I knew when I saw my window brighten from the lightening strike and heard the accompanying thunder while it was snowing in Jersey City, that this snow storm was bizarre. I felt that Mother Nature was definitely letting us know who was boss, and I was most definitely going to give her the respect she is due.23 inches of snow and wind gusts of 30+ where reported, and according to several weather reports, we've hit Top 5 record of the reported snow fall in the area. I awoke to see my backyard with several 3 to 5 foot plants, was completely blanketed with snow, several tufts of green barely peaking out of the pristine view. Half of my window was covered with the fluff, the patio table looked like a beautiful huge white mushroom, and I dreaded opening my front door to have a small avalanche fall onto the floor of my ground-level apartment.
I watched the news as New Jersey declared a State of Emergency, and wondered who was insane or desperate enough to drive in this weather. Having had been in several terrifying experiences in bad weather including a 360 spin-out into a ditch on Route 80 a few years back, and another time seeing several sports cars lined-up in ditches, I knew I was not going to drive my car which is in need of a brake job.The news also reported that NJ Transit bus service had been suspended, and Hoboken had also declared a State of Emergency. Though my walk to Hoboken from Jersey City Heights down Ravine Avenue is only 15 minutes, the State of Emergency, wind advisory, lack of bus service, and constant advice to "just stay home" convinced me to err on the side of caution. The fact that my stairs weren't even visible, and my landlord finished shoveling the snow from my walkway at 10:30am, made it pretty much impossible for me to hoof it to work, so I worked from home thanks to my understanding broker and boss.
As I finished a few hours of work online, the rumbling in my stomach reminded me it was time for lunch. Realizing my fridge was empty and my curiosity prompted me to walk to the nearest grocery store. The vignettes I would see in my neighborhood included a winter wonderland of frustration as neighbors shoveled their driveways and cars spun their wheels attempting to move from their parking spots. As I walked toward my car parked on the corner of Prospect and Oakland, I knew that the 5+ foot mound of snow behind my car created by the street cleaners would complicate my next morning’s commute. I didn’t own a shovel, and I was definitely going to have to invest in one. I resigned myself to having to walk to work the next day. Unfortunately the nearest store was closed due to the weather, so I walked to another store on Webster Street which had Lipton Chicken Soup in stock, and back home I trudged.
The next day, as I walked toward the bus stop, I saw a NJ Transit bus stuck in between a mound of snow and a silver SUV on Central Avenue. It had apparently jack-knifed and was blocking all of Central Avenue traffic, including the 87 bus to Hoboken. Walking to work it was. I slipped once on some compacted wet snow, but I was well insulated and the snow was quite soft. I shared the street with cars as most of the sidewalks where yet shoveled. As I got to Ravine, I saw a young man trying to figure out the best route down the hill. He turned out not only to be neighbor, but someone who worked in my building as well. We walked down the street and made it to work on time.I left work early to run some personal and work-related errands, and walked back up the hill to my apartment. I dropped off some things, and searched Central Avenue for a shovel. Walking through the now cleaner sidewalks and sludge on each crosswalk, locals photographed themselves standing on a 10 foot mound of snow at the Stop and Shop Supermarket parking lot. I walked by Manhattan Avenue which hadn’t been touched by the snow plows. By the time I finished my errands, shovel in hand, it was quite dark. Another day will hopefully melt the snow further and I can hopefully shovel my still-trapped car.
