Manhattan-The forgotten City... Hoboken-The Lost City

I had heard that the beds at the Bejamin were comfy but had no idea just how comfortable till it was 9 am and we were being woken up from a deep sleep by Trav’s Dad calling to make sure we were still alive. They had been without power since 11pm the night before. It took a second to shake the latest dream and a pending hangover, from reality as we tried to come to grips with our surroundings. The room was dark, the television was still on (which meant we still had power) and Bob, the dog, was still asleep at our feet. Everything seemed completely undisrupted. How could that be? Did we just completely snore through a massive natural disaster?

It appears the natural disaster chose to bypass Manhattan. I peered down on the still empty streets below and there were no signs of damage or flooding. Not even a large puddle that the news could work with.. absolutely nothing. It was still raining but not more than usual for an August Sunday morning. I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was a tad disappointed. Up until this point, Irene seemed to have threatened to bring it on but had retreated at the last possible moment leaving a mix of emotions in her wake.

I was disappointed and hung over. Maybe disappointed that I was hung over but whatever. We had packed our entire apartment and fled into the city (which then resulted in Trav having to be called into work continuously) and wanted a little something to show for it. A knocked over tree, a little wave action from the Hudson, maybe some ya-who doing backstrokes down 3rd ave. C'mon, give me something I can write about... but nada. We hoped Hoboken had fared the same.

We reminisced and filled in the gaps regarding the night before. I was right, things got a bit crazy and a bit weird. The restaurant was still packed when I went down to grab a seat at the bar and wait for Trav who was still running all over the place. Sheets of rain pelted the glass windows and no one seemed to notice. I was engrossed in several conversations at the bar with several weirdos, none of which were staying at the hotel. The majority of them lived several blocks away- too many to walk in a supposed hurricane. I had also heard that Manhattan was under a curfew after 9pm and had even filmed the empty streets at 9:15pm to prove it, before heading down to the bar (see video below. It's dark but the sound is on so you can hear the wind and rain).  I thought it seemed odd that everyone was so oblivious to the curfew and could care less how they were going to get home. Of course all major transportation had been shut down. Cabs, if out at all, were forced to follow a strict fare schedule that included a straight fare of $10 within their zone and an extra $5 if traveling from zone to zone. Asking a cabbie to follow rules of any kind, especially in a hurricane, seemed like it would surely diminish the quantity of those willing to risk their lives driving some drunk 50 blocks in zero visibility. Apparently I was the only one concerned but as the conversations carried on through weird twists and turns, I figured, they probably deserved whatever they got. I was finally saved by one of Trav's manager's girlfriends that was also staying at the hotel. Finally feeling comfortable in conversation, the beer kept flowing until we realized that the staff was actually forced to kick out a large group of bozos after 2 am. Since the hurricane was then projected to hit around 3 a.m. , we all came upstairs equipped with glow sticks (you know, just incase), and continued the hurricane festivities. Unamused, we all decided to call it a night. I guess Irene did as well.

The broadcasters on the news never once mentioned how Hoboken had fared through the night. They were far too concerned with backing up the politicians former treatment of this storm, knowing that New Yorkers surely would want someone to hang for the anti-climatic showing of Hurricane Irene. I can only imagine the next time they try to evacuate 300,000 people for a supposed hurricane. Talk about the boy who cried wolf. To make up for it, they only covered the coastal towns that had something to show for the storm's destruction. They did make one mention that Hoboken had indeed flooded, which was treated as a normal occurrence, because it definitely is. They said that residents that did not evacuate were ordered to stay inside, don't even walk your dog, as power lines had fallen into the flood waters and there were fears of immediate electrocution. Awesome.

I had a bad feeling all morning. I thought at first it might be the Ommegang witte, steak tartare and corn risotto having gotten well acquainted in my belly the night before. But it had to be something else. I tried to find more information on Hoboken. How could it be that no one had any updated information? And then I saw it. The worst images I could have imagined but deep down had already concocted in my mind. The following were posted all over Hoboken411.com (the best and apparently only Hoboken news source) and they just happen to be taken of our street!

It’s the worst flooding I’ve ever seen and our apartment and new furniture were surely in the midst of it, if they even existed any longer. I tried to reach my slumlord and super in a panic but no answer. Maybe they had drown. Who knows. My stomach sank as I pictured my valuables that must’ve done the same. There’s no way what we had done to prepare our apartment was in any way preparation for this. Hoboken was the new Great Lakes and I was stranded on an island with no news.

I finally reached the Super and could tell by his tone what was coming next. He was truly sorry. He had worked through the night to do what he could but his efforts proved fruitless as the water came through the doors, windows and up through the floor boards to flood our apartment. He said nothing was floating but I didn’t want to hear anymore.

It’s honestly too much. I can’t figure out why that bitch Irene has it out for me. I’ve cried because I’m sad. I don’t know when we can get home or what will be there when we do. I’ve yelled because I’m mad. I’ve felt like I’ve been treading water here since I can remember and I’ve finally been drowned. I’ve drifted into blank stares because I’m numb. How much can one take?

Time can only tell

While the storm stops, a new saga begins. How do we get home? And is it even home anymore?

Manhattan- the calm before the storm

Officially Evacuated

We were officially ordered to evacuate this morning. I wish I could say I knew this was coming but every moment brings a new surprise and today it brought tears as well.

We received an email earlier in the week from our landlord advising on preparations we should take inside of our apartment to prepare for hurricane flooding. We weren't surprised that the slumlord's plan was to "take books and jewelry off of the floor".. Umm what kind of Wizard of Oz apartment do YOU live in? We had no idea that preparing our apartment's transition to the lost city of Atlantis would rival the worst moving day possible. Every closet needed to be cleaned out- yah yah, we're aware that New Yorkers don't have many of these but the ones we do have are packed as solid as possible. Since the couches had to originally be moved in through the windows, we knew that they were now permanent fixtures, so we hiked them up on cinder blocks and did our best to cover them in plastic should the windows be blown out. The televisions were moved to the main room along with picture frames and anything else of value that could be blown off of the wall or didn't know how to swim. Every bottom drawer was cleaned out and even the ones above that, just incase. We then covered the carpet in plastic and brought any soaking wet patio furniture (newly purchased!) that would fit in through the door as the rains were starting already. We hope that what we couldn't bring in will at least stay within the confines of the backyard fence and not wind up in one of our many neighbors' living room.

Afraid we would be affected by tunnel closures, we left as soon as we could. Tears streamed down my face as we left the apartment with as much as we could carry. Trust me, it's no love lost should Hoboken be pulled into the Hudson (minus some things of value that can't be replaced) but the emotions involved in days of preparing for a hurricane that just ruined my ultimate vacation, just became too much to bear for the moment.

My tears dried as the rain continued to fall. It was a day of eerie moments that were magnified with the emptiness of the Holland tunnel. Appearing to be the only ones in the tunnel at the moment, we feared NYC may not be on the other side. Lucky for us there was still an island, just not sure for how long. We pulled up to the Benjamin hotel- Trav's work- and unloaded the dog which seemed to scare the bellman more than the hurricane. "Sir, please remove the bear from the backseat"... We had the car parked in the garage which is underground. Yes, that thought is unnerving to us as well.


They gave us a giant room on the 18th floor. I get winded walking to the bathroom. I was hoping for a lower floor for when the power goes out and my lazy ass has to walk downstairs or when scaffolding decides to take flight at 100 mph but understood that they wanted employees to have the rooms with the terraces since guests seem to do stupid things while unattended. Understood.. I've been on the terrace every 10 minutes since we've gotten here.. with the dog... point taken.

By the time we were settled, Irene was 293 miles away and was beating North Carolina to a pulp. The entire NYC transit system had been fully shut down and mandatory evacuations were occurring on the lower portion of Manhattan as well as all outlying areas. For those dumb enough to stick around, Hoboken had issued a mandatory order to close all bars at 8pm and closed all streets to any moving vehicles. Newark, Laguardia and JFK were closed as North Carolina, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Virginia and Massachusetts were all under a state of emergency. The National Guard has now been called in for reinforcements. Even more promising is we were told Hoboken fire engines have now been equipped with boats on top of the trucks, so they can perform necessary rescues... awesome.

In the meantime, my mind is continually blown as Trav was pulled into work downstairs in the fully operational and extremely busy restaurant (that part was actually expected). His staff planned ahead and everyone is holed up in the hotel so they are able to handle the business that no one thought would be occurring in the middle of a hurricane. James Cromwell is staying here and is probably tucked in with room service watching the news while Matt Lauer just sat down for dinner at a corner booth. The restaurant's reservations started at 31 tonight, which sounded like a fair amount since people in the hotel are probably tired of being cooped up and have probably read the amazing NY Times review and/or Sam Sifton's Sifty Fifty, and wanted to try the awesome food at the National. However, in the last hour, that number has risen to 210 reservations for the evening. Who has time to eat out, never-the-less, make reservations in this storm? Not to mention, this city is empty. I just walked a 100-pound golden retriever down the street with no problems- we're talking empty. Where did they come from? And where are they going when they realize the hurricane just hit while they were finishing their creme brulee?

Not usually a storm or celebrity chaser, I think it might be wise to get showered up and head down to the National to see what's happening. I have a feeling things are about to get crazy.. or weird.. and probably a little bit of both.

Stay tuned...

Saturday- The Calm before the storm

We woke up to news that Irene had reached the east coast over night. While the storm has now been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, it has already left 160,000 without power as it slowly makes it's way up the east coast. The size of Europe, this hurricane is moving very slowly leaving time for mass destruction in it's wake.

We went to Home Depot yesterday, with the rest of New Jersey, in an attempt to secure our apartment from Irene's destruction. The scene included people wandering down isles looking dazed and confused. I believe half of the people had a plan and the other half were there because the news told them to be. Everyone cautiously examined their neighbor's cart to see if maybe the other cart had something they hadn't thought of. The most popular items were the obvious- copious amounts of bottled water and plastic wrap. Not wanting to be left out, for some reason we wound up with 5,000 square feet of plastic wrap. That's roughly 8x more square feet than our entire apartment. Most people had ply wood. We were the only ones with cinder blocks. The couple next to us were probably wondering what we were going to do with them as we wondered what they could possibly be doing with the ten simple red bricks they had in their cart. Who's to judge? None of us have ever done this before...

The next challenge was getting 20 tons of cinder block and 5000 square feet of plastic wrap (again for a 600 square feet apartment) into a nissan sentra. For a car that normally comes to mid calf when the door is open. I felt like a true low rider as the car now sank down to my ankles. Every little bump on our 10 mile an hour drive home felt mountainous as we cringed and prayed the tires didn't blow. We collapsed after unloading each brick from our double parked car, across the street, and down into our basement apartment.

We took all of the lights from the backyard, not wanting to come back to shattered glass after all the hard work we had done. Here's a before shot..

We brought in all of the lanterns and hanging plants. The patio furniture is next as we've been ordered not to leave anything outside.

Our walk with the dog this morning was eerie. The weather still hasn't changed yet and the streets seemed empty. The people we did see had suitcases and were making their way out of the area.

Hoboken bars are on order to close this evening by 8pm and residents are under a strict order that no one is to be driving after 8pm. The entire subway system will be shut down at noon today. The first ordered stoppage of NYC transit ever for a natural disaster. Our only concern is the closure of the tunnels as we are hoping to get into NYC by noon.

As my first order of business is unpacking my suitcase of bathing suits and summer dresses from our vacation, and repacking it with clothes, supplies, and valuables to evacuate- everything still seems very  surreal.

Friday Evening Update

Come On Irene

I remember when the least of my worries was what kind of alcoholic beverage I was going to order from the swim up bar... although just last week, that moment seems far away.

We were more annoyed than worried while we watched the news of a hurricane threatening to ruin our tropical vacation in Dominican Republic. We had three days of sun and could see the storm brewing. We crossed our fingers the storm would pass and we would be left with just a few more days of sun. That never happened.

From our balcony, we passed the time watching the staff throw anything not nailed down into the pools surrounding the property. Smart- it didn't take much time for us to realize that it would have wound up there anyway. From the lobby bar, we heard horror stories of people back home who had their vacation completely canceled once they arrived to the airport. We couldn't help but notice the people who were lucky enough to make it in, only to find the lobby chairs were the only place to sleep, since the hotel was overbooked. Flights were canceled the day prior to our flight so we were thankful that we were even able to leave the storm behind... or so we thought.

We also thought we lived on the East Coast where we safely watched people on the West Coast prepare their structures for earthquakes. A fear I knew all too well. We never thought we would see headlines that an earthquake rocking Virginia had evacuated buildings in NYC flash across our Punta Cana hotel room TV . I stood with tears in my eyes knowing how Lara felt grabbing her dog and her baby to get to safety under a bathroom sink while pictures shook off the walls. I also knew how our pet sitter felt when she said she initially thought Bob had rocked the apartment building by "jumping off of something".

I had no idea how long it would take us to get out of the DR should our flight have been canceled. The storm was heading right for Jersey. Wait, how can that be? While tracking the storm on vacation, we heard Florida's name come up countless times as Irene's next target. How did it move to Jersey. We came to terms that Irene was stalking us. This blows... literally.

I don't think I've still come to terms that this storm is coming. It's not a "maybe" or a "possibly" or a "what if". They are saying that there is not one person in the tri-state area that will not be severely affected by this storm. As Governor Christie said at 4:30pm today in a press conference, addressing Jersey Shore residents "It's 4:30, you've gotten your tan, Get the hell of the beach and get out!!". Wow. This is serious.

Serious enough to spend our afternoon buying cinder blocks and plastic wrap from Home Depot for our apartment. Being faced with a voluntary evacuation of Hoboken, this scene seems oddly familiar. When San Diego faced the worst fires ever, and our reverse 9-1-1 call came forcing us to evacuate, we quickly had to choose what to keep and what not to spare. An odd choice. We were faced with the same decision in Hoboken today. A fire in a coastal town seems just as improbable as a hurricane in a major city but somehow we're preparing for the completely illogical.

The decision to leave didn't come easy today. We decided to pack up once again and head into NYC to Trav's hotel tomorrow after securing our apartment. Knowing our basement apartment will surely fill with water, we face floating furniture and power outages if we stay. There's so many things we have to think about. We need to move to the car as it will surely fill with water if left where it is. Plus the MTA has stopped all train service as off noon tomorrow. The PATH train- the train for Hobokenites to get into the city will be suspended after 11am. Buses won't be running. We have Bob with us so we have to drive into the city but face Holland and Lincoln tunnel closures at any time. This will either keep us out, or keep us in. To be honest, both are scary.

I wonder if my fear of things flying through the window of the hotel during this hurricane, flailing at enormous speeds, would also be made fun of by the west coast like this past earthquake. Although for the record- I know for a fact Californians also cry like babies when trophies fly out of cases and bookcases turn over. Probably more so because we know exactly what it is and the damage it can do.

So when New York's Mayor Bloomberg had a press conference evacuating parts of New York like Coney Island, and Gov Andrew Cuomo announced the shut down of all NYC public transportation, my thoughts couldn't help but go to what kind of damage the greatest city on earth could possibly sustain. Parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens have been evacuated. If we get evacuated from Manhattan with no public transportation, with 8 million people, I have no idea what will happen.



At 8:34 tonight, we just sit and wait. Starting in Puerto Rico where it killed one person, this hurricane has already caused over $1.1 Billion in damages across the Caribean.  Airlines in NYC have canceled more that 3,000 flights. Right now it is a 600 mile-wide hurricane, category 2 (downgraded from a category 3 today). They are telling everyone to get low for fear of flying objects from the tops of high rise buildings that will carry the strength to break through windows. The Governor of New Jersey and even Washington DC have issued state of emergencies.

"Irene, classified as a Category 2 storm by the National Hurricane Center with winds of 100 miles (161 kilometers) an hour as of 5 p.m. New York time, is projected to cause $10 billion in overall economic losses according to estimates by Kinetic Analysis Corp."