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!

Wednesday Walking

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Even though it’s still 25 degrees, the sun was out in full force today so I was actually looking forward to my walk to the gym (if you haven’t tried David Bohn’s Tabata class at Equinox, do it immediately.  It will change your life or, at the very least, your butt).

On my way, I came across a snow covered-Bean, reflecting the city with a backdrop of blue.  And a Zamboni clearing off the skating rink.  And lots of other people like me, who were happy to ignore the cold for a chance to see some sparkle on the snow.

I love this city.

Cold and Crisp

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I bundled up and went for a little walk this morning.  It is crisp and cold and absolutely December.  It’s the kind of cold that flirts with the edge of snow, the below 30 degree cold that could turn into flakes at any second.  I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t the least bit excited for snow.  The city is so beautiful and bright with a fresh layer of snow.  It makes holiday’ing official.  Which it totally is, and this upcoming weekend solidifies it even more…with or without snow.  My parents are coming into town for the 4th Annual  “G Family Christmas Kickoff” and I couldn’t be more excited.

It’s November, right?

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Chicago Forecast: 70 degrees today.  68 degrees tomorrow.  High of 65 on Friday.

In November?!

I mean, the Corner Bakery had its air conditioning on today.

I am convinced that this heat wave is because I bought a winter jacket on Sunday.  Mother Nature knew I was prepared and decided to throw me a curve ball.

First thing on the agenda tomorrow: running along Lake Michigan.  The marathon was exactly a month ago today and I must  say, without 26.2 miles looming ahead of me, I have been running 1x each week, at best.  Gotta get out there before the snow sets in.

Which will probably happen on Saturday.  Chicagoans knows that 70 to snowing is totally, absolutely, definitely a possibility.

Still snowing…

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It’s still snowing.  While it isn’t what the East Coast is getting slammed with, for a city with bare sidewalks yesterday, it is still something.  I took this picture while I was walking to 7/11.  I felt it was too snowy to venture to the gym but felt it was completely necessary to walk almost the same distance to get this:

I love Diet Coke and am perfectly willing to go out in a snowstorm for it.  And look!  Valentine’s cans!  Love and Diet Coke–a match made in heaven.

Here’s how Luna Bell feels about the snow:

She doesn’t want to talk about it.

Snow Plows, Wind and CTA Cuts

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I can’t really complain about the snowstorm that is quickly and quietly enveloping the city right now because, well, it’s February in Chicago.  Having grown up in the Midwest, this sort of thing shouldn’t even phase me.  But there was a part of me that went to bed last night that thought “Ha, they say we’re supposed to get 12-15 inches starting at 9pm and it’s 11pm…suckers.  My sidewalks are staying dry and I’m wearing tennis shoes tomorrow.” 

 7:30am: The sound of snow shovels scraping the pavement.  Dangit.

The snow is being pretty polite as of right now.  Kind of like “Hi, I’m here, it’s Winter so please don’t be angry but I’m going to stick around for awhile and I might get super into this and bring tons of my snowflake friends with me to make going outside the last thing you want to do.” 

Also going on right now in Chicago is the CTA making cuts to the buss and train routes.  That coupled with snow should be interesting.  I haven’t noticed any delays in my commute but I really feel for people who have to be in the snow for longer that usual.

Stay tuned.