HURRICANE SANDY
The Friday before Sandy hit NYC, 10/26/2012, my friend Jadean (aka "J"), came up for her very first visit to the City. From that Friday until Sunday, when the storm hit the east coast 10/28/2012, we busted out as many touristy things as possible. We visited Times Square (and snapped a pic with the Naked Cowboy!), watched the Broadway musical, Chicago, went to Rockefeller Center (complete with ice skating rink), the Top of the Rock, Carnegie Deli (you must try the infamously delicious and huge Reuben), Lombardi's (SO SO YUMMY), and Canal Street (what was left of the open stores anyways before the City evacuated lower Manhattan below Canal) - just to name a few...
We even had the pleasure of enjoying a frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity and sit in the exact spot where Michelle Pfeiffer's character sat in "One Fine Day" (also starred George Clooney).
Then the storm hit. At first, we were fine. We still had power in my apartment. On Sunday evening, however, we, along with all of lower Manhattan, lost power due to the storm and also due to some transformer blowing up near the 14th Street power station. On Monday, we lost water and it became exceedingly clear that we needed to also evacuate. We ended up seeking shelter at a friend's house in Brooklyn...
While in Brooklyn, J and I decided to make the most of her vacation. We visited the Brooklyn Museum, which was totally awesome (and free because of the storm). We also visited the Promenade where I snapped this picture...
This picture is the stark contrast of lower Manhattan in the dark and Brooklyn with all the lights on. J left that Friday, but not before we got a peek at the devastation while driving into New Jersey: fallen trees on cars, a little bit of flooding, and, not to mention, the longest line I've ever seen at a gas station. Our driver nearly crash into the center median trying to snap a pic of this enormous line!
After J left, I got a visit from another set of friends, the Domingo clan! They came in the Saturday after J left and the next day we went to a Giants game. It was unbelievably COLD!! But, nonetheless, an experience none of us would ever forget...
Here's a pic of me at the game...
Here's a pic of me and the peeps about to board the bus on our way to MetLife Stadium. Because of the storm, the subway trains, the main mode of transportation for most attendees, were inoperable... So, naturally, we ALL had to take the buses. The bitch part of this evening (besides the 30-degree, almost freezing temperature) was the lack of organization the bus system had when we needed to return to the City. We literally waited for more than 2 hours in the freezing cold to board a bus and get back home. That sucked major ballz!!
The Domingo clan was the luckiest of the peeps that visited because they just missed Sandy and barely missed the Nor'Easter. They left the Tuesday before the Nor-Easter hit, which was the next day, Wednesday 11/7/2012. My next set of friends weren't so lucky (somewhat).
Yet another set of friends came up for a visit, the KSG clan... (KSG was a law firm I externed at this past summer.) They came up that Tuesday evening, which just so happened to be Election Night! And we just so happened to be in Times Square when it all went down! This pic below is of the ticker announcing the election results. I managed to get Hawaii's results as it scrolled by!! Alooooooooooha!!
Here's Thao, Sarah, and I (rocking the geek look) in Times Square! Yes, it was very, very cold.
NOR'EASTER
The next day, the Nor'Easter was predicted to hit at around 6pm. While I was at my internship at the Brooklyn DA's, the storm actually came early at around 1pm. I got to see snow fall for the first time in my entire life and it was amazing! Out of the 2 storms, this was by far my favorite! (I also dressed rather appropriately that day because the wind was making the cold worse!)
I knew that the Nor'Easter was coming and was bringing the potential of snow. So, since then, I had my camera at the ready... I was snapping pictures everywhere I went. I couldn't seem to wipe off the enormous smile on my face. I played and walked in the snow, I threw a genuine snowball at a wall and it stuck, I was probably the only person actually enjoying the snow while everyone was totally over it!! HaHa!! I snapped this pic of this bike while I was getting out of the subway.
This is a pic of my street with all the cars covered with snow... It was amazing!
The next day, the peeps and I enjoyed a night out on the extremely cold town. The girls and I had dinner at Balthazar (yummy French food). Afterwards, we had drinks at a lounge, 1537, which was on Prince Street. Judging by the hangover I experienced the next day, it was a fun night (and not so fun morning)...
LOSS OF LOVE
"Every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction." And my loss of love is a testament to this quote. When I leave NYC, I will have gained a lot of experiences, but I will return home to Hawaii without Love...
Yes, I am purposefully being vague with this last part of the "3-shitty-weeks-in-a-row" bit. First week, Sandy. Second week, Nor'Easter. Third week, heartbreak. Out of all of the weeks, this third week has been the worst of all...
Love & Aloha Peeps... I cannot wait to come home finally!
