THE wind from the outer reaches of Hurricane Sandy gusted ominously, public transport shut down and the warnings were grim, but AFL and rugby replays were keeping the clientele happily camped at several Australian bars in New York City.
With authorities expecting the merging of the hurricane and another two storm fronts to create one of the biggest weather events in memory - dubbed a "Frankenstorm" - thousands of New Yorkers were expected to evacuate low lying areas, heeding Mayor Michael Bloomberg's warnings to prepare for the worst.
However, hours after a deluge was expected to envelop the Big Apple, barely a drop had fallen except in the lively bars around Manhattan where locals gathered to watch the New York Giants pip the Dallas Cowboys and tourists hunkered down close to their hotels, which could be without power in the next 12 hours.
"We've got a decent crowd," said manager Josh Lambie at The Australian bar on West 38th Street.
"We'll probably stay open until midnight then try and open again normally in coming days, if possible.
"We'll just keep playing footy replays and keep it going for anyone who wants to drop by. It's mostly tourists who don't want to be stuck in their hotel rooms, I think."
The Australian, owned by former Manly rugby league player Matt Astill, is located in a relatively safe part of midtown Manhattan.
The Sunburnt Cow, an Aussie bar and eatery on the lower east side is in the mandatory evacuation zone and shut up shop for the night and possibly the next few days.
The Cow's sister establishment, The Sunburnt Calf on the upper west side, however, was serving drinks until midnight or "four o'clock if the locals want it," said one of the owners, Tim Harris.
"We've got about 20 in here and it's kind of low key," he said.
"I had to let the kitchen staff go early because public transport shut down, but I'll hang around as long as I can.
"If I can get in tomorrow, I'll get my wife to serve drinks and I might get in the kitchen and turn out fish and chips."
The storm was expected to engulf New York on Monday morning and last into Tuesday, with meteorologists forecasting sustained winds of 75 km/h and regular gusts of over 100.
Up to 13cm of rain was expected to fall, but the big threat was a tidal surge which could be between 2.5 and four metres.
Mayor Bloomberg feared a high tide on Monday morning would make a bad situation catastrophic and ordered residents to leave low lying parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, designated Zone A.
Police vehicles prowled the streets under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and officers issued orders over public address systems for residents to leave on Sunday afternoon.
But early indications were that many residents would attempt to ride it out, with only a few hundred people reportedly heading to 76 evacuation centres, able to accommodate tens of thousands.
More than 45,000 people live in housing authority apartments, run by the city, in Zone A.
Electricity and running water were cut in the buildings in advance of the storm, yet the majority of tenants seemed to stay put.
Many luxury apartments in lower Manhattan and the financial district were also expected to cut power and the streets around Wall Street were bustling with residents competing for fewer than the normal number of cabs.
New Zealand themed bar Nelson Blue remained open on Sunday night despite being in the evacuation area only 100 metres from the banks of the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge.
"We're ready. We'll see what happens," said Paul Morgan, an owner of the Seaport neighbourhood bar and eatery which has been heavily sandbagged and smothered with thick protective tarpaulin.
"It's quiet now, down here, but we've got a few in.
"We'll assess the situation tomorrow, and if we can, we'll open."
Tourists and visitors who failed to get out before New York commenced lockdown were left to contemplate the possibility of spending up to three days stranded in the city, with airlines cancelling hundreds of flights and the prospects for Monday departures remote.
"I called my sister in Australia, she's an executive travel agent. You have to try everything at this stage," said insurance executive Andrea Sutter after spending hours unsuccessfully trying to find a way to her Zurich base.
"I have to get back, but it's not looking good."
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