than face the possible difficulties of travel from here. And, to be honest, I felt I wanted to be with my city while this was going on; to see my cousins & make sure they had hot showers; to help Lizza Aiken get to the airport on Saturday; and possibly to take in more friends from downtown who had to flee their apartment when it lost power, because no one can live on the 21st floor without an elevator or running water for long!
They're saying power may be back by Saturday, though. Considering the miracles city workers have accomplished so far, I wouldn't be surprised. And I will be proud of them all.