Con Ed amassing the troops in Union Square

Via EVG reader faces ...

And via James and Karla Murray...

Pre-Sandy ops: Village East Cinema removes letters from marquee

Pre-Sandy spot grocery check

C-town on Avenue C via Crazy Eddie...

Key Food on Avenue A via @Vivnsect ... a shot of the check out from the back of the store....

Bloomberg orders mandatory evacuation for Zone A

City info here. (PDF)

More info to follow...

Update:

Another map...

Tompkins Square Park closing at 5 p.m.; plus MTA shutting down the system

Reminder: all @nycparks are closing at 5 PM today. The wind is picking up now. #Sandy

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) October 28, 2012

Last subway trains at 7 PM, last MTA buses at 9 PM tonight. #Sandy

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) October 28, 2012

Mayor: All @nycschools are closed tomorrow. #Sandy

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) October 28, 2012

In case you were expecting that Fresh Direct order this afternoon...

Uh-oh. AN EVG reader and resident passes along this email from Fresh Direct:

“We regret to inform you that your order for Sunday, October 28, has been canceled due to the expected closure of the Mass Transit system by the MTA Sunday evening. With the storm expected, we want to make sure the drivers you have come to trust have an opportunity to get home safely to their families.”

This is for all orders that were scheduled for delivery after 2 p.m.

Per the reader:

So, if you expect all the things that you needed from Fresh Direct to show up today after 2 pm, better run like hell to the stores, like I just did, and pick from whatever is left on the shelves.

Scenes from Sandy Sunday morning

...and from the EVG Twitter account...

Tompkins Square Greenmarket open on A. twitter.com/evgrieve/statu…
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) October 28, 2012

Spot check: no line outside Trader Joe's on E14th, but 50-60 people waiting to check out.
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) October 28, 2012

Spot check: Food Emporium Union Square well-stocked and fairly empty. twitter.com/evgrieve/statu…
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) October 28, 2012

Most overheard observation so far this a.m: "The wind is starting to pick up." (and true)
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) October 28, 2012

Steamed on Avenue A and East 10th Street

Per EVG reader Chris this evening on Avenue A and East 10th Street...

Sounds like a jet engine up close — hear it really loud inside halfway down Ave A. Con Ed's got a truck there. Just seems like a lot of steam.

Accident on 9th Street and Avenue A this afternoon

Does anyone know what happened here...?

The EMTs wouldn't say at the scene...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

If you are looking to buy some candles...

...then let me recommend Santos Variety on Avenue C between East Sixth Street and East Fifth Street...

They have an excellent selection of Jesus spiritual candles between $2 and $9 depending on the size...

Even if you weren't buying to prepare for Sandy, it's a great little shop to appreciate... Oh, and it's a cash-only store. No credit cards.

If you don't like hurricanes, then move to...

As you may have heard, there's a storm on the way, and it looks to be a doozy. Per the Weather Channel:

Hurricane Sandy, moving north from the Caribbean, remained a Category 1 hurricane early Saturday, and was expected to make landfall Monday night near the Delaware coast.

"Do not focus on the intensity of the storm, it is a minimal category 1 hurricane right now, but certainly nothing like any category1 that we have seen," said Hurricane Specialist Carl Parker on The Weather Channel. "It is a very large storm, a hybrid storm, the area of strong winds is going to be absolutely enormous by the time it come into the northeast, and that’s why it is going to be a high-impact system."

Sandy is expected to interact with a pair of winter weather systems as it moves inland, becoming a monster storm bringing nearly a foot of rain, high winds and up to 2 feet of snow. Experts said the storm would be wider and stronger than last year's Irene, which caused more than $15 billion in damage, and could rival the worst East Coast storm on record.

Sounds bad, which is why I'm leaving now for Aspen. You can reach me courtesy of Don Johnson. Good luck! Let me know how it goes!

But seriously, we'll be around to pass along any pertinent storm information...

It has begun...

The pre-Sandy line at Trader Joe's this morning on East 14th Street... via @mattlehrer ...

Meanwhile, plenty of water this morning at Whole Foods Bowery via ‏@superterrific ...