Blizzard 2011!!

What a BLAST! A blast of real winter I should say. Chicago got hit Tuesday and Wednesday with a storm that now sits number 3 on the list of Chicago's all time biggest storms. Our snowfall averaged out around 21 inches. But, if you ask me, the snow wasn't the biggest component. We had major WIND, especially Tuesday night, when we had sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts above 60mph. That is quite an experience on floor 55 let me tell you! A blizzard by definition is a snowstorm with sustained winds above 35 mph. So, we easily beat that! In addition to the wind and snow and whiteouts, we had a Thunder Snow. Never had of that? Me neither! Tuesday night we had lots of lightning and thunder to go with our snow and wind. Very odd. The snow basically was blown out of our neighborhood so upon waking our immediate block had only 4 - 5 inches. But we got a bunch more Wednesday am and then the winds shifted and we got some blown in from the west. I had gone to Whole Foods early Monday am for soup fixin's and produce so we were in good shape. A quick poll of our neighbors and doormen indicated power outages in the building were unlikely, but we rounded up a flashlight with batteries just in case.

We headed out Wednesday am about 10:30, suited up in full for an explore. After heading down Randolph and across to the playground for a minute we continued on to Michigan Ave. Some sidewalks had been cleared but not all so we found it easier to walk down the middle of Randolph, adjusting our path to avoid the occasional snow plow and yes, the #60 bus. I'm telling you, we were amazed at the number of buses and taxis still out and about. Lots of people too, like us, taking pictures and surveying the area. The dogs and their humans were also out in force and for the dogs, it was just an great opportunity for FUN! Some had jackets and booties on, but they all hopped and jumped thru the drifts, eagerly greeting everyone as if to say, "isn't this GREAT?!" In fact, Tuesday night as the storm was getting cranked up, there were several dogs and humans playing out in the six acre park! Wed am, they were back out there again. Chicago dog people are the best!

We headed north on Michigan, noting that Walgreens and CVS were both open, and checked out the bridge and river up at Wacker. We started west on Wacker to check out the former site of Ft Dearborn, stepped thru a bunch of drifts then headed back. Cutting thru the park, we visited the coffee shopped, fully staffed with two tired looking girls. They both lived in neighboring buildings so they walked to work. They were staying open that day until they ran out of supplies...the barista guessed that might be around 2pm.

In spite of what you might have seen about Lake Shore Drive (which, I know, was not good) Dick and I were both really impressed with how quickly things got dealt with all over. Today (Thursday) the schools are still closed, but that appears to be because as of last evening, there were still a bunch of schools without power. This is the first time in 12 years that the CPS system has had a snow day. So, two in a row is really without precedent! As of yesterday early afternoon, everything that I could see from our windows was clean and ice free. The El was mostly running and the suburban Metra trains were running somewhat too. Buses were still making their runs and cabs were available. Of course they have tons of plows and salt trucks, but we discovered that they also have quick hitch plows for the fronts of all the garbage trucks too! Most people have had great attitudes about inconveniences.....along the lines of, "It's Chicago, this happens!" Lots of stories about neighbors helping neighbors, drivers on LSD sharing cars to conserve gas, neighbors of the LSD mess bringing bars and sandwiches down to the stuck drivers.

The saving factor in the storm was that the lakefront was mostly iced over. This prevented HUGE predicted waves washing out over the beaches onto Lake Shore Drive. I've seen that on plain regular windy days, and it's taken out fencing, completely encased benches with ice, and closed down several northbound lanes. Lots of people (well, really, just the media) seem to be criticizing authorities for not closing LSD, but without that open, there would have been significant traffic problems everywhere else as the city tried to beat the worst of the storm home.
I finally muted the news reports cause I just got so aggravated with the tone of the reporting, but I still liked seeing the pictures!

So now, I feel like our Chicago winter experience is complete.