Red-tailed Hawk landing on nest, Bobst Library, NYU, New York City

Post-Hurricane Irene neighborhood walkabout – August 28, 2011

Well, it was the storm that never was. Manhattan came through just fine overall. There were strong winds and steady, light rain all night long but nothing as intense as the weather heads were predicting.But it’s just as well since it means people and property were safe. We didn’t lose power in Manhattan so luckily, we now have all this extra water and snacks to enjoy.

I woke up several times over the night to check the status of the hurricane online and from tv so I’ve been feeling stuck in an odd time warp circadian rhythm-wise all day. Watching the intense wind in the trees outside my apartment building during the night and early morning was exciting so I have to admit I am a little disappointed we didn’t have as big a storm as first suggested.

I walked around town as soon as I could post-sleep deprivation this morning. The transit system is still not operational. The Metropolitan Transit Authority is currently hard at work pumping random flooded stations and removing trees from outdoor tracks. There is no telling yet what kind of commute we’ll have Monday morning.

Local station’s entrance:

Just about every street and avenue was empty during my walk. Here is a photo of one example. This corner is usually full of traffic and pedestrians:

Cop busy catching up on current events:

There were several downed branches but no downed trees that I can report:

Sanitation vehicles at the ready:

This particular tree on Broadway (by NYU) was damaged and had to get cut down for safety’s sake:

One of Bobby’s favorite perches with newly-shredded flag:

Downed branches in Washington Square Park:

But thankfully, the red-tailed hawk nest fared well!

Damaged trees along 6th Avenue:

One squirrel was happy to acquire new real estate in Marble Cemetery:

A tree along the cemetery didn’t fare so well:


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