buried by snow
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Blizzard Blockage

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buried snow
Buried in the Snow

I was supposed to be in Milan right now, but thanks to what the reporters call ‘Snowpocalypse’, the blizzard has left me standing still. Blocked from getting on a plane, and getting out of the US. Last night, there was nothing but 45 mph wind gusts and 2 feet of snow that blew brutally through New York City as I worked away into the wee hours of the night trying to get everything done, packed, and ready to fly away on my trip.

They closed all of the airports at 10PM, yet I remained in denial; I continued to pack.

In the middle of the storm Mother Nature showed just how nasty she can be…lightening lit up the skies followed by thunderous bangs…yes, in the middle of the blizzard. I ran to the window shocked at this strange phenomenon.

When I went to bed at 3 AM, it was snowing harder than ever; I could only see the high-rise building across the street, but nothing beyond that but a white canvas.

I woke up to non-stop news coverage of the blockages and destruction the storm caused.  Airports were all closed, railroads weren’t running, and when I looked out the window there wasn’t a car or taxi to be seen – an oddity in New York City.  I listened to the news, searched the internet for information about flights and my hope started to fade.

snow plow
Plow Drivers had a very, very long day…

I went outside into the blizzard aftermath to survey the damage and was astonished at how different it looked on the ground vs. nine floors up.  The ground view wasn’t pretty.  Snow bumps represented cars, abandoned cars in busy streets, unplowed streets and sidewalks, and a nasty wind that felt like needles on any exposed flesh.  I knew I would have to hope for a miracle to actually make it to the airport as well as actually get on a plane in time to catch my connections and meet my friend in Milan.  But I didn’t give up yet.

I tracked down my airline’s representative on Twitter and was able to get some information (thank you, social media!). Yet the Twitter rep could only say that my flight was not canceled and that all of the systems had it leaving on time at 5:30 PM. Never mind that the airport was scheduled to be closed until 6:30 PM.

I continued to finish my packing while watching all of the news about how transit along the Eastern Seaboard had come to a grinding halt.  The outlook didn’t look good.

I finally worked my way through a maze of recorded choices at the Scandanavian Airlines customer service number and spoke to a real live person…a true miracle.  As soon as I told her I was in New York , she got my name and immediately said she’d rebook me on Wednesday.  It was time to call it…I knew that my options were to get stranded at Newark airport – or stay in NYC and get delayed for 2 days.

I told the live rep…yes – rebook me; it hurt to say those words.

So, my Italy trip is now cut short by 2 days, but what can you do?  When Mother Nature is in a bad mood, you can’t really do anything about it…except go out and take some pictures.

snow man central park
At least one ‘person’ was happy to see the snow in Central Park
NYC blizzard
These snow bumps are cars…and they aren’t going anywhere fast
snow subway
Even the subways were filled with snow
New York city snow
Snow-covered empty streets
New York City sledding
Sledding down the middle of 66th Street
bikes snow
No deliveries in New York City ….oh noooooo!
lincoln center snow
Lincoln Center covered in snow
star light
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Central Park Snow
Central Park – New York City’s best snow playground

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10 Comments

    1. Thanks Mike! Nice to hear from you. Where were you going? I am rebooked for Wednesday – so I lost a couple of days – but not bad as I will be gone for 3 months!

  1. Wow! Yes, love the photos,and have to say am one of those annoying people who is sitting here in roughly 68ºs and yet being jealous!

    Hope all goes smoothly Wednesday, but not being in US, I’d just as soon follow your adventures in NY as Milan, though not as much fun for you!

  2. I love NYC when it’s snowed but honestly, in the 3 years that I lived there, I have never seen so much snow there before! I kind of wish I was there now though I’m sorry to hear that it’s caused so many travel disturbances!

  3. Sherry,

    I like the changes to Otts World Site…

    Sorry you got snowbound in NYC… But those photos! WOW! Very uniqe to see the deserted streets in NYC… I really enjoyed your Christmas Eve images too.

    I’ll be following your trip to Milan and Jordan…

    Take care of yourself.

  4. Now *that* is snow! I love how it makes the hard city streets turn into a different and soft world for a while. It’s kind of like nature saying, ‘hey, don’t forget who’s boss.’

    1. what a lovely thought Anil! Its hard to think about nyc as soft but for about 8 hrs that day it was until it became a messy slushy liquid!

  5. Oh my gosh – I saw the coverage on TV but didn’t realize just how bad it was until I saw your photos. Sorry that it delayed and shortened your trip, but at least you weren’t trapped at the airport with no place to go like thousands of others. Wishing you a very Happy New Year, and safe and exciting travels in 2011.

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