My neighborhood, I think event within the past decade have shown that New York City can be quite well-behaved over the short term. In the black out of 2003, New Yorkers took to the bars, drank beer and had a good time. Crime was lower than on most nights. Much better than during the 1977 blackout, which was awful. If the 2003 version of New York shows up, it will initially not be so bad. If New Yorkers revert to the form of 1977, lead projectiles would be very nice to have.

I hope I really never see a time when I am reduced to bartering. If our economy is reduced to barter, we are really in deep doodoo. I also do not think I will ever see a day when gold has no value. It seems to have have always had value, no matter how far back into history one looks. While under some circumstances gold may be hard to trade, $1000 of food is hard to carry. I don't see us living in a barter economy, and I don't see me being able to carry that much food. So long as we have a market economy, I think I'll be able to trade gold. if i need to leave an immediate area, I can carry an ounce of gold or silver. YMMV, make your choices based on your circumstances.