Chris had an interesting day on Thursday. Glad to hear he finally got home.
I had a decidedly different experience. I guess that's one of the nice things living a short 7 minute walk from the office. When I finally realized the extent of the outages and that no, I wouldn't have class that night (and even if I did, I wasn't about to walk 60 blocks there and 60 blocks back), I left the office around 5:30.
I was playing basketball at the local courts by 5:45. With a gas stove and meat that was inevitably going bad, I figured it was time for some dinner. A bit later a buddy of mine who lives in the area came by and we all played drinking games until about 11. Once sufficiently inebriated, we headed out in search of a bar.
This proved more difficult that we were hoping, though deep down we knew it was probably a bad idea. First we checked out some local places that innovated by moving outside under the headlights and stereos of the cars parked on the street. I guess they eventually ran out of gas or battery or both, because they were gone by the time we got there.
We thought our luck might be better in Tribeca - after all, this area shuts down early on a normal night when there is power - but it wasn't much more lively. All the bars were closed, but we met some people at Layla where we stayed for a drink. We learned of a bonfire in Tompkins Sq Park, and briefly entertained the idea of going up there. Slowly sobering up, and faced with the prospect of walking further from home, we decided instead to call it a night. We walked by Church Lounge in the Tribeca Grand might have generator power, but that too was a lost cause.
On the walk home, we stumbled past a building that was bustling with activity and had lights. Huh? Turns out it was Reade St Pub, who had generator power, air conditioning, cold beers for $3 a bottle, and free pizza. Needless to say, we stayed until closing time, before a short, eerily dark walk home.
So I guess it wasn't much different than any other Thursday night!