New York City blackouts always bring the wildest photos
It's rare to catch New York City, the so-called "city that never sleeps," at rest. Not even Saturday evening's blackout put damper on the bustling city's energy.
The widespread power outage left a big chunk of Manhattan's midtown without lights, affecting streets west of Fifth Avenue from 42nd St. all the way up to 72nd St. It happened at around 7:00 p.m. ET, and -- in a completely wild twist -- fell on the 42nd anniversary of the city's 1977 blackout.
Before it was all over, the Saturday blackout eventually extended down as far as 12th St. The lights started to come back on at around 10:00 p.m. ET, first in Times Square and, by midnight, through all parts of the affected area.
Happening as it did during the primetime evening hours, numerous shows, performances, and other cultural events were canceled. Some lucky Broadway visitors were treated to impromptu performances in the streets, but the evening's biggest events -- including a Jennifer Lopez concert at Madison Square Garden -- were called off.
The disruption crippled New York City's mass transit infrastructure, with subway lines that converge in the busiest part of the city effectively shut down. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who wasn't in NYC for the blackout because he was out hyping his deeply unpopular presidential campaign, noted on Twitter that the issue originated with a manhole fire.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Even with all the disruptions, New York's always-connected city-dwellers seized the opportunity to capture one of those rare moments when the bustling city continues to bustle even in the midst of setbacks. It's all recorded on social media, and so wild to see.
There were the eerily quiet and empty subway stations.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Some people, trapped underground in stalled subway cars, used emergency exits to get out and follow the tracks to nearby stations. (Protip: don't ever ever do that!)
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The underground transit disruptions sent subway commuters scrambling for the streets. Canceled shows and other events only added to the crowds. The sidewalks of midtown Manhattan quickly became congested with foot traffic.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The outage happened so suddenly that regular folks had to help out until emergency personnel could arrive on scene. This one guy directing traffic with his cane wins at New Yorkerness.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Jennifer Lopez felt especially bad about having to call off her MSG show a mere 20 minutes in. The blackout hit right in the middle of a performance.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Lopez recorded multiple videos for her fans, apologizing for the disruption and promising a re-do for the canceled performance. It looks like the Saturday show has been rescheduled for Monday night.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
All in all, it was a busy and eventful night even for the city that never sleeps. You definitely don't see sights like this every day.
Topics New York City
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
