I was warned, when I arrived in DC, that "winter" was going to consist of a lot of 34-degree rain and slush. Buy a sturdy pair of rainboots, everyone said, and move on. Don't wish for snow.

Luckily, I ignored them all, bought a nice sturdy pair of snowboots, and was here to welcome the city's heaviest snowfall on record.

Beginning the night of December 18th, 2009 (Friday) and extending late into Saturday evening, DC experienced the worst blizzard this decade, chalking up more than eighteen inches of snow. The above-ground metro trains stopped running. Federal offices closed all day on Monday. And I loved every absurd, powdery minute of it.


Luckily (and despite the general sense of: "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"), DC managed to keep major roads pretty clear. I got this shot Sunday afternoon while walking up Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol:


People mostly stayed in on Saturday (as the mayor urged us Not To Leave Our Homes), but by Sunday were out and about, albeit cautiously and on foot. The weather was warm enough for some of the snow to have already melted.

But (clearly) on Saturday as the snow was falling, I geared up and went running as far as I could, just for the hell of it - stopping to play in the biggest drifts and half-sliding right down the middle of the still-powdery streets. Hey, if DC only offers me two days of unfettered, snow-slippery bliss this year, I want to have made the most of them.

And, besides - Washingtonians need to learn how it's done.

1 Comment

1. amt317 on January 21, 2010 at 10:25 AM

   This warms my little snow-loving (and snow-deprived) heart. I may have to post a little something on our faux blizzard later on. :)