brooklyn goes out [as our place of residency] with a bang!

so, about six months back, i said "new york! you're not doing it for me - i'm moving away." and new york was like "what? i'm exciting!" and i said "no. i'm sick of your subways, and the lack of 24 hour local news coverage during storms.  plus, the city that never sleeps?  come on.  take some time off - close some restaurants."

"i'll show you," said new york.

and show me she did.  one week before we're outta here, hurricane irene hit the city - loudly.  by midday friday (which was, might i add, a beautiful day, weatherwise), new york city had been broken up  into zones, and "zone A" was under mandatory evacuation.  we were already aware that the entire transit system was to shut down at noon on saturday.  from there, many businesses started making preparations, aka closing.  the mayor gave a press conference every couple of hours, and the local news coverage was indeed round the clock.

a view of brooklyn on NYC's irene evacuation map.
we were thankfully not in an evacuation zone!

murgy and i headed out early saturday, pre-storm, to stock up on dog supplies - specifically, pee pads and bones.  it was clear we wouldn't be taking many walks this weekend!  after that, garret and i spent most of yesterday stocking up on incredibly-high-in-sodium foods and watching the news, waiting for the storm.  by 10pm or so, it felt a lot like new years eve felt when i was a kid... waiting and waiting, in front of the TV, unsure of what was to come... and all the while, eating doritos.

our hurricane irene emergency food stock.
what are we, nine years old?

ziplock bags filled with water,
which i froze.

i'd like to say we were heroically battling weather like a crazy scene in a disaster film, but in reality it was a lot of sitting on the couch watching news coverage.  a lot of waiting. a lot a lot.  there was a lot of concern about possible power outtages, so garret and i froze a bunch of water in ziplock bags to make ice blocks should we need them to keep food fresh.  there were also a lot of recommendations to fill the bathtub with water should the water pumps not work during a power outtage, but as we sadly don't have a bathtub in our miniature brooklyn bathroom, we filled pots and bowls up instead.  ...we stored the filled pots and bowls in our shower stall, for good measure.  that's kind of like a bathtub!

i woke up midway though the night to hear rain pounding down and wind howling, but by the time we actually were up for the day it was getting brighter and there was a break in the rain, so we ventured out with murgy to assess the damage.

for the most part, park slope seems to be in good shape.  many restaurants and businesses are still closed and/or taped up, and the ones that were open had limited staff and supplies.  with no mass transit, it seems that people are pretty much staying where they are and going to local restaurants, etc.

meanwhile, the entire weekend i was texting with my mom, dad and my friend tracy saying "we had one more week to get out of here! why now!" but, a quick google search has schooled me.  below is a picture i got from the brattleboro reformer's facebook page - this is downtown wilmington after today's storm!  we had breakfast at dot's restaurant (in the background) just a few weeks back when we visited the town with my dad and my grandma...

a photo from the brattleboro reformer - main street in wilmington, vermont - we'll be there in a week!

experiencing this in new york city was truly unique - it's a memory we'll have forever, i suspect.  below are some more pictures i took during this weekend.

beer table in park slope had one of the more creative takes on
"come out while you still can" marketing,
which i saw all over the place.

i loved the sign this CD shop in park slope put up.

the city turned garbage cans over in preparation for the storm
to cut down on debris flying.  the mayor said in one press
conference that he was hearing people were turning them
back over to be helpful.  "please don't." he said.

union market in park slope was packed
on saturday, and planned closure for
sunday in light of the storm.

murgy on sunday morning, assessing the damage.