Things are getting back on their feet, to the point where I can say things are up and running - all the Starbucks in Manhattan are shut down, along with most of the chain stores and coffee shops around me. Most of the local stuff is open, as are some of the hardier franchises, like the local gym. It's been doing brisk business the past few days, which says a lot about this neighborhood. Also, that people need some place to go after being cooped up and anything giving a sense of normalcy in a crisis is clung to like an overused and inappropriate metaphor. I know I took good use of it.
When I was out earlier today, I took a brief detour to see what was happening in one of the neighborhood grocery stores. On Sunday it was packed, the line snaking around the edges of the store to wind through to the beer section, everyone stocking up on what they thought they'd need for however long Sandy would last. Today there were a few people, no more than a typical Tuesday afternoon in a neighborhood grocery, and the contrast between the number of people shopping was interesting but not nearly as much as the difference between what was in stock.
Manhattan was pretty well shut off from the world yesterday, and it started opening back up this afternoon, so for two mornings, no deliveries anywhere. I couldn't get a really good look at what everyone had bought until they'd all gone, and didn't go to check yesterday to see if anyone had been in buying bananas and pasta then - still, seeing which shelves have a higher turnover than others isn't something I can easily do except at times like this.
Most of the pasta was gone. A lot of the onions, the other hardy vegetables, no small amount of the fresh fruit. Plenty of the canned goods. Cereals, sodas - individual cans and bottles and larger packs. Milk, of course. Toilet paper and other disposable household supplies. The cheese was present, but most of the crackers were off the shelves. Almost all of the prepackaged salads and sandwiches, stuff like that, either because people wanted to eat them or there haven't been the resources to make more. Bagels, loaves of bread, and everything associated with bagels and sandwiches, especially lox and sliced meats. The cooking oils, canned tomatoes, jarred capers and olives, were pretty much untouched since Sunday; same with all the baking supplies like flour and yeast.
And yes, the rumors are true: New York City prepares for storms by stocking up on beer. About half of the formerly lusciously-stocked case was gone, with slim pickings left in the cider section.
The air was all washed out, smoky and clean at the same time. I took a walk down forty-six blocks to meet a friend for dinner, the night coming in, and the last of the rain drying to a drizzle and then finally blowing away. It'll be around on and off for a few more days, then finally clear up and leave for long enough to let everyone dry off, get back up, and keep on going.
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