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I was at the gym yesterday afternoon when the power went out. At first, they told us we'd have the lights (and, more to the point, air conditioning) back in a couple of minutes--they thought it was just the building that had lost power. So I kept exercising: the machines don't use electricity, and I could see fine by daylight. Then we got an announcement over the PA that the outage was affecting the whole neighhborhood--which we could see by looking out the window, because Times Square is zoned for bright lights--and urging us all to stay put if possible. So I did, lifting more weights. Then they said "the whole city." Okay, great, not much I can do about that, let's do some crunches. Gradually, the size of the problem became apparent, and the lack of air conditioning became more of a problem. The gym told us they were closing early, but it wasn't clear whether in 15 minutes or an hour. I did a little more, took a quick cold shower, and went looking for any uptown bus.
About a million other people had had the same idea. The buses were few, and packed to overflowing. So I walked north, periodically stopping to see whether I could get on a bus.
The walk was pleasant: it wasn't too hot, there were lots of people around, and I stopped twice to buy Italian ices (one orange, one mango) and once for a buttered bagel. Some restaurants were serving people at outdoor cafes; others just had stands outside selling their ices or ice cream, and shops were selling bottles of water, all at the same prices you'd pay any afternoon. Some hardware and drug stores were letting people in a few at a time, to buy flashlights and other current necessities. I saw several open fire hydrants with people cooling off in the spray. One store I passed had the staff passing what looked like sides of meat out of the store and into what I assumed was a refrigerated truck.
Around 135th Street, I actually got onto a bus that was just being put into service, only to be told I, and everyone else who wasn't seated, had to get off, because the bus wouldn't start with so many people aboard. This bus wasn't jammed--it was a normal crowd, with people standing but comfortably. I kept walking. At 168th, where the buses for Inwood and the Bronx start, I managed to get on a Bx7, which was crammed to overflowing, and made its very slow way uptown through heavy traffic. I could have walked faster, but standing was probably less strain on my feet. It was dark by the time I got home, which made crossing Broadway more interesting than I would have liked. Andy called me (cell phones are good, but there was a lot of competition for open lines all afternoon) to tell me that there was a small street party outside our building, so don't go right upstairs.
We hung out a while with our neighbors. I declined offers of rum and later other alcohol, and rehydrated on slightly warm milk that someone had brought downstairs. Eventually, we climbed the stairs, played Scrabble by candlelight, and had sardines and fruit for breakfast. We have a gas stove, so we could have cooked, if there'd been enough daylight to see what we were doing.
I didn't sleep very well--our apartment gets rather stuffy with neither AC nor fan. Nonetheless, I'm pleased with myself: a full workout followed by six miles on foot, and I'm not terribly sore and have only one small blister. Adding the calf exercises to my routine seems to have paid off.
Oh, gym numbers: ( Read more... )
Since there's still no subway service, it's just as well I exercised yesterday, since I wouldn't have gotten to the gym today.
About a million other people had had the same idea. The buses were few, and packed to overflowing. So I walked north, periodically stopping to see whether I could get on a bus.
The walk was pleasant: it wasn't too hot, there were lots of people around, and I stopped twice to buy Italian ices (one orange, one mango) and once for a buttered bagel. Some restaurants were serving people at outdoor cafes; others just had stands outside selling their ices or ice cream, and shops were selling bottles of water, all at the same prices you'd pay any afternoon. Some hardware and drug stores were letting people in a few at a time, to buy flashlights and other current necessities. I saw several open fire hydrants with people cooling off in the spray. One store I passed had the staff passing what looked like sides of meat out of the store and into what I assumed was a refrigerated truck.
Around 135th Street, I actually got onto a bus that was just being put into service, only to be told I, and everyone else who wasn't seated, had to get off, because the bus wouldn't start with so many people aboard. This bus wasn't jammed--it was a normal crowd, with people standing but comfortably. I kept walking. At 168th, where the buses for Inwood and the Bronx start, I managed to get on a Bx7, which was crammed to overflowing, and made its very slow way uptown through heavy traffic. I could have walked faster, but standing was probably less strain on my feet. It was dark by the time I got home, which made crossing Broadway more interesting than I would have liked. Andy called me (cell phones are good, but there was a lot of competition for open lines all afternoon) to tell me that there was a small street party outside our building, so don't go right upstairs.
We hung out a while with our neighbors. I declined offers of rum and later other alcohol, and rehydrated on slightly warm milk that someone had brought downstairs. Eventually, we climbed the stairs, played Scrabble by candlelight, and had sardines and fruit for breakfast. We have a gas stove, so we could have cooked, if there'd been enough daylight to see what we were doing.
I didn't sleep very well--our apartment gets rather stuffy with neither AC nor fan. Nonetheless, I'm pleased with myself: a full workout followed by six miles on foot, and I'm not terribly sore and have only one small blister. Adding the calf exercises to my routine seems to have paid off.
Oh, gym numbers: ( Read more... )
Since there's still no subway service, it's just as well I exercised yesterday, since I wouldn't have gotten to the gym today.