September 8, 2011
Okay, I’ve been a little behind on my blogging here, but there’s been good reason. Work has been absolutely nuts, I had to work late Tuesday and then double back and be in by ten in the morning Wednesday and the whole thing started snowballing Monday night. Monday night was Labor Day and I had the night off from work. For that night’s post, I was going to walk to 14th Street and see if I could get six people to pose for a photo and do my “Six Pack” feature. But as I was getting ready to go, what sounded like a bomb went off and it shook the building I live in. It scared the living shit out of me and about three minutes later I heard another blast go off. Then within a couple of minutes I heard sirens wailing outside. I didn’t really want to go out, I was scared of what was waiting, but I walked down the stairs and looked out my front door. When I looked outside I felt sick.
Firetrucks lined the streets, there was smoke in the air and throngs of people were spilling out on to the sidewalk. I could see flames a few feet away in the street. All I could think was that this was September 11th part two. I asked a couple people what was going on and no one knew. Instinctively I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures. I remember thinking, “If a smart bomb went off on my block, this will be one hell of a blog. I hope I live to see all the comments!”
And so, the rest of the evening is documented in the pictures below. To quote Alice Cooper, “Welcome to my nightmare!”
This was the view from my stoop. A little unsettling to look out and see this unfolding right in front of my building.
By now a lot of people are out here and no one is sure of what's going on. I can see a fire a little ways down and every now and again you hear a blast go off.
I just heard someone say a transformer blew up and it was under a car, hence the loud explosion noises.
It's smoky out here and a little nerve-rattling. A little too close to September 11th for this to be going on.
Water from this hydrant is spilling out into the street.
I went up to the firemen and asked if it was safe to be here. The one on the left said it was, but added, "If I were you, I'd get away from this for awhile." I thought that was a good suggestion.
And so off I went from my smoky block...
Out into the night.
And I ended up in front of one of the bars I hit last year on my bar crawl, Bunga's Den.
And there's a familiar face behind the bar, friendly bartender, Mark. Mark was a semi-regular on the bar crawl last year, not only was he on the Bunga's Den post, he was also featured here and here. Mark works every Monday in here, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and have a drink and say hi.
The bar hasn't changed much from last year.
There's the lit up bottles behind the bar.
Alana was seated next to me and is a flight attendant who lives in New Mexico and is in town seeing friends. We had a nice chat with topics ranging from porn stars on planes, to Joey Buttafuoco to Mexican food.
After a few beers I walked back to my block to see what was happening.
Oh shit, it looks like it's been roped off.
A cop just told me I can't come back on the block, even though I live there. He said it would be opened up again in about an hour, Con Ed is working on the scene.
The cops are turning a blind eye on people drinking beer on the sidewalk until they can go home. I thought about joining them, but didn't really feel like standing and it still stunk of smoke there.
So it's back to the bar I go...
And Mark has a cold beer waiting for me. What a guy!
Okay, now it's closing in on midnight and the block is open. There's trucks and crews working and I see lights, so maybe we didn't lose any power. That would be great!
Fuck, the building is black. No power. I went in and it's hot and smells like smoke.
Oh well, at least I'm not the schmuck who parked over the transformer that blew up. I think this baby's totaled.
And of course people are taking pictures of it. It was probably all over facebook minutes later.
Three words came to mind while standing in my dark, unpowered hot apartment. Washington Square Hotel! It's Biff's hotel of choice when she comes to town, so I know it's nice...where the fuck has Biff been lately anyway? Biff? Biff...Bueller...Bueller...Bueller...
I'm really tired by now and just want to crash.
And here we are, room 907. The end of the night is finally near.
Aaaahhhhhh!
Further reading and watching: Con Edison, Huffington Post and YouTube.
You Might Also Like: Red Foxx, Cyrinda Foxe and Foxy Lady.
Four Things That Blowed Up Real Good! 
Neil Sedaka
Strollin' on,
'Cos it's all gone,
The reason why.
You made me cry.
(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)
-----------------------------
Bonus Linkage From Crazy Eddie and Mike Trent!
Crazy Eddie sent in this link which shows some criminal activity from a certain friend of our here at MAD. Check it out here: LA Times.
And Mike Trent saw a similar item here: San Diego Charter.
Thanks for the links, guys, I have to go bail out Gumby now. It never ends!
37 Comments
Reader Comments (37)
Wow ... what a day ... at least it's over !
Gumby. Bad Gumby. At lease Cardboard Box Man is a law abiding citizen !
Holy shitballs!!! Glad it wasn't YOUR building...hope nobody got hurt! Bunga's looks real nice...
Well, pleasant dreams or maybe you should have another, guzzle guzzle...
@GENE: Who knew that Gumby had it in him! UFB!
@Aaron: Thanks, amazingly no one was hurt. If somebody would've been standing near the transformer it would've been curtains!
@Mykola Mick Dementiuk: I like the guzzling idea!
Hot and smokey is great for bbq ... for apartments; not so much. Hope everything is back to normal (or whatever passes for normal at Casa de Marty)
I remember loving the Washington Square sign the last time that I passed it -- it's such an awful font and the lettering is unevenly spaced ... but I dig it.
So much excitement on your block. No power sucks doesn't it? That video with Neil Sedaka was too funny. You know, I happen to really like Sedaka, a great talent, a one man hit record machine in the sixties and a true New Yorker,,,having grown up in Brighton Beach,,,,right near Surf Ave. I know people think he's a little light in the loafers but I don't care, I still think he's great. Gumby robbing a 7 eleven,,,what is this world coming to.
@roadsidewonders: Thanks all is back to normal at Chez Marty, I'm happy to report! I love that sign too!
@Al: The worst thing about no power is constantly flicking light switches on that don't work! I hear you about Neil Sedaka, he wrote a lot of hits. Elton John helped with his comeback in the '70's. He blowed up real good!
Cheer up Marty, It could have been so much worse....
http://youtu.be/jbUk3eLEKRs
Yikes! Glad you're ok...and I will also be glad once this Sunday has come and gone...
Several years ago, a manhole exploded outside my place on W 26th. Flames shot out of the hole about about 5 feet and, when FDNY finally got there, they parked the truck right on top of the fire! After an agonizing few minutes as we (gawkers) waited for the truck to explode, the driver finally backed up the truck, got out, and casually walked over to the side of the street where he picked up a trash can, walked back and stuck it in the hole. Then, they just drove away!
@Jaws: Ha, true! Thanks for the linkage!
@Goggla: Yeah, I'm dreading this Sunday, I'm not turning the TV on at all. That's wild that the FDNY just drove away from it! There's been a few manhole fires in the city this week, I wonder what's causing it?
HOLY SHIT MARTY. HOLY SHIT.
I would have gotten the hell out of there too. I would have been terrified.
The photo of that melted car is CRAZY.
Glad you were able to check into a hotel instead of staying in your hot, dark, smokey apartment.
Marty, where was Gumby through all of this? He was sighted here: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0908/Gumby-tries-to-rob-convenience-store-wardrobe-malfunctions-video Say it ain't so:)
What a crazy motherfucking town you live in, Wombo!
Absolutley nuts. I've been working the early morning shift so I haven't been stopping by but I'm glad I did this morning!
Crazy, I tell ya.
You should feel lucky that you have so many bars in your area that you can escape to in such a situation.
Losing power is annoying enough - the explosion would have freaked me out too. At least you only had your beer in your fridge. When we lost power with Irene all I could think about was our freezer full of meat melting and being ruined. Luckily that didn't happen!
@Meleah: I'm a nervous person anyway, so it would've freaked me out at anytime, but being so close to Sept. 11th, it really scared me! Like Goggla said, I can't wait for Sunday to be over with!
@Mike Hunt: I'm afraid Gumby's been placed in the witness protection plan! We may never see him again!
@Clacky: I hear you about the bars in New York! That's where I spent most of Sept. 11th, ten years ago.
@Britta: It was two explosions, first the transformer and then the car. Craziness! Hopefully all will be well when you and Tom arrive!
Glad you found a welcome bar & a place to sleep.
Gumby!! So much for that innocent expression - he's just a little hoodlum after all.
Yes, there's always something crazy going on here, & for someone living in a wooden rowhouse, there've been far too many fires on this block for comfort !!
MFer...boy that stuff would more than mess up my day...glad you and gumby are still around...'cept maybe gubhy's run to the darkside (how did he/she get away from your guidance?)....great recap of all that hs been
comin' down on you and around you...where is Biff!...
oh well...damn a little off topic...a NIGHTCAP coulda been "smokestack lightning" (the best by chester burnett...aka howlin' wolf but done by many others inc. the yardbirds)...w/ all the smoke and all...
“I could announce one morning that the world was going to blow up in three hours and people would be calling in about my hair!”
~Katie Couric
rr
sorry proofreader on vacation...
rr
damn...it sucks gettin' old!...forgot to say thanks for the "extra" links and the "bidet" comment ruined another keyboard...
rr
You won't find it in Wikipedia, but "One Night In Bangkok" was written by Cardboard Box Man.
The song is about how CBM stages a very elaborate set of circumstances to lure his male object of desire to a predetermined hotel room. The original song contains verses where the lyrics are to perverse for me to cite even here. If you see something, say something people.
what the FUCK SONG is csp referin' to?....
rr
@onemorefoldedsunset: There's been three or four manhole explosions this week, I'm nervous just walking by one!
@rr: I'm afraid I've been a bad influence on Gumby! And where the fuck is Bifferoonie, indeed! I need to call her. Great quote and it's true! Glad you got a kick out of the bidet comment over at EV Grieve!
@csp: No wonder my ass was sore in the morning, I'm calling the cops!
@rr: I think it's a rap song.
ya know i sorta thought "cocksucker blues" was way beyond what CBM could bring forth....
rr
Mark looks like a very serious man. A true bartender. Not a “mixologist". A vanishing breed. Cherish him.
yeah...remember when...i hung out at a roadhouse just outside "the heart of dixie"...
rr
@rr: This is Swedish and evil.
@MAD: Not rap, just crap.
I hope we can make it there! There is so much flooding out here that roads and trains are shut down. We are still planning on it though! I will let you know by tomorrow afternoon.
@rr: I had a bootleg of Cocksucker Blues a long time ago.
@Crazy Eddie: Mark's a great bartender indeed!
@csp: Holy shit, now I remember that song, pure crap is being kind!
@Britta: I hope you guys can make it, let me know and be thinking about where you want to go for a cheeseburger.
Everything has been said, but glad you're ok and hopefully that was the most excitement you'll see through the weekend. Keep my sister safe!
Not that it really matters, but I liked "Blow Up" better then "Blow Out". The ambient soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission. Viva Italia, erm, in the UK.
Hey Marty,
if you ever find yourself in a similar predicament, you're always welcome to crash on my couch. Nothing fancy, the only thing lush about the place are the occupants. My lovely room-mate Aileen and I not infrequently host someone who went one sip over the line, sweet Jesus. I can always get an emergency supply of tall boys and Zywiec Porter (9.5% alc. by volume) in about 5 mins. (round trip).
You should be proud of yourself for how you handled this adversity.
Sip Ahoy
@csp: That was always my LEAST favorite song on the "Chess" recording. And of course, it got played on the radio ALL THE GODDAMNED TIME. Oh well, at least it answered the question, "What are those guys from ABBA doing?" at the time.
@Kari: Thanks and I'll try and watch out for Britta and Tom!
@Uncle Waltie: Thanks so much! And Sip Ahoy, my friend!
@Aaron: I agree!
Geesh! That's some scary shit, Marty! Glad you got out and found a good place to unwind. Sorry I've been out of commish for the past week. Went to the OBX and found myself (happily) without internet connection. Also, I got a tan, which never happens and so I'm taking it as a sign that I will win the lottery soon. And as soon as that happens, I'm coming back to the City and staying at my favorite place, WSH. In the meantime, tell that big naked lady behind the bar that I said hello.
Forgot to mention - I've never seen anyone take a picture with an iPad. Seems a little bulky. In a totally slim, flashy, and fashionable way, of course.
@Biff: I'm looking forward to the return visit. I'll take a photo of you with my iPad. Oh, wait, I don't have an iPad. Nevermind.