Keep calm and carry on. (Matt Chaban)

This reporter spent most of the day hunkered down on Cadman Plaza, inside the boxy Brooklyn headquarters of the Office of Emergency Management. As in most city buildings, employees are encouraged to use the stairs. “Burn calories, not electricity,” a sign on the door to the stairs reads. In both stairwells in the three-story building, The Observer spotted these motivational signs. No wonder everyone has been so prepared for the storm.

Matt is The Observer's real estate editor. Follow Matt on Twitter or via RSS. mchaban@observer.com