2003-02-10 - 9:06 p.m.

I worked until 8:30 tonight, and as I walked down 10th Street I saw flashing lights and smelled smoke. Coming from my corner. There was a woman in front of me, and an EMS worker carrying equipment on a gurney crossed our path, dropping things as he went, and she and I picked them up, brought them over to him. She asked him what happened, and he said it was underground, on the corner, and she said, "The subway's under there!" I kept walking, a little dazed by the flashing red lights, until I reached my deli. The owners were standing out front, and they told me it was the wiring, ConEd was on it, some salt or something leaked in and the manhole cover was literally jumping up and down, grey billowing smoke pouring from it. The corner intself was blocked off by emergency tape, and there was a cadre of firemen (Firemen!) standing a good 50 feet behind it, watching. You can feel the vibration of its jumping, and occasionally there will be a loud boom, and sparks would fly out while the cover was on its upward trajectory. Not good. I had to turn around and go around the corner, and there was a crowd outside the awning of my building. I stood there for a moment, and a woman yelled to us, I would move away from that other manhole, you never know...and so I came upstairs.

I can still here it going, shaking the walls and flickering the lights. I suppose if it was going to blow up, it would have already, so I'm not worrying about it. I did think about it on the way into the vestibule, though. Is it better to go in, or is it possible that it will blow up and take the building with it? No one seems too panicked, so I'm trying to ignore it.

I just looked out the window, stuck my head out in the cold wet, and now there's still a firetruck, but only two firemen sitting on the back. The crowds are gone, and only the cops that are sitting in squad cars, blocking the cross streets, remain. No EMS, no crowds. Good sign.

And at least I had a story that didn't involve work.

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