My beautiful new wife and I had wonderful reservations in New York City for a romantic weekend retreat, followed by a two-day business conference. As we were training up from DC early Saturday afternoon, the conference was cancelled. We decided, however, to press on, thinking that a few days of chillaxing with room service and nice evening outings would withstand whatever nature could throw by way of “Frankenstorm” at Manhattan Island.

FAIL. What we did not figure was that our tremendous four-room 34th floor suite overlooking Central Park would be 1/2 block east and about 45 stories down from the dangling construction crane that collapsed Monday afternoon. So six hours later — at the height of the wind — NYFD ordered the evacuation of our hotel. We spent several hours trying to descend as everyone was using the elevators simultaneously, but somehow managed to score a room at another hotel four blocks (and a $40 limo ride) away.

Several things struck me during this odyssey. First, social media produced a deluge of well-wishes and offers from old friends for shelter, assistance and the like. I love you all. Second, that limo ride epitomized the large hearts of human beings. My wife and I were hauling luggage across deserted NYC streets. with rain flying sideways in winds of 50+ mph. When the limo pulled over, we jumped in and asked, only on arrival, what we owed. The answer —”whatever you think is fair” — was both humane and ingenious. I don’t know the driver’s name, but he is a true mensch.

Lastly, when the mass transit, theaters, restaurants, bars, shops and tourist attractions in NYC are all closed, New York — the “city that never sleeps” — is incredibly boring. The Carnegie Deli was open on Monday for early brunch, but of course the “doggie bags” were lost in our evacuation. Somewhere in the fancy Parker Méridien hotel is a bag containing 1/2 of an unfinished “Woody Allen” (half pastrami, half corned beef) sandwich and a large strawberry New York cheesecake. I hope the staff enjoyed our leftovers!

BTW, we finally decided on Wednesday morning to try return options other than Amtrak or the airlines, which were just coming back online but were sold out through Thursday evening. A bit over $50 for an Avis rental (with a rather large taxi fare to Newark airport), we returned safely to our metro DC home an hour or so ago.

For my (few) loyal readers, please do not view this as crankiness. I am profoundly thankful to have survived with just a bit of inconvenience while millions remain without power and thousands have lost their homes, livelihoods and, in about 60 cases, lives. Don’t fool with Mother Nature, even in New York City.

Glenn @ Le Parker Méridien New York.
 

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Otis Redding will have to change the title of his signature tune to the “House of the Rising Flood.” New Orleans Faces New Threat from Breaches in Levees. After hurricane Katrina, 80% of New Orleans is under water, some by as much as 20 feet. Basically, the entire city is flooded, and until the dikes are rebuilt the work of pumping the water out cannot even start.

This is a disaster of the first order. The scope is just unbelievable. But the sad part, really, is that it is a man-made disaster. That’s because for 300 years New Orleans — like most of Holland — lies below sea level, and has been protected by an intricate series of levees holding the ocean and Lake Ponchetrain away. That, in turn, means that the Mississippi River can no longer flood into the delta and deposit sediments and nutrients. So over the years, New Orleans is also sinking further down as the old alluivial sedimentation compacts.

As Mike Tidwell explained Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast —

A variety of ecological factors have contributed to the subsidence of the Mississippi Delta. With good intentions to stop deadly floods, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed a vast network of levees and dams along the river, preventing the annual devastating floods of the past. Unfortunately, this also ended the yearly buildup of silt, necessary for the reinforcement and continued existence of the fragile marshlands in the low country. The nutrient-rich, but light, sandy soil cannot withstand the ceaseless eroding forces of ocean tide and winds. The author’s descriptive powers, especially of people, provide the reader with enduring snapshots of a water-bound way of life that is sinking into history.

Civilzation did not make the hurricane. But it is the urbanization and engineered river flow that allowed New Orleans to exist in the first place that has produced its current devastation.

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Once upon a time — in a world far, far away — a “snow day” meant there was too much snow on the ground to make kids trudge through a blizzard. Now, it apparently means that there’s snow predicted for later, because this morning all schools in the Washington, DC-area were canceled even though there’s no snow on the ground and none falling from the sky. As my son celebrated at 6:00 a.m. today, it’s a “prospective snow day.” That’s the reason some folks call this place “Washington, The Nation’s Weather Wimp.”

Update: It’s now 2:00 p.m., snow showers are falling but because the temp. is 34F, nothing is sticking to the ground. Once again, much ado about nothing.

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You’ve gotta love how those who live in sunny (or at least relatively warm) climates treat a snowstorm. It’s always the “worst of the century” and a “devastating” weather event. Airports and Highways Snarled as Blizzard Pounds Northeast [SeattleTimes.com].

But the reality is that two feet of snow — which is what Boston experienced over the weekend — is hardly a lot compared with snowfall from the 19th and 20th centuries, including as recently as 1978. And airport closures have nothing to do with how bad a storm is, only that clearing snow always takes a while.

So for those who get out their worry beads when the white flakes start to fall back East, don’t worry. It’s just snow.

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Hurricane Isabel moved inland this evening. Despite dire predictions and massive closings, including the entire federal government in Washington, DC, once again this storm has proved that the weather wonks are Chicken Littles. A “catgeory 5″ this ain’t, that’s for sure. A little wind — 30 mph here in Northern Virginia — and a bit of rain, but hardly anything to get worked up about. Of course, I am writing this on a battery-powered laptop, as the electricity is out. Just a wee touch of adventure in an otherwise very forgettable hurricane.

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Yes, it’s hot in Europe, more than 30C (that’s 86F here in the US), with forest fires blazing. Europe Swelters And Suffers [cbsnews.com]. But that is nothing compared with what we in the “New World” routinely suffer through in the summer, and we’ve got the best (or worst, depending on perspective) wildfires on the planet. One difference is that those EU’ers apparently don’t believe in air conditioning — and they don’t have shopping malls for teenagers to hang out in — so inside is even hotter than outside.

Vive la difference!

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I live in the Washington, DC area, and today marks an important anniversary. It has been one month since there was a sunny day here. On a Clear Day . . . [washingtonpost.com] So this is what it feels like to live in Seattle? No wonder they invented Starbucks.

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