Blackout! - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Diorama** · 08-17-2003, 06:39 PM

I think cd got affected by the blackout. I haven't seen him since it all happen (not the I SEE him anyway but ya know what i mean). was anyone else affected? Anyone got good stories about getting stuck in elevators, eating free icecream cake because otherwise it would melt or mabye it took you 2 hous to walk home because the subway wasn't running?

oh well at least it got rid of cd for a couple days

(either that or he's away on vacation)

TUI · 08-17-2003, 07:02 PM

well one time I found this fungi in a field in Oregon, what was I doing there? I have no idea! but it was a long week therafter!! I seem to remember eating brownies in Medford sometime during that week and then three weeks after burning man, I started to slip back into reality. Maybe my just having a good smoke had something to do with why I am writing this post

What was the topic anyway? shite!!! sorry people!

**travelpunk** · 08-17-2003, 08:47 PM

Yeah, maybe Toronto is still jacked up by that mysterious blackout (that has BinLaden written all over it)? Hmmmm......Hope he's okay

Sounds like those brownies are still in full effect, TUI

:D

PhilBill · 08-18-2003, 08:22 AM

We had friends from my hometown in the midwest visiting. We'd already been all over NYC with them and 2 days in D.C. but luckily skipped going with them on Thursday to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ( been there 3 times ). They visited Soho and Canal street's China Town afterwards and made it to Grand Central just after 4PM a minute or two after everything went black. Good old efficient, southwest Connecticut got power back shortly after 8:15PM, about 4 hours later but both our phones were dead so we had no way of contacting them. Also their cell phone went dead within 2 or 3 hours later.

Finally they called us from a pay phone in NYC about 9:30PM as they waited outside GCS with thousands of other stranded commuters and we gave it another 2 hours hoping the electricity would come back as it had in many parts of nearby NJ and Long Island and as Major Bloomberg had promised (almost ). Both the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges were closed to incoming traffic as was botht the Holland and Lincoln tunnels so I was even unsure whether I could pick them up. Just in case I filled up the gas tank and ended up taking off to Manhattan at 11:45PM.

So the two significant events were, one; you could see the STARS in the SKY in NYC and two; Time Square was dark when we passed through. I made it to GCS in exactly 60 minutes which was a record and we made it home by 2:15AM after dropping off a young couple our friends had bonded with and offered to help by giving them a ride to Stamford, CT.

**Canadian Dude** · 08-19-2003, 07:02 AM

Well up until yesturday things around here have been far from normal...On Thursday afternoon I was sitting at home miding my own business, relaxing after getting home from work, when all of a subben the lights went out...i did not think much of it because I live in an older neighborhood and brown outs are common. after about 1/2 hour i turned on my radio ( batteries) and found out that all hell had broken loose across the North Eastern US and Southern Ontario into Quebec. No power at all anywhere. I turned on the local news and found that the city of Toronto, my city was at a stand still, no traffic lights, no power, Street Cars were stuck through out the city and subways stuck in the tunnels . I turned on my2 way radio from work and heard that all the trains could not were being evacuated in the tunnels. I called my wife at work but the phones were out, i called her mobile phone and i finally got her, she was on the highway with a friend driving her home. She was ok thank God.

As soon as she got home about 1 1/3 hour after it had happened i went into work about 6 o'clock, and what i sight, people walking every where, crashes at almost every intersection, emergency vehicles flying back and forth and the roads. I went to the closest subway station and offered my assistence. I stayed on until 2am directing people to thier destination, arranging shuttle bus services to replace the subways, and making sure those who could not cope with this situation were ok.

On Friday morning I was back in @ 6am, a state of emergency was in place, people were told to stay home and not go out unless they had to. Unfortunatly not everyone listened and it was gridlock on the steets again by 7am. I could not belive how many people were out and about like it was regular day...it was definatly not a regular day...I worked until about 2 pm and came home for a little bit, power came back on for about an hour and went out again...i went back to work at 4pm and stayed until 2am directing traffic and making sure that that my companies property was not looted or vandilized when night fell.

By Sat morning 50% of the cities power was back on which did help some, but there were still no subways or streetcars to move the people, I started at 8am and went until 12 midnight. It was a busy day but it was getting better for sure.

Sunday power was on everywhere but still no subways or streetcars, so the hundreds of thousands of people had to use a shuttle bus service that was set up and thats pretty much what i was doing out there from 5am until 2am Monday morning. In the end all went well, just a few minor problems considering the magnitude of this event.

By Monday i was a wreck, i could hardly stand i was so tired, i went into work for my regular shift at 10am and went and met my wife after, who I wad not seen since Thurs night. I slept like a baby and will never forget...
THE BLACK OUT OF 2003

**llemus7** · 08-19-2003, 07:24 AM

wow CD your were a busy man those days. Just by reading your post I was getting tired.

**travelpunk** · 08-28-2003, 07:51 AM

Thanks for the play-by-play! It must´ve been quite a spectacle

Hope they´re paying you some serious over time ^_^ .