New York To DC: You Are Snow Wimps

from .hello foto's flickr

In a bit of Mid-Atlantic rabble-rousing, the Daily News makes the case that unlike New Yorkers, residents of Washington DC are cold-weather cowards. Despite the fact that the nation's capital got hit with between three and four feet of snow in less than a week compared to our relatively paltry 8 to 17 inches, politicians who know both cities say DC residents can't handle snow. "Wimp is the word, let me tell you," said Bronx Rep. Eliot Engel.

"In New York, I think I can count on one hand all the time they've closed the schools for my kids or even for me and my wife. Yet in D.C., there only has to be a threat of snow and they're closing the schools for a week," added Engel. "In New York, there's no way that would happen. It's like night and day." Though Mayor Bloomberg did preemptively close schools before the snow started falling, the storm didn't stop the MTA from offering relatively normal service and life in New York went on as it usually does, albeit with more slush on the sidewalks.

But in DC, some streets were being plowed for the first time on Thursday—nearly a week after the first storm—and life in the city reportedly isn't expected to return to normal until Tuesday, following a three-day Presidents Day weekend. "Certainly there's a different mindset where every threat of snow is the storm of the century," said Rep. Mike McMahon (D-Staten Island), who along with other congressional delegates had no work this week because of the snow and no work next week due to a holiday recess. "[In New York] we plan for it. We budget for it. Every inch of snow costs about a million dollars."

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By Ben Muessig in News on February 12, 2010 12:12 PM

Comments [rss]

Kriston

For the record, we didn't fire the first shot.

LB

Ooooooooooooooooooo, Was that a dig at us New Yorkers ? lol

LB

Lol, What's next ? Are we going to critize them for changing the name of there Basketball team to the Wizards ? ( We see what wonders that has done for the team ) !

Rebecca

okay, i feel the need to speak my case. i'm a native new yorker going to school in dc. there's several reasons why this snowstorm in particular gives us the right to complain. first, this was literally the most snow dc has gotten in 100 years. we beat a record set in the winter of 1898-99. so, dc simply doesn't get this much snow. last year, the total all winter was 7". the winter before was 4". so of course snow removal for 4 feet of snow wasn't in the budget. even still, the snow removal budget was strained during the storm in december. the entire city was forced to shut down because it wasn't possible to clean up all this snow.

second, dc has a much different transportation and commuting situation than ny. it's true that many commuters must take the LIRR, metro north, nj transit, etc... but most maryland and virginia residents rely on the metro, which is notoriously horrible in the snow at the above-ground stations. the dc population literally doubles on weekdays. i don't know the exact statistics, but i doubt this happens in nyc. so while a lot of dc was cleaned quickly, some areas of maryland and virginia didn't see a plow until thursday.

third, dc as a city is different than nyc... i've had to learn this the hard way. portions of dc proper are like the suburbs. i'm a full mile from any grocery store which is difficult to get to when there's no transportation and snow is up to your hips.

before this storm, i'd had one snow day during my 2+ years dc... so please don't jump to conclusions that everything shuts down the second there's a drop of snow. and yes, i'll admit that in most cases dc can be wimpy about snow, but this time it was justified.

SikBug

Well put and you're right, I grew up in DC and now live in NYC.

Candy Brains

Why must you be such a snob! I guess you better contact the local DC weathermen and tell them their terminologies are all wrong--as well, contact all the people who were enclosed in huge white-out conditions that consumed and stopped their SUVs, stuck in snow drifts that couldn't be escaped from, that it was just a snow storm:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/11/AR2010021105046.html

ed_Extinct

Why can't you reply to a thread correctly? ;P

Candy Brains

Easy to make fun of us in DC, since NYC got no blizzards and we got 3 (so far). You can only boast about how you would have toughed it out--but then we'll never know will we, since it DID NOT happen to you! But here's what's important--there is nothing to be gained about being stoic and sticking to usual work routines in the face of weather adversities--there is much to be gained in being a hysterical wimp, I call it snowcation!

ed_Extinct

they weren't blizzards. They were bad snow storms.

ed_Extinct

Being that they, in past years and decades, have received far less snow than us, they don't have the equipment for removal etc.

And who cares? Our weathermen up here can't even predict a storm. Blizzard? No. more like 6 inches. In fact the storm from the weekend, we were supposed to get up to a foot and got nothing.

samkim

Kind of jealous of DC. We only get rainy days every once in a while (LA)

dues

Yeah, well we in DC are jealous of you for that very reason. (But really, the weather's pretty much all you guys got going for you.)

ed_Extinct

Don't hate of love LA. Tolerate it.

ed_Extinct

or, not of

volite

Hey, at least we both NY and DC can agree on one thing: it's Pantytime™

Guest

You have that right!

Kev29

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

{switches classroom lights on and off}

seven

As someone who grew up in DC, I'll admit the city doesn't handle snow storms as well as New York, Chicago or Boston, but cut the city some slack on this one. Over 3 feet of snow were dumped on the city in less than a week. That's a once in a century storm.

woodstock

After Mr. Engel has shoveled snow for 13 hours in less than a week I'll be happy to have him call me a wimp. Alternatively, he can prepare to kiss my a** in Macy's front window.