Adventures in Travelling, Part 2

It didn't look like a lot of snow when I got off the plane.

Using crass language, I questioned the heartiness of New Yorkers as I made my way to my friend Alex's house where I would stay for the next couple nights. In northern Michigan, we take a few inches of snow in stride and keep on going wherever we're headed, but my plane was three hours late for this?

Even as it began to hail a little later while we were walking to the bar to meet dear friends, I smiled and thought "at least it's not that cold." When Alex and I made a short trip to Kmart to pick up an air mattress, the weather was getting progressively worse and worse, but still I shook my (very wet) head and trudged on.

Having been up for the majority of two days with only a short 15 minute nap in between, it didn't take much before I was completely exhausted and it was time for Alex and I to make our way back to her house. We exited the bar and even my northern Michigan sensibilities were shocked at the amount of snow that had accumulated in just a few short hours.

Trying to keep my phone dry, I took this picture:

It's kind of hard to tell, but it's snowing.

Circumstances bring New Yorkers together in the strangest ways. This night was no different. We walked out to Houston, doubtful we'd ever be able to find a cab. The cars that were out were slipping and sliding all over the road at maximum speeds of 5 miles per hour.

As one occupied cab stopped in front of us, Alex knocked on the window to see if they'd share with us and give us a lift across town. The snow was falling so quickly, it was hard to see and even harder to walk, so we were relieved when the couple in the back agreed. I got in the front and Alex in the back and off we went, slipping and sliding west on Houston.

I chatted with the darling cab driver, who really was doing a spectacular job of steering the cab that wanted to go in every direction but forward. The farther west we got, the weirder the conversation in the back turned. Not sure of the motives of the couple who originated the fare, Alex and I were glad to jump out in her neighborhood, slipping and sliding on foot the few blocks to her house.

What was only a couple blocks seemed like miles. It was surreal and beautiful and frightening and hilarious. We laughed a lot until, finally, we were back in her warm, dry apartment.

The next day, it was like a different New York. Things were shut down, plans were canceled and the dump trucks, complete with tire chains and ginormous snow plows, were getting stuck in the street.

There was something enchanting about New York that day. It was beautiful and sort of serene in a way New York isn't often. I grabbed my camera and, since it really wasn't very cold, Alex and I wandered. Though it wasn't the day I'd planned, it was a lovely divergence from what was expected.

The rest of the weekend was a busy blur of activity with short breaks for sleeping in between. I was in town for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference, which was fascinating and exhausting all in itself. In between, I tried to fit in as much time with my friends as possible, but found that try as I might, I couldn't accomplish all I'd hoped to -- a consistent theme in my life.

As pretty as the snow was that Thursday, the rest of the weekend was a constant battle against slush that only someone familiar with New York in winter can truly understand. Not only is it mid-shin deep, but it's the same color as the asphalt so you think you're stepping in an inch or so of icy, dirty, soupy melt and surprise! you're wet up to your knees.

It's somewhat spectacular how snow disappears in New York, though. While there was so much of it on Thursday morning, and seemingly nowhere to put it, slowly but surely throughout the weekend, little by little it just went away.

It was a fun adventure. I enjoy going back to New York, but it's also really nice to come home. I find I've acclimated to my slower, quieter life and I appreciate my home so much more once I've been away. Though I was only gone for five days, I found myself homesick quite often and missing my dogs and cats even more than I expected.

So the answer is, get rich so I can have two places to live: the city home and the country home. Someday ...

In the meantime, here's some pictures. And I guess I must admit, I know as well as anyone how hearty New Yorkers are. I suppose it was a lot of snow.