NYC, Day 4

Monday morning Cory and I woke up late, got caught up on the latest weather updates, and decided to head out for breakfast (maybe brunch would be a more accurate word) at Roxy's Deli.  We continued to see many, many families (parents with young children) wherever we went.  I wondered how it happened that these children were out of school for vacation in October.  Hmmmm.   Manhattan was filled with tourists from various countries, and we heard many different languages spoken around us. This morning, all subway and bus transportation was closed down.  So many tourists, including the two of us, had decided to get out and walk, window shopping, etc.  Most all businesses were closed.  We found that a couple of small deli's were open and businesses inside the large hotels were open as well.  That's about it.

Hurricane Sandy had started to bear down, and it was raining.  Cory had brought along her travel umbrella, but I had not.  If we were going to walk around a bit, I knew it was time to spring for an umbrella.  Right away, I saw a couple hanging in one of those sidewalk stands.  I thought that it would probably cost anywhere from $12-$20, based on prices in WY.  I asked, "How much for the umbrella?"  The reply? "Five bucks."  My inside voice said, "Really????"  I couldn't get that $5 dollar bill out fast enough.  I hoped the man in the stand wouldn't change his mind.  So, with umbrella in hand, we started walking and looking around the streets near Broadway.

We stopped in a pharmacy for Cory, and we also stopped in the Marriott Hotel and looked around.

The rain increased, and the wind occasionally was turning my umbrella inside-out.  We decided it might be time to get out of the weather and hold up in the hotel. I passed a guy on the sidewalk selling umbrellas for $4.00.  Where was he an hour ago?  LOL.

Here I am (with umbrella) outside the Hard Rock Cafe.

Cory and I watched more news updates on the TV, and she read while I wrote. 

Because of the storm, the hotel was offering its guests a special dinner buffet.  So, we lined up to get in.  We were asked if we would mind sharing a table with another couple, and of course, that was fine with us. As it turned out, the couple was from Brazil; the man spoke English, but his wife did not.  So, that made for interesting conversation.  The wife was very scared of the hurricane and could not sleep.  The husband was trying to understand what was being said on TV, but it was a bit difficult to translate it all.  Plus, he was thinking that the reporting was quite dramatized, and we agreed.  We assured them that we were located in a safe place and that we would be fine.  And that certainly was the case.  We were on the 22nd floor of the hotel, and honestly, we did not hear or feel strong winds, nor did we have rain splashed against our large windows. 

The brunt of Hurricane Sandy hit that night, but the very worst of it was right on the coast, where the hurricane winds pushed the sea water onto the shores, doing significant damage to those homes and businesses.  It also hit during high tide, which made it worse.  Residents who decided not to evacuate were shocked at how quickly the water came and how high it rose to wash away entire homes.  The entrances to the subways in lower Manhattan swallowed water, flooding the underground system.

Thankfully, we were safe.