In the midst of darkness

As if the multitude of trees, open grass fields, and country scenery wasn’t enough to prove to me that I was no longer in New York but in Missouri, tonight’s blackout at the hotel was the icing on the cake. Columbia, Mo., is not the City That Never Sleeps, in fact, the lights literally went out, leaving very few options other than to go to sleep. I went from being pampered with free food and having unlimited access while covering a Kansas City Royals game earlier in the day, to having no electricity at my hotel at night. This is not New York. As the power went out, I thought to myself, is this really happening? I had experienced blackouts before. My parents are from the Dominican Republic and I have visited the country nine times. Blackouts are a recurring occurrence in the DR, but they’re expected. After the long day I had had in Missouri, to then get back to the hotel and experience a blackout was strange. I couldn’t help but think, what are the odds of this happening in New York? Slim to none. -- Daniel Ynfante