It was from Alitalia Airlines. "Get ready to take advantage of our special weekend offers." I kid you not. Buy a transatlantic ticket between now and Monday and save big, it said.
Oh if I only I could!
Instead, like others in the tri-state, we're going to ride out what appears to be Hurricane Irene's path here - including, if some of the models are right, a hit into New York City. That has been talked about for years - it's been since the early 1800s that Lower Manhattan has taken a direct shot by a hurricane. And the thought of a big water surge into the Battery is frightening. Canal street - aptly named?
Will we see that on Sunday? That's what we're tracking tonight at 11.
Already, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has asked folks to leave the Jersey Shore - nothing mandatory yet - and Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano is asking residents along beaches in Nassau to be "prepared to evacuate."
And New York Mayor Bloomberg, perhaps laying the groundwork for his worst fears, talked a lot this morning at his news conference about the City's catch basins. 143,000 of them to be precise. The Mayor, a bit defensive, says "we can't check them all every day."
Boy, I'll say.
The inspection schedule is actually once every three years.
So fingers-crossed that these puppies work, eh?
The common-sense survival tips apply: Have a supply of water, have flashlights, and cash, just in case the electricity goes out.
Meteorologist Lee Goldberg heads our coverage tonight at 11. I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me.
