On Sunday, October 28, 2012, New York City was shutting down the entire subway system at 7 p.m., 469 stations, normally in operation 24 hours a day. Parks would be off limits after 5 p.m., all in anticipation of the event that we now know as Superstorm Hurricane Sandy. It all seemed so extreme. Nothing closes the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps.
Half an hour before closing that day, the park was close to deserted, except for a few people, including actress Meg Ryan walking through with a friend – funny as she is famous for a scene in “When Harry Met Sally” where she drops Billy Crystal off alongside the Arch. It was a rare chance to have the space almost all to myself. I photographed the impending closure and emptiness in photos, some included above.
Hurricane Sandy ‘hit’ our city through the night Monday, October 29th into Tuesday, October 30th. Afterwards in Greenwich Village, there was no electricity: the street lights were out and areas near the Hudson River flooded.
Related:
Ten Years Ago, Occupy Sandy Didn’t Just Help New Yorkers, It Redefined Disaster Response via The City
Hurricane Sandy Pigeon Takes Refuge in a Brooklyn Subway Station Before the Storm via Cathryn’s World (A piece by Cathryn with history of Hurricane Sandy and Washington Square Park pre-storm, excerpt above from the piece.)
Photos:
#1-3: Cathryn
#4: Scotty Ely
#5: T Leverett
#6-12: Cathryn