The Big One

Much has been made of the weather lately. The local meteorologists have been thrilled to have so much to talk about. First there was the "blizzard" which was more of a dusting. I personally was devastated, as I had been looking forward to a Saturday blanketed with snow. Then there was extreme cold, and then, finally, we got a taste of the violent snowstorm we had been promised.

On Tuesday, as New York City schools closed and various friends began to receive the news that they too would have a snow day, my childlike anticipation only grew. I went to bed smiling, as I was assured to wake up to mounds of freshly driven snow. I suppose, having grown up in a warm climate, I will always look forward to snowstorms in this way, as they are still, to this day, exotic for me.

I nearly leapt from my bed the next day, and was greeted with this sight:

No drifts quite yet, but it was certainly looking promising.

I felt like a lone soldier as I made my way to work...despite the fact that the subways were running and the streets were plowed, people seemed to be hunkering down. As I walked from the subway to my office I was one of a handful of people on the sidewalk, and cabs seemed to be the only vehicles about.

Attendance at work was a bit thin. Understandable of course, as not everyone has as easy a commute as I do. Eventually an early dismissal was called and the siren song of a wintry Central Park became too strong to resist.

Just out of the subway at the southern edge of the park, I was greeted with this softly eerie vista:

I made my way down the stone steps, thankful for my very sturdy hiking boots. They made me much less prone to disastrous slips than my fellow snow bunnies!

I made my way down enchanting paths,

admiring the work of some budding sculptors.

Don't you love the Grecian head gear and the happy countenances?

And then the piece de resistance, the mall. In any season walking through this arboreal archway gives one pause, but in the snow it is particularly breathtaking.

But the light was going, the cold was seeping in and the view wasn't going to get much better. So I hopped on the subway and headed back home, content for the snow continue to fall outside.