THE LO-DOWN ON THE BLACKOUT

Note: This was written after the big Blackout of 2003

I was in "Barnes and Nobles Cafe" yesterday reading the paper and drinking my "Starbucks" overpriced ice tea when the lights went out in the entire store. "Typical", I said to the folks at the next table and it wasn't until the Manager came and told us we had to evacuate the store that everyone realized something was up.

This blackout has so far been an adventure for me. Last night when the lights were out everywhere, I walked around outside with my "K-Mart" flashlight. It has an orange beam that flashes on and off and I got it for free when K-Mart opened their flagship store on 34th Street. It has several other types of beam settings, but I received alot of compliments on the flashing orange beam from folks sitting outside their apartment buildings in the dark, so I kept it on that setting. I knew that flashlight would come in handy sometime...People were partying and picnicking on the sidewalks. Pizza and bottled water were the big sellers. From the time the lights went out at 4:10 in the afternoon it was like my entire neighborhood was having one huge block party!

Day 2 of the "Big Blackout" of '03.

Most of New York City still has no power.

I'm wandering around the Upper Westside eating my diet ice cream. Thank God, "Smoochies" was able to open and so was "Circuit City" so I could use their Ladies Room.

There are other Ladies Rooms to use on Broadway, but I love the one in Circuit City because they have those very lovely paper toilet seat covers. Even though it's an escalator ride up to the second floor, those toilet seat covers make for a much more pleasant bathroom experience.

On my way back down to the main floor, I noticed a huge crowd gathered around the three enormous flat screen TVs standing side by side. People were climbing over each other to get a good view. "Uh, Oh" I thought. It must be another press conference with the Mayor or the Governor saying they just discovered the blackout was indeed the work of the terrorists, just as my mother had said, in retaliation for the USA's recent capture of that guy who was going to shoot down our commercial airliners with a missile on his shoulder.

Ever since 9/11 when something goes a bit haywire in New York City, some of us are conditioned to think it could be the end of the world. I hurried off the escalator and joined the crowd which was getting bigger every second and craned my neck around the crowd to try and get a good view of one of the big screens. People were pushing and "shushing" and to my surprise there as big as life on television was none other than "J Lo" in concert singing her biggest hit, "My Love Don't Cost A Thing" complete with the sweat pouring down and lots of back-up dancers. I stayed for the entire number and I don't think she was really singing.

New Yorkers are very resourceful - especially during a crisis, and today when some of us got our power back and realized it was not the end of the world, just the end of AOL Time Warner cable service for awhile, we started to really enjoy ourselves.