The Upper West Side certainly avoided the worst damage from Hurricane Sandy, but lots of scaffolding and trees are down, and parks and businesses have certainly sustained significant damage. See our photo gallery here (and if you took photos, please send them to us at info@westsiderag.com).
Much of the rest of the city is in very bad shape, with power out to hundreds of thousands of people. There are currently 154 people at an evacuation center at John Jay College on 58th Street, and hundreds more at evacuation centers elsewhere. (If you know anything about volunteer opportunities to help the city recover from the storm, please let us know and we’ll post.)
Update: This is from NYC Service on volunteering: “There will be various ways to volunteer to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy – Want to Volunteer? Please email nycservice@cityhall.nyc.gov with your name, email address and borough. There will be ways to volunteer today and over the next week as opportunities arise.”
Here’s one charitable move: “New-York Historical Society will reopen Wednesday 10am-6pm with pay-as-you-wish admission benefiting Hurricane Sandy relief.”
Here’s some more bad news: the mayor said that subways could be out for 3 to 4 days at a press conference this morning (that’s not an official estimate; MTA hasn’t released one yet). Here’s what the MTA says so far:
“As of last night, seven subway tunnels under the East River flooded. Metro-North Railroad lost power from 59th Street to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line and to New Haven on the New Haven Line. The Long Island Rail Road evacuated its West Side Yards and suffered flooding in one East River tunnel. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel is flooded from end to end and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water and was closed. Six bus garages were disabled by high water.”
Update: “The governor also announced partial restoration of bus service at 5 p.m. Buses will operate on a fare-free basis and on a Sunday schedule. A full schedule is expected for Wednesday. Rides will continue to be fare-free.”
Power could also be out to many New Yorkers for the next 3 or 4 days (we haven’t heard of UWS outages, but let us know if you have). Here’s an overheard quote from a Verizon tech: “I worked 9-11, the blackout, Irene, and this is way worse. It’s so bad we don’t even know where to start.”
Public schools are closed again on Wednesday.
NYC drinking water has been tested and is completely safe, Mayor Bloomberg says.
Many local businesses are open, from Fairway (at right) to virtually every deli and bodega in the area. Henry’s on 105th Street is offering West Side Rag readers special discounts on drinks if you mention us. We hear this from Jessica Morsa: “West side kids (84th Street) is open for parents everywhere to find toys for their kids to keep them busy! Buy local!”
Interesting note in that regard from Michael Kimmelman, the New York Times architecture critic:
Tellingly, on UWS in NYC, independent stores open, busy; chains, shuttered. Yet another argument for local business.
— Michael Kimmelman (@kimmelman) October 30, 2012
If you hear of other places that are open, or offering special deals, let us know in the comments or otherwise.
Photos by Ken Biberaj.
Book Culture’s two bookstores (one on 112th St and one on Broadway at 114) are both open today. We’re offering a special Halloween Story Time in our Children’s Room at Broadway at 3:30 this afternoon.
The locally owned coffee shop on Amsterdam between 94 and 95 is open — I was just in there this morning. It is right next to Little Shop of Crafts.
Bouchon bakery open(coffee&cookies), lime leaf on 72 open, no lunch menu- dinner menu only- is that price gouging?
Beacon Hardware (Amsterdam betw 77th & 78th) is open.
A few of the major businesses on the shopping corridor on 9th-100th on Columbus are open: Whole Foods plus its wine store, Duane Reade, and the nearby Rite Aid. Crumbs and Starbucks definitely closed, and the clothing stores in the area looked closed. Petco looked open but I wasn’t paying enough attention to know for sure.
Uh, I meant 97th-100th.
Have you heard anything about Broadway theatre for tomorrow? Are they opening for the matinee shows?
Thanks.
Are west side markets & garden of eden open uptown?
Westside Market open. I don’t think they ever closed!
The Utopia Diner on Amsterdam between 72 and 73 was open this afternoon as well. The owner is the cook for the day and his teen aged son and daughter are working the front of the house. There are two waiters and one busboy. Good for them. Hard working people making it happen. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Janoff’s Art Supply/ Stationery on Broadway between 111th and 112th – thanks for the emergency paper and ink for my printer!
I ma surprised that you published Kimmelman’s tweet. It is obviously untrue. Many national chains are open, many locals are not. I prefer locals as much as the next person, but it doesn’t seem necessary to tell a blatant lie to make a point. Oh.. wait.. he’s with a mainstream paper… par for the course then.