August 14, 2006
2003 Blackout Celebrated
You remember it like it was yesterday - the 2003 blackout across the northeastern United States that made New Yorkers wonder if there was another terrorist attack but then they just settled in for some street parties after finally making it home. Today is the third anniversary of the blackout (time really flies), which the city managed to handle well, especially since the blame could be assigned to outside of New York - whereas the Queens blackout is a mess beyond belief.
To celebrate there's a blackout bar hop planned tonight, with some bars offering Blackout Specials, like $5 off pitchers of margaritas at Tortilla Flats. And Martin Perna is reading his children's coloring book, Blackout (illustrated by Ricardo Cortes), on the Lower East Side tonight - and there's a reading to kids tomorrow on the Upper East Side, because it's never to early to explain blackouts of the electrical kind to kids.
Some Blackout of 2003 links:
- The Energy Department blamed the blackout on Ohio
- 20 million gallons of human waste were dumped into the East River during the blackout because the DEP's backup generators didn't work
- New Yorkers actually talked to each other during the blackout - and after
- And some pictures of the city during the blackout via Gothamist and a moblog (it was pre-Flickr, people!)
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It was a Non-issue for me. I took the day off that day knowing it was going to suck. I can see into the future, ya see.
suckers
WHoops! Typos... ya see
I'll celebrate by shitting into someone's water glass.
I was in the middle of an interview with a potential employer during the blackout. I had made it through several rounds of interviews and this, was the make it or break it one...I was meeting with the CEO.
The interview was going as well as I thought it would. We even got to the small talk part to find out that we lived two towns apart (back when I lived in NJ). Then it was suddenly quiet and dark. We continued for a minute or so until her secretary came in and said we need to pack up and leave. So, we did. Everyone filed out as quickly as possible and I could sense that the CEO was looking at me thinking "why doesn't this guy offer me a ride home so I don't have to worry about the bus/train? (she knew I drove in). Fact of the matter, I had a carfull of people to take care of first (dad, wife, friend). Needless to say, I didn't offer her a ride and I didn't get offered the job. But I did pick up my wife, dad and two of my wife's coworkers and got us out of that traffic debacle relatively quickly.
I know what we were doing. SHOPPING. Seriously though, we definitely got some great deals...mostly from delis that wanted/needed to get rid of a lot of inventory. The ones that didnt want to gouge did us right.
We're honoring the day by playing a show TONIGHT at Manitoba's Bar(Ave. B btw 6th & 7th). Blackout Shoppers & The Bullys. FREE show, starts 8pm!!
www.blackoutshoppers.com
how comes there's never a party for the big, big black-out, the one in 65? because that's when i was born, during that black out
Ooh, the blackout's about when I started reading Gothamist.
BTW, that's some nice pottery grumpygirl.