What do my neighbors do now with all those soggy, heavy sandbags?

The Sanitation Dept. went around Saturday and turned the trashcans over. They had no place to store them and figured this trick would 1) keep people from using them, so there wouldn't be blowing garbage everywhere; and 2) leave them resting on their wide mouths rather than their smaller-diameter bottoms. They're heavy steel cans but even so, I was skeptical. But here in Manhattan, anyway, it seems to have worked. Little blowing garbage, few rolling trash cans. Then late yesterday and early today, they turned them back over. Clever.

Saw a homeless guy in the park today feeding the birds, all of them looking equally bedraggled.

Crews were out yesterday afternoon cutting fallen trees and limbs enough to drag them out of the streets, and are going back today to pick them up and dispose of them. A better system than cleaning one block completely and not getting to the next.

Subways and buses are pretty much up and running. I have to give props to Mayor Bloomberg, with whom I have disagreements, and also to NJ Governor Chris Christie, who I think is kind of an ass. Both handled the situation smartly and straighforwardly, as far as I can see.

I have more thougths and more photos, and will share them with you later, but really, I have to go write a book now.

And watch this blog for news this afternoon!