They don't make ice skates for dogs.
I know this because I looked on the internet this morning.
Taking the beagles out for their morning constitutional was both comic and tragic this morning, as they desperately tried to retain their footing on a quarter inch of ice on the city's sidewalks and crosswalks this morning. Ever walked on an ice skating rink? Then you know what it's like.
Slip-siding down the sidewalks this morning was an exercise in exhillaration and panic, and I chose to skate to the closest subway stop rather than multiply the risk of a powerful fall by taking my normal two-block saunter to my normal station. Made me a few minutes late, but sans fractures.
Snow, then ice. What's next? Too early in the year for boils and locusts.
OK New Yorkers, sure its hard to get around in and cold and uncomfortable.
But dang it, it's pretty. For my Southern friends who think they've seen snow, here it is. All 19+ inches of it from last night:
Another 4 inches of snow across the street in Central Park this morning. The beagles enjoyed romping in the powder. They're becoming snow snobs, preferring powdery snow to a more icy and sharp pelletized mix. New York City normally gets 20 inches of snow a year -- to date we've already enjoyed 32.
New York is always prettiest right after a snowfall. This one ended at dawn, which made things perfect. By this afternoon, it will no doubt be gray, slushy and ugly.
How do you make it from your apartment to office each day when you have to walk through mounds of slushy, dirty, mucky snow and slush?
For me, it's a simple matter of the shoe-switcheroo.
Lots of ladies in New York carry their office shoes in their purses, and wear sneakers (in the summer) and rainboots (in the winter) to and from work. For me, I wear boots to work and then keep my dress shoes in my desk. Easier for me as a guy, because black dress shoes pretty much go with anything. Good thing, since I don't want to carry a purse.
Warmer temperatures and bright sunlight mean only one thing: All the snow is melting.
Walking around is like walking through streets made of giant Slushees.
And everything is dripping. Including my sinuses.
Times Square almost completely clear of snow. Roads passable. Most transit starting to return to normal. Airlines trying to catch up.
It was New York City's sixth-largest blizzard ever, and it was a blast. For all those who feared my Southern butt was toast, rest assured I handled it fine. In fact, managed to get to the office while most of my Yankee co-workers couldn't make it. Rest assured I gloated about that for a while.
A day after the storm, after everyone here had time to enjoy an extra day home from work, New Yorkers got down to what they do best -- complaining. You'd think Mayor Bloomberg had executed puppies and had them served to him for breakfast the way they're ripping into the city for handling the blizzard.
The most fascinating part of the whole weather event: ThunderSnow! With snow dropping out of the sky Sunday night at 2-3 inches an hour, and winds whipping around 60 miles an hour, there were flashes of light and booms of thunder overhead. Frikkin' bizarre!
Final snowfall tally at our place was 20 inches, although the wind drifted snow over two feet against the front of our building. Figure if I can handle this, I can handle anything Northern weather can throw at me. Bring on winter, you Northern wimps!
Thought I was imagining it when I saw snow down on the tracks of my subway station this morning. Then I found out blowing 70 mile and hour winds and two feet of accumulation meant a lot of stations had snow inside of them.
H/T: Gothamist.
The final count was 13 inches of snow. In front of our building, the snow is much deeper, since the 60 miler-per-hour winds blew huge drifts up against our building. My first snow in New York City, and the first time I've seen this much snow since my childhood in the hills of Tennessee.
Irony warning: I made it into work this morning. Was the first one in, and 95 percent of the Yankees in my office aren't here. Feeling pretty smug right now, needless to say.
Winds were pretty fierce last night, and you can read on the news of motorists being stranded, people being stuck on train cars for eight hours, etc. As for this hillbilly, got to stomp through theigh-deep snow last night and this morning. Pretty amazing. I'm not in Kansas Georgia anymore.
Here's a few photos of the snow in Central Park this morning, and one of the beagles despertately trying to find a drift where they can go to the bathroom. Major canine confusion, needless to say.
First dusting of snow of the year in NYC. Dogs romping in snow. Couldn't find squirrels, though. They had the good sense to be indoors.
It's been cold the last couple of days in New York -- at least, it's been cold by Southern hillbilly standards.
Had snow flurries this morning while walking the beagles. They didn't seem to notice or care, but I kept revisiting a foreboding comment by one of my neighbors from the day before.
The missus and I spent most of Sunday walking around the city. We took the hounds for a good two-hour romp at the dog park and along Columbus Avenue. Then we shopped and Columbus Circle, checked out a ginerbread house competition (pictures coming tomorrow) and then walked Fifth Avenue from 57th down to Macy's to check out the really cool storefront windows (pictures coming Wednesday!).Then grocery shopping and a final, brutal two-block walk home.
It was cold all day. 32 degrees and a good 10 mph wind in our faces -- no matter which direction we faced. So needless to say, by the time we finally got back to the alcove of our tiny brownstone, we were glad to be out of the wintery elements.
That's when our neighbor rained -- or snowed -- on my parade.
"Pretty cold out there today," I said, puffing out my chest that with a long black coat, scarf and Russian babooshka-style hat I'm managed to handle everything New York City had dished out.
"Yeah, and it isn't even winter yet."
Oh crap.
Photo credit: isardasorensen
At this point in time, there's discussion Hurricane Earl is going to skirt to the east of New York City on Friday evening. We should get some rain and a little wind, but nothing extraordinary. New Yorkers out on Long Island may get hit a little worse, but here on the Upper West Side, nothing unusual is expected.
Bring the rain. During the summer, the garbage smell in the city gets quite strong. The streets and sidewalks could use a really good washing right now.
Recent Comments