Surge Tales from a friend

A customer/friend and silver Street Machine Gte-rider who lives in the Village wrote me about his experience during Tropical Storm Sandy.
Reprinted with permission.


Subject:   Surge Tales
From:   I---@aol.com
Date:   Sun, November 4, 2012 9:10 pm

11/4/12

Dear Friends:

I trust that those of you in the path of Sandy's fury,  as well as your  family and friends, are all well and safe.

I've survived the week in relatively decent shape  - experiencing what many of us, especially those in the blackout zone below 26th  St. (on the West Side) have: the hurricane itself, followed by cold days  and dark nights, no hot water, electricity, light, TV, radio, internet, or  cellphones.  Of course sadly, many in and beyond the city, have suffered  far more grievous harm.

Monday afternoon, I decided to venture out and see the  roiling Hudson.  Everything seemed OK until, at Washington St. a  powerful gust more or less plastered me against the side of a  building. I thought better of it and headed home.

After a day, I packed a knapsack and hiked up to  midtown, in the illusory expectation that there were hotel rooms to be  had.  I soon realized there were none in all of Manhattan.  What I  did  however chance upon, was a coffee shop in the Westin Hotel at 43rd and  8th.  It offered all the basic necessities of life - espresso, central  heating, light, well-appointed restrooms, newspapers, and last but not  least, numerous outlets for charging my iPad and phone.  A number of other  downtown refugees also spent their days camped out at Bar 10 for the  duration.

Every evening I would hike back downtown, to check  in on a neighborhood friend, and to sleep as best I could in my  own cold, dark apartment. In the absence of light, I fell into a pattern of  going to sleep at around 9.  In the morning, I couldn't wait to get out  when the sun rose at 7, and make my way back to my warm  midtown haven.

All in all, for me, a trying but ironically interesting  experience.  For too many others  a terrible tragedy.  The  modest light at my bedside never looked as good as when it  suddenly flickered on at around 6 Saturday
morning.

Warm regards to all,

Izzy

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Stay well, all,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2012 Robert Matson