Late-night fireworks

There were all sorts of tweets around midnight of gunshots, maybe, but more likely fireworks ... we haven't been able to pinpoint the exact location... Shawn Chittle took this photo looking southeast toward Tompkins Square Park...

Anyone have a fix on the location?

Safe ... for now

Many thanks to EVG reader John S. for the photo... back early in the morning with more news... some of it even pertinent ...

Meanwhile in Zone A...

An EVG reader notes some buildings in Zone A, which had a mandatory evacuation today... and it puts to rest the current rumor that the city cut the power to these areas tonight...

You can always count on Ray's

@evgrieve WE'RE OPEN ALL NIGHT!!!

— Ray's Candy Store (@RaysCandyStore) October 29, 2012

At the Punk Rock Storm Evacuation Center

Manitoba's on Avenue B...

Con Ed shutting off some steam service

Several residents have told us that their landlords are turning off the hot water... here's the official release from Con Ed on the matter.... an excerpt...

Con Edison is also in the process of shutting down steam service to some buildings in areas of Manhattan that may be prone to flooding. If the steam pipes were to get inundated with flood water externally, the temperature difference could make the pipes dangerous.”

One reader said that her landlord announced this in an email, and she's in Zone B.

[Updated] Sandbags were going for $4.99 today

At Saifee Hardware on First Avenue...photo via EVG reader AC....

Updated

Got an update... here are the size of the bags...

Pre-Sandy scenes from this afternoon

Tompkins Square Park closed around 2 p.m....

... the Farmer's Market broke down around 4...

... and some scenes of the East River before the storm...

Via Bobby Williams...

Soccer practice in Zone A

Via Steven Matthews...

[Updated] The line to checkout at Key Food at 3 p.m.

Via an EVG reader...

The good news: They have plenty of Bounty left.

Updated

The scene at 6:50 via EVG regular jdx ...

Meanwhile, in things that likely have nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy (I hope...)

Randomly on the Q train this afternoon... spotted this fellow in a loincloth exiting at 23rd Street...

City shuts down Tompkins Square Park

The City said that it was shutting down all Parks at 5 p.m. today in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy's high winds. However, workers locked the gates around Tompkins Square Park just after 2 p.m.