|
Home > What's New > The Day the City Went Black
The Day the City Went Black
Posted: Tuesday, September 02, 2003
By Michael S. Marsh What were you doing during the great Blackout of 2003?
It's a question that most of the 50 million people affected surely had to answer at least once or twice in the days following the outage. Here in New York City, we also had to play the game, though most times it seemed like you didn't even have to ask. Everybody had a story to tell, and like typical New Yorkers, they were going to tell you about it, whether you wanted to listen or not.
It was the third blackout in New York City's long history, the previous two coming in 1965 and 1977. If you were around during the blackout of 1965, maybe you were between the sheets, sharing the darkness with a lover, and nine months later, like a significant number of your neighbors, you celebrated the birth of your "Blackout Baby." If you endured the blackout of 1977, it's possible you were running riot on the streets, burning, looting and waiting for the power to return so you could try out the new electronics you purchased with the five-fingered discount.
During the blackout on August 14, 2003, the turn of events in the Big Apple, as those who experienced the prior blackouts tell me, was different. Of course, there were isolated reports of unrest, and I'm sure a few folks lit mood candles and had a roll in the hay, but on the whole, many in the entire five boroughs were doing one thing -- having a party.
That's how my blackout story goes, anyway. I left the office shortly after the lights went out at my desk, making sure to grab a cigar before I left. Like everybody else, I was unaware of the extent of the power outage, so I took a stroll to McCormack's, a favorite local public house that, in the pre-smoking-ban era, used to double as a great place to smoke a cigar. When I got there, candles were already lit, cool air from the air conditioner lingered, and the mass exodus up Third Avenue had begun.
I settled in for some frosties and, as news of the power outage began to spread, I started to realize the full extent of the blackout. Even so, everyone was in great spirits. Maybe some of it was that everybody got out of work early, but I think it was definitely more than that. The drinks were flowing, the conversation was light and lively, and everybody was friends with everybody else. New York City, as it had done in the aftermath of September 11, was standing together in the face of adversity -- united, strong and ready to overcome.
At this point, I overheard a gentleman beside me opining on the same topic. He was saying how united New Yorkers were, how September 11 had changed how people react in time of crisis, and how, when the cards are stacked against us, we rise to the occasion. While the blackout was certainly a crisis, someone countered, it was a lot different than September 11. No doubt about that, the first speaker agreed. This is more like a party. And if you give New Yorkers an excuse to party, they're going to do just that.
And just like that, the party had started. Patrons spilled into the street, glasses clinked, and I lit up a cigar. Then I thought, I'm not going to be that guy. You know whom I'm talking about -- the guy who doesn't bring anything to the party. It was then that I went into stealth mode.
I polished off my beer and bee-lined it for the Cigar Aficionado offices. When I got there, I borrowed a flashlight from the front desk and ascended the pitch-black stairwell to the eighth floor. Once I got inside, it took me no time to find what I was looking for -- the TailGator.
You've never heard of the TailGator? Imagine your blender managed to crawl into your garage and copulate with your weed whacker. The offspring would be the TailGator, a gas-powered blender that I had recently reviewed for the Good Life Guide in Cigar Aficionado. The TailGator was part of an article featuring items you need for the Ultimate Tailgate Party. (See the October issue for more details, on sale soon.) But, as I was soon to find out, it could have been featured in an article on items for the Ultimate Blackout Party.
I returned to McCormack's with the TailGator all gassed up and ready to go. I set up outside the bar and, as the crowd gathered with curiosity, I had the barkeep fill the pitcher with precious ice, Tequila and Margarita mix. The TailGator was center stage, but trouble arose when I couldn't get the thing started. The nervous sweats began. I pulled the rip cord a few times, worked the choke, when just like that, the TailGator kicked in with a sputter. A few seconds later the engine was roaring and the crowd erupted.
In no time, we had an ice-cold pitcher of Margaritas and we were filling up glasses for anyone who wanted some. We made a few more pitchers after that and it turned out to be a perfect way to ward off the heat. It was a better way to help us forget that in a few hours, the sun would go down, and the entire city would fade to black. More importantly, the TailGator added some life to the party. It brought a few laughs and I like to think it helped at least a few people deal with the blackout. All I know is that after two or three Margaritas, The TailGator was helping me.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. What's that? The moral of the story? Easy. If you're going to get caught in a blackout, make sure you have a gas-powered blender at the ready.
Oh yeah, and I hear they work great at tailgate parties, too.
Also in Cigar News:
|
Cigar Aficionado RSS Feed