Do you remember what you were doing on August 14, 2003? I was working as a non-paid production assistant on a low, low budget movie that still has not been finished, and will likely never see the light of day. The whole production was a bit of a disaster, except for the part where I befriended a cute art director named Birmingham. Come to think of it, maybe that was a disaster, too. Whatever. The story I’m trying to tell here is that on August 14, 2003, we were shooting a scene at a hotel in midtown Manhattan. We had rented a room on the 11th floor and set up base camp in a meeting room downstairs. We’d already pissed off the hotel a few times, by being too loud, messy, and cheap, and they were getting mad that our equipment was spilling out of the meeting room and that we were plugging in a lot of electrical equipment. I had borrowed a steamer from the theatre where I used to work, and I had just brought it into base camp to give to our harried wardrobe head, who was still pissed that a pot of coffee had spilled on a rack of her clothes. Some people are so picky.
I gave her the steamer, she gave me a curt nod, plugged it in, and all the lights went out. As we searched for the fuse box, the hotel manager was in our faces, blaming us for knocking out power in the entire hotel. Five minutes we spent trying to calm him down, when one of the crew guys came in from smoking a cigarette and was like, “dude, power’s out on the whole block.” A couple of us who decided that this outage was not our fault wandered over to the sidewalk and started getting reports from people walking by that power was out in the whole neighborhood, the whole East Side, all of Midtown, all of New York City. After fifteen minutes of wishing we had a portable radio, we finally realized that our production cars were equipped with them, and we learned that the blackout spread across the entire Northeast. It probably wasn’t our steamer’s fault.
It turns out that it was the fault of a tree. Somewhere in Ohio or some other place that isn’t as important as New York City, an electrical charge leaped from a power line to a tree, and the whole grid died. At least, that’s the official line from the power people, who conveniently blame Nature, the enemy of the grid. Now that they’ve done that investigative research, they’ve decided that all trees near all power lines are to be cut down. You might not know this, but part of the Christmas Tree farm sits right under power lines. It all goes with the “do what feels good, screw safety, including plant trees under power lines” attitude that prevails on this crazy commune. Over the past few months, the power company has been coming over to the farm and they’ve been pulling out the trees in and around the lines. This is a picture I got in the late fall: (after the jump)
It’s kind of sad, all that dirt used to be Blue Spruces. For anyone who’s ever been even a part-time treehugger, seeing all those trees turned to dirt is slightly upsetting. I also wonder if I could have sold them over the holidays. And, yeah, the environment. Last night I came home, and the whole farm smelled like trees, meaning the power company was back to their cutting and mulching ways. There’s now a new swath of downed trees that were deemed too close to the power lines. It’s kind of sad, especially considering how much fun I had on the night of the blackout.
I lived in Washington Heights at the time, about 140 blocks north of the hotel. Since all the subways were closed, walking home seemed pretty unpleasant. I was able to get a hold of the Man of Action, and he invited me to his place on the West Side. The location manager (I didn’t like Birmingham in that way yet…) and I trekked over there, grabbing some beer along the way, because everyone wanted to drink it before it got warm. We met up with the Man of Action, and walked towards the river, openly drinking and carousing like everyone else in the city that night. We were even stopped by cops at one point who only wanted to tell us that they were jealous of us because they were on duty for many more hours, and everyone was behaving really well so they had nothing to do. The only food available that night was pizza because all the ovens are run off of gas heat. That didn’t stop them from doing some major price gouging, and I tried my best to enjoy my $5 slice for the novelty of it. We stayed up late, and the next morning walked back to the hotel to find that no one else from the crew was there, even though the lights were coming back on. We had a nice brunch at an Irish pub that got power early, the subways started running, and I went home to feed my cat right as the lights returned to Washington Heights.
I’m sorry that the trees have to die for this cause, but I bet it’s better than tearing them down to build McMansions, which is the fate of about the 80 acres in my backyard, which have been sold to developers..
Posted by nancypearlwannabe on March 7, 2008 at 9:24 am
I remember that day, only because my cousin called from midtown Manhattan where he was stuck in the sweltering subway for about six hours. When they finally got him out he had to walk back to Queens. Chris remembers it fondly as the day everyone left work early and drank beer on their porch.
Sorry about the disappearance of the Christmas trees. Maybe you could chain yourself to one that is particularly close to the power lines so they won’t cut it down? Just don’t get electrocuted. I need me some Daily Tannenbaum.
Posted by 3carnations on March 7, 2008 at 9:48 am
Sorry to hear about your view.
What’s your take on the (extreme) environmental group in Washington who supposedly burned the McMansions because they weren’t environmentally friendly enough? Isn’t that kind of hypocritical? Imagine all the wood burned, as well as fumes created…
Posted by Laurel on March 7, 2008 at 10:19 am
I remember that day well. I had just moved to NYC and my roommate and I had only 2 tea light candles in our apartment. I didn’t know her very well, but by the end of a night of sacrificial eating of melting popsicles, we were bonded for life!
I feel sorry for the poor trees, but… that blackout was a mess.
Posted by stefanie on March 7, 2008 at 10:43 am
That was four and a half years ago already? Man, time flies.
I wonder how major the power lines need to be to warrant cutting down the trees under them. My neighborhood is full of very old, tall trees, and obviously power lines run right over them. I’m guessing basic lines to residential homes don’t require that same level of caution, thankfully.
Posted by lizgwiz on March 7, 2008 at 10:50 am
Don’t even get me thinking about trees and power lines. We’re still having PTSD around here from our big ice storm. And then I’ll start remembering what a mess they made when they buried the power lines in my neighborhood a while back.
Maybe I need a solar panel on my roof.
Posted by Allie on March 7, 2008 at 11:05 am
The husband and I fired up the grill that night and watched the stars right from our back yard. Most nights when we go outside it’s just orange light pollution haze. I remember lying on my back on the patio and seeing more stars than I’ve ever seen and feeling very small, but in a good way.
I’m sorry to hear about the trees. That’s sad.
Posted by apollocreed on March 7, 2008 at 11:19 am
the notion that electricity can “leap” freaks me out.
Posted by mickey on March 7, 2008 at 11:49 am
A jump, huh? Gettin’all crazy on us.
Don’t you think they should just have a mandatory blackout maybe once a week? Sounds cool. Sundays are good for me.
Posted by courtney on March 7, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Cool story. It’s weird how weather events can bond people together in a way.
Posted by erikka on March 7, 2008 at 12:46 pm
on August 14, 2003 I was working on an organic farm in Wilton NH. my friend, the other farm apprentice, and I were big into our treehugging ways, so much so that we broke the law and removed surveying tape and or equipment from a certain section of land that was on the way from our house to the fields. Did you even know that messing with survey stuff is illegal? I didn’t until after that summer.
First it was just untying orange ribbons from trees. The ribbons reappeared the next day after untying, and this kept up for about three days or so. Next it was burying signs and markers they’d put up, which lasted for another three or so days. Then they started in with spray paint and we were stumped (not funny, but very punny) on how to save this little plot from development.
We both left the farm that October. I went back that winter to show my then boyfriend my old digs. On the way down the road to the fields, we passed a huge gouge in the trees, the outline of a house frame over a cement foundation just visible in the early evening light. Was it worth our efforts that summer or are possible arrest if we’d lost in the end? I’m not sure, but I can say it felt worth it at the time…
Now, five years or so later, I see the city people out and about cutting and trimming trees back from power lines throughout the warmer months. They have these huge mechanical wood chippers that they feed whole tree trunks into, the bole disappearing into a pile of chips faster than the time it takes to watch a commercial break. When I see this, I feel like I’m watching some horrendous act of cruelty…right out in the open…and I’m the only one who notices. And there’s always the lingering smell of sap, its last spurt of life hanging in the air…before all that was the tree is gone.
wow, ramble. your post caught me in a reflective mood.
Posted by erikka on March 7, 2008 at 12:48 pm
ps. so embarassed when I miss spelling or grammar mistakes!!! are = our
Posted by freeandflawed on March 7, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I tried and tried to remember where I was on August 14, 2003, but I just can’t. I know that I was in Chicago getting ready to move away for college. That’s it. My memory is selective.
I think I would have kicked the hotel manager if he was all fiesty and in my face for a blackout that wasn’t my fault. Yep, definitely would have kicked him.
Posted by Lara on March 7, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I do not remember that day, but since my birthday is August 13, I suspect my activities involved being hung over.
Anyway. It does break my heart about the trees. In Colorado where my sister lives, all of this one kind of tree are being killed by some crazy bug. Man, I sound ignorant, but she told me about it a year ago or so and I can’t remember the details. It’s apparently something completely natural, not caused by humans, but it’s heartbreaking to drive through the mountains and see so many dying trees.
Also, I often get an urge to hug this one tree in a park near my house. So far, my self-consciousness has stopped me from doing it, but one of these days…
Posted by Peter on March 7, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Thanks for sharing that story about the trees. Trees are good for the environment. It is a shame that folks want to move into homes without a tree in sight because they don’t want to rake leaves in the fall.
Posted by Carrie on March 7, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I remember that; originally it was blamed on Canada. OH Canada; we have LESS people than you guys and consume LESS energy, but damned does it take a LOT of electricity to fight those damn polar bears and eskimos.
Anyhoo; totally hear you on the NYC need for … everything. Man, that city is SO great if it ever stopped I’d think the world was coming to an end.
Posted by elizabeth on March 7, 2008 at 6:13 pm
My memory of that day is that when it was obvious the electricity wasn’t coming back on for a long time, the owner of the cafe next to where I worked decided to close the restaurant for the evening, and he brought over tons of food for us, that otherwise would have to have been thrown out.
My only regret is that at that time they didn’t serve the best gelato this side of Rome, (they only put this on the menu a year ago.) I could have gone home with gallons of gelato, which of course, I would have had to devour before it all melted!
Maybe next blackout………
Posted by rdl on March 7, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I can’t remember what i was doing last month!
Posted by cdp on March 7, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Great story about the black-out and I love the tie-in with the trees.
I had forgotten all about that massive blackout!
Posted by Molly on March 7, 2008 at 9:26 pm
This was a great re-telling of the blackout. And I just read your About and I grew up in the Hudson Valley. Cool to read about someone who lives there now!
Posted by kir on March 7, 2008 at 11:23 pm
pro: got to leave work early!
con: it took foreverto drive home (no street lights).
then pro: I was one of the individuals drinking on nancypearlwannabe’s boyfriend’s porch. and because i lived around the corner, i had to “feel” my way home.
Posted by Sarah on March 8, 2008 at 12:14 am
That piece of land looks kind of like a crop circle now. If you get really sad about the trees, you should make up some alien-related conspiracy theories to cheer yourself up
Posted by Musing on March 8, 2008 at 7:48 am
Hi, new reader here.
That’s sad about the trees. It would be nice if they planted new ones somewhere else to make up for the loss.
Posted by mike golch on March 8, 2008 at 5:33 pm
as far as the electrical shut down,there are several fingers to point in Ohio.the biggest one to point at is First Energy They are the real culprits by cutting back on employees and not careing about the problems that were caused by their actions.since the cutbacks there were less crews to do the routine maintence that is needed,like tree trimming.To keep trees from growing too close to the powerline.Not to mention the grid shutdown could have been contained if there were staffing levels high enough to isolate the problem.
Posted by Gregory on March 8, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I was in NYC that day. When the power went out, I was in the Marriott Marquis on Times Square. The Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) was holding our annual conference there.
My boss and I walked all over the city and took part in NYC’s biggest block party. We drank openly in the streets and bought food from vendors/restaurants going from good to bad. Negotiations.
We got a BIG BUZZ on and headed back to the hotel. Only…wait. Why are people lying on the ground all around the hotel entrance? WTF?? What do you mean we can’t get back in the hotel?? The hotel was evacuated??
MORE DRINKS!!
We came back a few hours later to find the same people sleeping on the street. Ugh.
We were homeless in NYC for 24 hours. We slept on the hard concrete under some tables of a sidewalk cafe. Unbelievable.
Posted by Michelle on March 10, 2008 at 3:56 pm
The power company came and eliminated the blackberry bushes which surround our property just before the snow fell in November.
I’m not sure who’s going to miss the bushes more: me or the bears who rely on them for food.
Posted by Kelli on March 11, 2008 at 11:22 am
I was flying down to Atlanta to visit my Mom.
I remember, once the plane had landed someone saying “there’s no power in NYC” and thinking to myself – hmm. A lot of babies are gonna get made tonight…