DON’T WALK . . . KAYAK! Apparently the don’t-walk sign doesn’t apply to this kayak paddler in the watery streets of SoHo yesterday. (Vladimir Kalinovsky)
Irene may not have packed a wallop, but she sure got locals to pack up shop.
The storm that fizzled after barreling down on the city still left areas of Manhattan and Brooklyn feeling like a ghost town yesterday — with shuttered stores and delis turning the morning coffee run into something more of a marathon.
“I’m just trying to find somewhere to get a coffee. Nowhere is open to have brunch — which sucks,” said East Villager Matt Dunstan, 34. “It’s eerie to walk around and see the streets deserted. I feel like Will Smith in that movie ‘I Am Legend.’ ”
Tourists also said they were shocked that the land of convenience stores had turned inconvenient — particularly after what many of them laughed off as a silly summer storm.
“We set out from Times Square hours earlier and the first place we found open was by Ground Zero. We walked three miles,” said Australian Dawn Birnes, 60. “The place is deserted. I never imagined New York like this.”
Some store owners said the warnings and lack of public transportation left them struggling to rustle up workers to set up shop.
But others said they relied on employees who lived in the neighborhood — and on carpools from the outer boroughs — to make sure they didn’t disappoint customers.
“We’re open 365 days a year,” said Jake Dell, a co-owner of Katz’s Deli.
“The way my family looks at it is, if we close, we are potentially ruining someone’s day.”
Additional reporting by Hannah Rappleye and Lachlan Cartwright