Snow – after the fun has gone

Everyone just assumes that a big dump of snow comes with a whole bunch of fun – snow days, snowball fights, sprained shoulders, etc – and to an extent that’s correct. But once the fun has gone and it’s time to get back to business; well, things start getting ugly.

Firstly, all the sidewalks footpaths are blocked off by mounds of dirty snow, scraped off the road by snow ploughs. So instead of crossing in a typical New York J-Walk fashion, you’re forced through a narrow pathway between 2 mounds of snow, at the actual lights. Oh, and for some extra fun, there’s usually an icy puddle about 1 metre wide on both sides to be jumped.

But you really have to feel for Jürgen and Sibylle from work. The blocking of the footpaths has doubled their commute time, since they have to walk all the way to the end of the street to cross. Usually they just walk out of the office and straight across the road to their building. I just hope they factor the extra commute time into their plans if they have social plans after work one night.

And cars like this, that haven’t been moved since being snowed on are all too commonplace. You’d have to question how much you really need your car if a week after it gets snowed on, you still haven’t bothered to move it. I mean, this is New York City, where you can pay up to $15 to park for half-an-hour. Dude, save yourself some bucks (and the environment), and get rid of that thing.

Still, the aftermath of the blizzard isn’t all doom and gloom. You’ve got to find enjoyment in any situation. To that end, I saw a couple of teenagers in a park near work, lobbing snowballs at the tourists sitting atop the double-decker Gray Line Buses. Though it certainly gave me a haughty chuckle, the tourists didn’t seem too impressed.