Irene downgraded

No one expected the extent of Irene's fury, but neither did anyone think she was just going to whizz by.

All week long, NY was glued to the weather channel as Irene made her way from the south, leaving a massive trail of destruction from the Bahamas, North Carolina, Virginia to name a few. In an unprecedented move, Bloomberg decided for the first time in the history of NYC, to shut down the MTA and ordered mandatory evacuations for those living in low-lying areas. By Saturday morning, some who heeded his advise moved upstate while others crashed with friends or family. MTA closed from noon and within a few hours, Manhattan was a ghost town.

Literally.

I've never seen a city this desolate. The feeling in the air was akin to a pre-war zone, like the movies. Shops unidentified because they were boarded up. Sandbags prevented doors from swinging. Empty cabs looking for passengers. Not a single soul in sight. It was eerie.

We stayed in all of Saturday & Sunday and did nothing but watch American Ninja Warrior all weekend. I was going stir crazy but at least it forced us to do absolutely nothing. For those of us who didn't own a box, there was online shopping.

There was heavy rain, gusty winds & a few fallen trees where we were but Irene was really nothing more than a tropical storm. In the end, I'm happy to report NY narrowly escaped the fury of Irene.

My heart goes out to those in New Jersey, upstate NY and Vermont who weren't so lucky. I hope things go back to normal for you soon xoxo