2005 October « up to earth

I found some photos of August 15th (?), 2002, when everyone in southern Ontario and parts of the U.S. lost all power. I was scheduled to close the restaurant where I worked and was sent home. Patrick and I walked home, along with everyone else who depended on the transit system. Driving anywhere was chaotic because of the lack of traffic signals. The whole experience was pretty cool. People were generally very helpful with each other. The best part was at night. Patrick’s brother Michel invited us over to keep him company. We hung out there with other friends and when it became dark, we decided to go for a walk around the neighbourhood. I grabbed a flashlight and we started on our adventure.

Broadview streetcars backed up

It turned out that lots of others were doing the same thing. We met up with hundreds of other people who were looking at the Toronto skyline from the east part of Riverdale Park. The view was pretty different without most of the lights from the buildings. A few lights remained in buildings with their own generators. We noticed people walking around with drinks and joints and pretty relaxed about the whole situation.

Coffee Time on Broadview and Danforth. Business as usual!

We walked up to the Danforth to see crowds of people still sitting in bars, being served by candlelight.

One of the bars still serving on the Danforth

After seeing everyone else having fun, we decided to walk up to the Only Cafe for some drinks, and the place was full with regulars who were very drunk. The vibe was getting pretty ugly so we all left.

The Only Cafe

Our Michel pretending to not be able to see!

Everyone was so impressed with that evening of no electricity. The night was beautiful, quiet and the sky was full of stars. Couples were acting romantic and strangers looking out for each other. That night felt like a camping night right in the big city.