Isiah Thomas was near Penn Station when the power went out in New York on Thursday afternoon. He spent the next five hours enjoying the camaraderie that prevailed throughout the city.

"I saw some great stuff outside," he said. "It was just pretty cool to be in. People were helping people.

"I was glad I was part of it."

Thomas said he was wearing a hat and went largely unrecognized amid the crowd. He milled around, taking pictures and talking with people. He said he bought a pair of shoes for one woman whose feet were aching.

He might have needed a new pair himself after returning to his hotel. He had to walk to his 48th-floor room at the Four Seasons, where he was able to spend the night.