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The best community centers in times of upheaval aren't necessarily found at the local high school or city hall. When storms hit hard, winds get wicked, and power goes out, I head straight for my local pub or coffee house for information, camaraderie, a dose of caffeine or a stiff drink.
So imagine my horror when, on Saturday night, my boyfriend and I found ourselves virtually trapped by downed trees at every access point in and out of the East Rocks neighborhood where we live, unable to reach our misery's best hope for company. Grudgingly, we settled in for a night of crackers and a good bottle of vodka.
When we emerged on Sunday morning, we headed straight for Fat Cat Joe, the nerve center for the nearby Wall Street area and the sister of Fat Cat Pie Co., where we had hoped to land the night before. The place was abuzz with dramatic stories of downed trees and power lines, crushed cars, and general "I can top that" storm stories. Owner Tony Ancona was front and center, filling in gaps with anecdotes he had heard at the bar the previous night and offering hangover solace in the form of "Cafe Correcto," a rather horrifying concoction which he claimed his grandfather drank every morning. Still, there's nothing like a shot of grappa in your coffee to help you stare down what could turn into several days without power.
As of last night, there wasn't enough grappa in the world to correct our mood as we observed the 50-foot tree two houses down, lying over the power lines, untouched by work crews of any kind. At Fat Cat Pie Co., where they've been known to break out candles and keep on serving without missing a beat if they lose power themselves, a couple of West Norwalk refugees were lamenting the 16 hours they spent bailing out water from their basement, while a kind soul from the Cranbury area offered news that he'd heard all power would be restored by Wednesday. Two ladies from Silvermine--Barbara Gallo and her mother, Betty Pia--arrived with thermoses and a vintage hot water bottle in hand. Ancona headed some soup from his coffee shop's lunchtime menu and filled, not only the thermos bottles but the rubber hot water bottle, too. When they asked for a check, he wouldn't accept a penny. "It's what neighbors do for each other," he said.
It's day three with no power. How lucky we are to have neighbors like that.
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