“New Yorkers love to complain.”
These words, uttered by my Uzbekistani hair stylist yesterday, snapped me back to reality. Frustrated by the slush cascading through New York City’s streets, I was about to launch into an anti-snow rant.
It dawned on me that I have little reason to complain; things are running pretty smoothly, despite the 19 inches of snow that blanketed Manhattan on Thursday morning. While my stylist spent two hours commuting to Midtown from the far reaches of Brooklyn, my journey from the East Village took just 20 minutes on the six train.
After Thursday's snow storm, you'll have a hard time getting your free newspaper on 2nd Ave and St Marks Place!
Record-breaking snow
It’s true, New Yorkers are known to kvetch, bemoan and whine about our daily struggles—and this winter has provided plenty of source material. January is now officially New York City’s snowiest month on record and Thursday’s storm was the fifth to hit the Northeast this winter. New York City’s $38 million snow budget is completely tapped out, according to Reuters.
St Bartholomew's Church in Midtown is surrounded by snow.
New Yorkers weigh in
I’m sick of the slush, but how do other New Yorkers feel about the recent snow storms? To find out, I contacted New York City-based travel bloggers on Twitter. I knew I could get frank answers (in 140 characters or less) from this vocal group of city dwellers.
Based on this unscientific poll, it seems the blogosphere is evenly split between snow love and fatigue. Despite our reputation as complainers, many New Yorkers have found a silver lining in the record snowfall.
A snowman presides over Astor Place in the East Village.
The snow lovers
Jeannie, of the Somewhere There Is Jeanie blog, can’t get enough of the white powder.
“I love it! I would love more! I have not seen this much snow in a long time!” – @WhereIsJeannie
Gadling columnist Tom looks like a grizzled beat reporter in his Twitter profile photo, which shows him chomping on a cigar, but is a softie when it comes to snow.
“Nothing beats Central Park when it’s covered with a fresh layer of snow!” – @tjohansmeyer
Rockefeller Center's ice rink was surprisingly free of crowds after Thursday's snow storm.
Airline miles expert Seth, of the Wandering Aramean blog , is also a snow enthusiast.
“I’m loving the snow! The fact that I work from home and don’t have any travel planned means it doesn’t affect me. Delivery guys are still on” – @WanderngAramean
Matt, the editor of online travel magazine The Expeditioner, gets philosophical about the storms.
“I love the snow, it puts me in a great Dostoevskian mood, perfect for mid-Winter.” – @TheExpeditioner
A pedestrian crosses a river of slush in Astor Place.
Sick of the snow
Travel writer Jeanine, of the J The Travel Authority blog, is fortunate to be traveling in sunny Israel this week, but is still recovering from the city’s devastating “Snowmageddon” storm in December.
“It’s out of control. I love snow + I love snow in NYC but now week after week esp when sanitation dept didn’t clear snow from 1st storm!!” – @Jcreaturetravel
Andrew, also known as The Brooklyn Nomad, is tired of the gray sludge covering New York City.
“I am sick of the snow. It’s pretty for about 7 minutes, then it just becomes a pile of black and yellow slush. People for some reason do not know how to walk the streets of NYC either in it, which just makes for a lovely commute. That groundhog better not see its shadow in a few weeks!” – @BrooklynNomad
The lunch tables at Bryant Park are empty this week.
Writer and social media specialist Alisha, who posts on This Is Alisha, is ready to leave New York for a sunnier locale.
“I really hate winter so the constant snow has kept me inside much to my dismay and craving my Bogota trip even more!” – @MakeshiftAlisha
Aldo, the editor of Indie Media Mag, is sick of snow-related complaints. Toughen up, New Yorkers!
“It’s been annoying but not as annoying as the gazillion Facebook statuses people put up to complain about it.” – @IndieMediaMag
I've never figured out what these nitrogen tanks actually do, but am disturbed to see them covered in snow...
The optimists
These bloggers acknowledge that heavy snowfall has drawbacks, but choose to focus on the positive.
Krista, blogger and curator of the G Train Salon, finds art in the slushy madness.
“Like nothing I have seen in all my yrs as a NY’er & Jersey Girl. Annoying, freakish yet beautiful” – @GTrainSalon
Graphic designer Sarah, who blogs about her travels at SWGraphic, avoids the slush by working from home.
“It’s too much snow but I like the work from home part everyday time :P” – @SWGraphic
The record snow hasn't stopped this food cart from setting up shop in the East Village.
Travel and beauty writer Charu, of the Butterfly Diary blog, notes that public transportation is running well under the circumstances.
“For one thing, I’ve never seen so much snow in a month in my life. It’s beautiful from the inside, but really trying to walk in the slush in the city has been trying. But the commute has been surprisingly painless. Slow as molasses, yes, but relatively painless.” – @Butterflydiary
Laurie, editor of the Scene by Laurie blog, has had a sluggish commute.
“While it’s fun to enjoy the snow, like sledding in Central Park, I wish the snow removal had been faster, makes for tough commuting.” – @ScenebyLaurie
Snow settled on the spires of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown.
Cara, who writes about Mexican vacations for All About Cabo, focuses on the snow’s beauty.
“It makes me wish for a warm Mexican beach! On the bright side, it’s very pretty. It definitely makes it hard to get around tho” – @AllAboutCara
Maria, of the Memoirs of a Food and Travel Addict blog, thinks the snow is romantic.
“I can’t help but think it’s an ominous warning to the extreme weather patterns to come as a result of global warming. It’s been crippling to NYC–which scares me even more. On a lighter note–it looks seductively romantic when it first kisses the streets.” – @Traveladdictgrl
A couple strolls through St Marks Place in the East Village.
Note: All of the photos in this post were snapped by the author on an iPhone 3GS on Thursday January 27, 2011.
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