Guided by Sandy (day 4, Wednesday): Epilogue

The eyes of the professional cameras are shifting towards New Jersey, as Manhattan wakes up for its second day after Sandy. And for a reason, New Jersey has been hit severely, the damage done in Manhattan is nothing compared to that.

I decide to take one last long ride (50km, 31 miles) across the city before I would say goodbye. My route:

I see a city that's woken up to a new reality. Where yesterday the general feeling was one of helplessness, today the first signs of acceptance and even rebuilding are more clearly there.

Where there's power, people tend to share it.

And the ACE hotel even places machines where mobiles of all brands and connectors can be charged in a minute. Day and night.

Some shops don't want to wait until power gets back. They just open, even without lights. "Please pay with cash money!"

Other merchants have found new trade. Apart from batteries; flashlights, candles and generators seem to sell well these days.

The parks though are still closed and well protected.

And while the parks stay closed, small parts the subway lines reopen for the public. For free.

Most Starbucks' in town are not open yet, but one way or another their free wi-fi seems to be operating. As the usual wi-fi parasites take back their place in society, it's time for me to say goodbye.

With a great thank you to the kind people at ACE hotel (not only for lending me their fine bike, it took me where I wanted to go and despite all the debris on the roads only gave me two flats, but especially for warmly inviting the "powerless" during the first days after Sandy), I say farewell.

I'll be back, you bet.

Bart Brouwers, last days of October, 2012
@brewbart

First post in this series: Preface

Second post: Ignorance

Third post: Anxiety

Fourth post: Helplessness

Fifth post: Epilogue (this post)

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