Blizzard Update #3: Aftermath

adminChicago Blizzard 2011, Lake Shore Drive, Uncategorized, winter walk, Wrigley%s Comments

I ran into work for a bit today and to be honest, I am so glad I had an excuse to get out and see the aftermath of the blizzard- my walk was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

The streets were just beginning to get cleared and the only people attempting to claw their way over the mounds of snow on the sidewalks were exactly like me: camera in hand.  With no good reason to be outside, you could find any reason.  Mine?  Having downtown Chicago to myself to appreciate the stillness and the fine folks working to make it safe for us again.

Supporting Chicago in more ways than one.

Photo snapping mid-Ave while the bells chimed noon

Ferragamo and the Snow Bunny

18 inches of snow on Michigan Avenue

Eventually, the snow will be clear, Lake Shore Drive will reopen and the roof on Wrigley will be repaired.  But until then, we get to live in a different Chicago.  A dressed down, imperfect, perfectly still, it-is-what-it-is Chicago.

And I quite like it like that.

Blizzard Update

adminBailey's, Chicago Blizzard 2011, epic, fear, Nightcap, storm, Uncategorized%s Comments

View of a blizzard from 40+ floors

We are getting pummeled.  Blizzard: 100, Chicago: 0.

I’ve never seen anything like it.  Lake Shore Drive has been completely closed since 7pm, Wrigley Field had part of its roof blow off and I have seen not one, but two window screens pop off buildings and then twirl and twirl and smash into windows before being cast out into Lake Michigan.  I have the blinds closed but every once in awhile, I can’t help but peak out and see if the sights match what I am hearing.  Which is a whole lot of wind and the walls in my apartment creaking.

The Trib is telling me to get used to it, that the weather is only going to get worse and stay that way until tomorrow afternoon.  So, I have an extra blanket on the bed, a nightcap (Bailey’s) on the nightstand and Luna Bell curled at my feet; I know that’s all I can really do at this point but wow- this storm is truly epic and, if I’m being honest, a little lot bit scary.

Cheers to my windows staying intact and me not being sucked out of my apartment overnight!

 

Just a Chi Town Snow

adminChicago Blizzard, Chicago Blizzard 2011, commuting, Good Samaritan, Great Samaritan, hype, snow, Uncategorized, Windy City%s Comments

Well, it’s here.  The hype was apparently true- the 60 mph winds, the whiteout, the whole sha-bang.

Leaving work, it didn’t look that bad:

With no cabs in sight and the buses packed, I decided to just walk home.  And again, it didn’t seem all that blizzard-like:

But then, as I neared the river and Lake Michigan, the wind picked up, the snow flew faster horizontally and I got it: this is a blizzard.

When I got to my building, the wind coming off of Lake Michigan was so strong that there was a big, burly (and might I add awesome) man waiting at the corner to come escort people to the building.  No joke, I would not have made it if he hadn’t come to collect me from the middle of the street.  Is it possible to be a GREAT Samaritan, instead of the usual Good Samaritan?  If it is, this guy was so it!

Time to cuddle up with Luna Bell, a big blanket and a few movies and pray that my doorman was correct when he said these windows are “made for this kind of weather.”

Stay safe, Chicagoans!