Blizzard in the hood

Against doctor's orders I waded out this afternoon into the snow with the doctor Frenchman. For once, I caved and allowed my person to be encased in his hi-tech snowgear, which is lightweight, wind- and waterproof, instead of my usual cashmere layers and coat, in which it is hard to move. Glad I did. We walked into a blizzard!

The world was beautiful, and quite empty. Court Street, below, is a main thoroughfare and had been recently ploughed.

Heading down to the Gowanus Canal on 3rd Street the only vehicle moving belonged to the local FDNY's fire chief. A travel ban has been issued.

The movie magic of walking in the middle of the street.

Why I wanted to see the Gowanus, I am not sure. I just did. By now our faces were wet and the snow was flying straight at us.

We turned around and headed home, cameras tucked under our jackets in a vain effort to protect the lenses.

Up on 2nd Street the snow lay thick. By now about 16" had fallen.

Kanzan cherries bending low, below.

Smith Street, below, is typically jammed with traffic on a Saturday.

In the snow, everyone looks at everyone else, and smiles. That is not the way New Yorkers usually interact.

Final stretch, back on our block, below.

...and the reason the travel ban was issued. Whiteout:

30 minutes later we were home, and I was hustled into a hot shower, before downing a cup of thyme tea.

While we've had some snowy winters in the previous two seasons, this is the most accumulation I have seen since 2006 (26"), the year I started to take pictures, and pre-blog.

Tomorrow the sky will be blue, they say, and the world will be lovely. We are city dwellers, at home, with no need to be on the road, or at work,  or to bring the sheep in. So we stay indoors in comfort and look out at the changed world, and plan dinner (tartiflette, with truffle), and hope only that the Internet does not go down.

Because that would be a real catasrrophe.