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So, yeah, it was nasty this morning…

March 2, 2009, 9:54 PM

I think the one time that taking public transportation to work truly sucks is when it’s snowing outside, and you have to wait outside for the bus out in all of that. And let me tell you something… it was really coming down. The federal government had a late opening today (two hours late), and I think that definitely worked to my advantage, since it gave everyone a chance to dig out and give the buses a better chance to get where they’re going, and for the sidewalks to get cleared so as to lessen the chance of my falling on snow and ice.

And because of my later start time, I wasn’t able to take the 51 to work, since the last 51 of the morning goes past my house at 8:40. So I went down to Georgia Avenue and caught the Y5. And as you can see, it was nasty out there when the bus arrived:

The Y5 arrives along Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County

The bus was just creeping along Georgia Avenue, and so what is normally a quick little ride up Georgia Avenue ended up feeling like eternity. But not to worry. The Flxible that I got, number 4097, was toasty warm inside.

And then the Metro was slow going, too. I found it interesting that at Takoma for one, Metro didn’t even bother to clear the far outbound end of the platform. There were several inches on the platform there, and a few drifts. So much for use-all-the-doors there, as people on an eight-car train would be out of luck, ending up on a platform covered with a few inches of powder.

But I made it to work just fine, as the two-hour delay did exactly what it was supposed to – give us all a chance to dig out a little.

Otherwise, though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a winter storm like this since I’ve lived up here. The snow was really coming down last night, and the wind blew it all over the place. Usually when it snows, my balcony gets snow only on the last foot or so. This time, there were about four or so inches at the end of the balcony, and the snow came within inches of my sliding door, meaning that most of my balcony was totally covered with snow.

And meanwhile, I still find President Obama’s comments about snow amusing: “My children’s school was canceled today, because of what, some ice?” while indicating that where he’s from, you still went outside for recess in the snow. Yeah, DC is kind of wimpy when it comes to snow, as things tend to start shutting down when it gets icy. Local talker Chris Core, as he does annually, made sport of DC’s reaction to winter weather on WTOP last fall when he basically said, “Head for the hills!” when the first flurries were spotted. Of course, one can’t entirely blame DC for shutting down for snow, because unlike many parts of the country, we only see snow two or three times a year, and the snow usually only lasts on the ground for a week, if that.

Still, once we get the roads and the sidewalks cleared up all nicely, I hope the snow lingers for a while. It’s pretty to look at. I would love to get some more snow photos, particularly at night, especially now that I have this Canon digital camera. I haven’t done any serious snow photography since 2003 on a DC trip in February of that year, and around JMU. I need to photograph snow, and I’d really love to do snow in Dupont Circle.

Web site: From WRC on this winter storm...

Song: Not a song, but someone gives a rebuttal to President Obama's comments on snow.

Quote: Meanwhile, rain, snow, sleet, or shine, the most dangerous part of my entire commute is in Dupont Circle, crossing Massachusetts Avenue on my way to P Street, just past the SunTrust building. I say that if I'm ever going to get run over on my way to or from work, that's the most likely spot for it.

Categories: Winter weather, WMATA