When the lights go out...

 In the late afternoon of Aug. 14, the lights went out on Broadway. Members of the television, radio and print media reported from New York, Detroit, Toronto and other major cities in 11 states and Canada that they were affected by what is being called the "worst blackout in U.S. history."

 In the weeks since, everyone has been asking the question, "Where were you during the Blackout of 2003?"   For many of New York City's residents, the response to that question brings up remembrances of impromptu gatherings with friends; with nowhere to go, many New Yorkers--including many Duke students interning in the city--embraced the free time creatively. "The atmosphere was actually really festive," Margaret Lauerman, Trinity '02, wrote in an e-mail. "We just threw a party on the roof instead of going out, and we hung out there talking by candlelight."  

 With no easy way to get home and the calming knowledge that terrorism was not involved, the blackout was a refreshing excuse for a snow-day in summer and a huge street party all over Manhattan. Kate Runde, a senior interning at Random House for the summer, was at first scared when all the computers in her office shut off at the same time. "I thought it was like the pinch from the movie Ocean's Eleven," she said.

 Runde later walked 60 blocks to a co-worker's apartment in upper Manhattan, passing people coming out of manholes from trapped subways, swarming hot dog stands and bars selling one dollar drafts along the way. "We bought a bottle of wine and sat out on the terrace with the neighbors. There's nothing else to really do but sit by candlelight and enjoy the stars--I could see the constellations--I've never seen it like that [in New York City]," she added.

 With everyone in the streets trying to cool off, rumors passed along the streets about the cause of the sudden loss of power. "There's no power in California either!" exclaimed one woman. "It's the whole eastern seaboard! It was Canada's fault!" said another. Cars stuck in traffic rolled down their windows and turned up their radios so people on the streets could hear the news updates.

 Telephone circuits were jammed with people trying to use their cellphones to reach friends and family.

 Suzanne Leib, Trinity '03, said the blackout reminded her of her freshman year at Duke when classes were cancelled because of a hurricane which never came.

 "When the power [in New York City] went out and no one knew why or how or who, it took about two seconds to realize that you are on an island, in arguably the most targeted city in the country--and probably the world--and are fairly helpless if you are being attacked," Lieb wrote in an e-mail.  

 As the rest of the world watched the darkening skyline, thousands of people in the city that never sleeps were, for once, disconnected. Some got trapped in dark subways, some had to walk home, others waited three hours for ferries to New Jersey while still others opted to sleep on the streets of Times Square--but, people made the best of it.