Lonely seaport

I've always loved the Seaport at night as it's dark, quiet and mysterious.  All the old buildings and cobblestone streets make it easy to imagine the city as it was back in the 19th century.



The Seaport was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.  Two weeks after the storm, electricity is back on, but the area is still in the dark.  A light on here and there reveals the destruction to all the ground floor businesses and residences from South Street up to Water Street:  windows boarded up, trash piled on the sidewalks and in the gutter, dumpsters in abundance...



A woman gets out of a cab on Front Street and her jaw drops.  "I had no idea!" she exclaims.  She'd spent the days since the storm helping hurricane victims at the Jersey Shore, only to return home and find her own home devastated.



A stillness saturates the shadowy blocks. The only signs of life emanate from Jeremy's Ale House, which miraculously survived the storm.



Recovery is well under way and I've heard some businesses may return in 3-4 months.  In the mean time, you can show support by donating to the Seaport Museum, which is a fantastic resource for learning about the city's early history and evolution as a world-class port.

See more post-Sandy Seaport pictures here.