Really eerie...
I drove to work in Center City Philly this AM - left the house about 4:15, it's just drizzling so far, nothing exciting, but you can feel the impending nightmare which they tell us will ensue for the next 24 hours or so. In a nine mile drive, I think I saw three cars on the road - everything's closed here, no public transportation, no schools, no city workers except essential personnel, no parking enforcement, Dunkin' Donuts is closed(!), Sandbags everywhere at store entrances which are at sidewalk level, dead quiet everywhere.
The air is heavy with dread...this could be bad news - nothing like Katrina of course, but we're not built for this kind of thing around here, and very little is designed properly for water run-off. Even the curb-cuts for handicapped/wheelchair at every intersection were not executed properly for drainage and instead of intersections and sidewalks being relatively clear, they're even worse than the middle of the block due to the poor planning of the placement of storm sewers and other factors which would aid drainage. They've already closed the I-95/Broad Street exit because they know that it's going to turn into a lake as soon as the heavy rains come.
My problem is that I had a full day of pracitce and most of the people live within a few blocks of the office. Two of my staff are coming in and we're going to cancel everyone, see emergencies involving pain/infection, and leave before the real weather hits.
= new reply since forum marked as read
my son is in Philly, way up high in a very old building near Roxborough, and as you know i'm worried sick. i'm listening to KYW news radio on my computer and expect to be. i'm really hoping all the doomsaying is hyberbole or that Sandy peters out unexpectedly but i remember Katrina too.
it's going to be long next 24-36 hours. thanks for the link 
it's so helpful to be reassured by someone who's been there all along.
do what you need to do and get back home! 
we in the 2nd largest city on the east coast (and no it's not Baltimore or D.C.). 
It's only a matter of time before they close the bridges. I remember during Floyd, they finally let us go when they were about to close the Ben Franklin bridge. It took me 3 hours to get home through a convoluted course of flooded city streets (and forget my normal route that runs along the 2 rivers) for a 12 mile trip that normally takes about 40 minutes (or sometimes less) to do.
at an intersection near me where there was a dip in the center of where the 2 streets intersected and the whole area filled with water. It looked shallow but in some places, had reached about 3/4 or more up the height of the Septa bus tires and almost up to the door of regular cars that tried to drive through. 
Stay safe 
