AT 1 a.m. on a recent Saturday, the area around ground zero in Lower Manhattan appeared deserted except for a crew from Con Edison.
They have gravitas, as do most of the supporting characters except for the crew of super models who play The Wives.
The cruise phase was a relatively uneventful part of the flight, except for the crew checking that the spacecraft was in working order and that they were on course.
A little more unconfirmed detail: part of the layoffs, apparently, have resulted in deep cuts to its engineering team, with the entire engineering team let go "except for a 3 person skeleton support crew," according to a tipster.
Attack rates for crew and passengers differed.
Meanwhile, the media presence was exasperating locals in the village, where streets were mostly deserted except for camera crews looking desperately for interview subjects.
Downtown streets are dusty and gray from debris, deserted except for work crews in white environmental-protection suits and respirators, hacking away at office buildings and theaters and restaurants.
The airport was empty except for the cleaning crew and a few people sleeping on benches.
But except for a skeleton crew of caretakers, security guards and a company of federal fireman, there are no residents.
On a recent visit, except for a film crew shooting a coming season of "Koh-Lanta," the French adaptation of "Survivor," foreign tourists were scarce.
