Photo by Dan GuarinoHappy New Year, Broad Channel!
May she be far, far better to all of us then the ones we have just come through.
Of all the Broad Channel Bits columns, this is the one people most often mention, quote from and always ask, “When is it running again?”
So, here it is, nearly exactly as it appeared on February 1st, 2013. My little gift to you, along with the wish for all the best for you and yours in this new year, 2014!
“First it was freezing in the teens last week - bad enough if you have no heat or no insulation yet or no first floor. Then it was snowing. Nobody wanted that. As snow was falling, forecasts were for mid-50’s by mid-week.
Then a “Rockaways-Hurricane Sandy News” e-mail update reported “a water main leak in Broad Channel, where oil and sand (is) mix(ing) with sewage.”
Crews doing major digging on the Boulevard backed up traffic all the way through the Channel. Work seemed to be finished by the weekend, but then there were two car accidents on Saturday morning!
Photo by Dan GuarinoStill, all this is enough to make you reach for that old ‘times of trouble’ standby. Yes, a sense of humor.
And you can’t say people in Broad Channel and the Rockaways don’t have a sense of humor.
It has not been a barrel of laughs, but the following is gathered from conversations with friends and neighbors and observations made in our post-Sandy world.
Let’s just call it ‘You’re probably from Broad Channel if ...’
... the power suddenly goes out where
you are, and you are the only one not
at all excited by this.
... you are still holding for FEMA.
... you always pack a flashlight in your
bag.
... you and everyone you know has had
the “Broad Channel cough”.
... you’re Broad Channel cough knows
its cousin, the “Rockaway Cough”.
... after the storm you were wondering if
the Legion and VFW would still be
doing brunch.
... you’re driving a new car, but can’t
remember buying it.
... you actually haven’t stopped driving
since you rolled off the dealer’s lot.
... all the guys out front of Home Depot
know you by name.
... you consider coffee a beverage, a meal
and a heat source.
... you have a t-shirt that says “The Red
Cross came to town... and all I got
was this blanket!”
... you refuse to reset the “Home” destination on your GPS.
... you find yourself saying “Hello” and
“Good Morning” to people in your
new temporary neighborhood.
... you’re the last one to notice that the
heat’s gone out, and frankly it doesn’t
bother you that much.
... you look at the antics on “Survivor”
and say, “Geez, what a bunch of wusses. They should come to BC!”
... waking up in a different house in a
strange bed in a strange room doesn’t
feel all that strange to you.
... you can navigate any shower system
in the world.
... you’re still wondering if the BC ‘oneway streets are optional’ rules apply
in the rest of the city.
you are, and you are the only one not
at all excited by this.
... you are still holding for FEMA.
... you always pack a flashlight in your
bag.
... you and everyone you know has had
the “Broad Channel cough”.
... you’re Broad Channel cough knows
its cousin, the “Rockaway Cough”.
... after the storm you were wondering if
the Legion and VFW would still be
doing brunch.
... you’re driving a new car, but can’t
remember buying it.
... you actually haven’t stopped driving
since you rolled off the dealer’s lot.
... all the guys out front of Home Depot
know you by name.
... you consider coffee a beverage, a meal
and a heat source.
... you have a t-shirt that says “The Red
Cross came to town... and all I got
was this blanket!”
... you refuse to reset the “Home” destination on your GPS.
... you find yourself saying “Hello” and
“Good Morning” to people in your
new temporary neighborhood.
... you’re the last one to notice that the
heat’s gone out, and frankly it doesn’t
bother you that much.
... you look at the antics on “Survivor”
and say, “Geez, what a bunch of wusses. They should come to BC!”
... waking up in a different house in a
strange bed in a strange room doesn’t
feel all that strange to you.
... you can navigate any shower system
in the world.
... you’re still wondering if the BC ‘oneway streets are optional’ rules apply
in the rest of the city.
... you find you’re getting along famously with neighbors the people you’re
staying with don’t even know.
... you find yourself offering to help people, pull in a next door trash can,
close and latch an open gate, and look
out for neighbors wherever you are,
all without thinking about it.
staying with don’t even know.
... you find yourself offering to help people, pull in a next door trash can,
close and latch an open gate, and look
out for neighbors wherever you are,
all without thinking about it.
... you’ve had more meals at the American Legion than at McDonalds.
... you’ve done more shopping at the
VFW than at Waldbaums.
... as bad off as you might be, you’re
always thinking of somebody else and
thinking “Gee, I hope they’re okay.”
... you are ready to haul off and give a
... you’ve done more shopping at the
VFW than at Waldbaums.
... as bad off as you might be, you’re
always thinking of somebody else and
thinking “Gee, I hope they’re okay.”
... you are ready to haul off and give a
piece of your mind to anybody who’s
got a bad thing to say about the Mormons, the Buddhists, the Sikhs, Texans and a whole list of people.
... you’ve put Raymour and Flannigan
on your Christmas card list.
... you’ve become good phone buddies
with any number of insurance,
FEMA, cable and phone reps from all
over the country.
... all these people now want to come
and visit the Channel.
... you’ve got your salvaged barbecue
and new charcoal ready in case you
need to cook everything in your
fridge.
... you couldn’t find your street because
they finally moved the boat that landed there.
... you’re not too crazy about seeing a
whole lot of water, even bottled water,
in one place at one time.
... you are now an expert in communicating by cellphone, text message,
got a bad thing to say about the Mormons, the Buddhists, the Sikhs, Texans and a whole list of people.
... you’ve put Raymour and Flannigan
on your Christmas card list.
... you’ve become good phone buddies
with any number of insurance,
FEMA, cable and phone reps from all
over the country.
... all these people now want to come
and visit the Channel.
... you’ve got your salvaged barbecue
and new charcoal ready in case you
need to cook everything in your
fridge.
... you couldn’t find your street because
they finally moved the boat that landed there.
... you’re not too crazy about seeing a
whole lot of water, even bottled water,
in one place at one time.
... you are now an expert in communicating by cellphone, text message,
Facebook, Twitter, smoke signals and semaphore if you have to.
... you were always an expert in spreading and
receiving information by word of mouth.
... you’re still wondering how you ended up at a
laundromat.
... you still can’t believe we all went through that.
... over the past two months you and the family
have discussed whether to have dinner at the
Legion, the firehouse or any number of food
vans or street corners in the Channel.
... all your friends still have the dealer tags on
their car keys.
... your first question to neighbors is “So, how’d you make out in the storm?”
... the people at the flat-fix place know you very well.
... a smile, a hug and a “thank God, you’re okay!” are the best gifts you ever
got.
... the “Brooklyn Lantern” and wind up radios don’t look all that silly to you.
... “No” is not an answer you’re ready to accept... from anybody.
... when your parents refer to ‘the Year of the Flood’, they’re talking about
2012.
... whatever faith you are, or not, you prayed for all.
... wherever you went in town after the storm, you were welcomed.
... wherever in the world you are right now, whenever people ask, you will
always proudly say “Me? I am from Broad Channel.”
... you were always an expert in spreading and
receiving information by word of mouth.
... you’re still wondering how you ended up at a
laundromat.
... you still can’t believe we all went through that.
... over the past two months you and the family
have discussed whether to have dinner at the
Legion, the firehouse or any number of food
vans or street corners in the Channel.
... all your friends still have the dealer tags on
their car keys.
... your first question to neighbors is “So, how’d you make out in the storm?”
... the people at the flat-fix place know you very well.
... a smile, a hug and a “thank God, you’re okay!” are the best gifts you ever
got.
... the “Brooklyn Lantern” and wind up radios don’t look all that silly to you.
... “No” is not an answer you’re ready to accept... from anybody.
... when your parents refer to ‘the Year of the Flood’, they’re talking about
2012.
... whatever faith you are, or not, you prayed for all.
... wherever you went in town after the storm, you were welcomed.
... wherever in the world you are right now, whenever people ask, you will
always proudly say “Me? I am from Broad Channel.”
Standing offer: Send me info about your organization - what you’re about, what you’re doing now, how your recovery is going or even what you need. I will get it out in this column. Send that or any BC news toworkingstories@aol.com. Thanks for reading.
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