Unless you were under a rock, you knew that the midwest and east coast got attacked by wind and snow a couple of weeks ago, and Chicago was one of the worst.
Luckily we moved in the week before, and were snuggled in our place before one of the biggest storms on record hit our city.
The winds were so fierce that our 1906 windows (really... I don't think they've been upgraded since this building was constructed) we rattling like a baby's toy. We had to shove about a binder of folded paper in the cracks, so that we could actually get a good nights sleep.
The next morning we woke up to see the snow coming down in buckets...
It really was a gorgeous sight...
but poor Chris had to go shovel out our car, while I spied on him from the warmth of our place three stories up. It took him 2.5 hours...and for 2.5 hours I worried about him...um...not...it was more like 2.5 hours of praying to thank the heavens above that I am a married women.
The whole city shut down for a couple of days, with good reason.
I was seriously getting anxiety wondering where they were going to put all the snow.
These pictures don't even do it justice. It was insane, and there are still cars buried to this day.
Now don't forget, we are both from Utah, so we are used to snow and blizzards. I've been snowed in my fair share of times, but it was always in suburbs, where roads were wide enough to get a plow it and out. Here, they had to do a lot of it by tractors or manual snowblowers. Plus, you can't just pile it up on the side of the road...there is no room...they were putting it into dumpsters and hauling it who knows where.
(Another difference from the west coast?? When it is cold here...it is COLD. Like down to your bones cold. Sometimes we get hit by the wind coming off the lake, and it literally takes our breath away.)
I had to venture out, a couple days later, to the local Starbucks to work (we didn't have internet yet), and saw this in the paper. It is a picture is of Lakeshore drive, and those are all abandoned cars. Insane!!! We live just two blocks from lakeshore drive, and lake michigan, so it was crazy to see this picture. Thankful we didn't have to go through that....
Luckily, this week, the temperature has been in the high thirties and low forties, which pretty much feels like the dead of summer. (The week before it was 4 degrees, and felt like -7). The snow is melting, and cars are slowly starting to emerge from 6 foot high snow mounds.
People keep telling us how amazing spring, summer, and fall are here in Chicago, and we got a glimpse of that the last couple of days, and I can hardly wait. I mean, if we already love it during this record weather, then we must be in for a real treat in a couple of weeks!!!
15 love notes:
I feel your pain. I live in Cleveland right by Lake Erie. The winter's are no joke here.
wow. that is scary! it's the total opposite where i am in singapore and seeing all the snow makes me miss the cold ): i was in chicago over christmas in 2009 and the cold made me want to curl up in a ball and just die. regardless i hope you enjoy your new life there! xo
dc got its own snowpocalypse last winter. two actually. and it was the same deal... the city shut down, abandoned cars. it's kind of fun being snowed in though right?
despite all the snow...GAWD i mss chicago!
I feel ya. We live in Boston. I grew up having Utah winters and they can't even compare to East Coast snow storms. 20 degrees in Utah and 20 degrees on the E.C. are way different.
Utah's snow composition is light and fluffy, hence having "the best powder on Earth." New England snow is wet, heavy and dense. Plus, the real killer is the humidity in the air. Like you said, wind plus humidity is like ice ripping into your bones.
On the flip side, Spring is the best thing in the world. Stay warm!
what a welcome to your new home!! That is crazy!!! Great pictures!
ew. ew. ew.
i hate the snow. so glad i don't live in it. :)
the snow was so fun! my least favorite season/regular occurrence is when all the snow melts and makes HUGE puddles on the sidewalks and crosswalks. there is just no way around them sometime :) but it's all melting like crazy.
Oh my goodness! As someone from Texas, I just can't even fathom that! Glad y'all are safely in the new place! <3
Here in Spain I saw on the news about the snowstorm that hit you. Total chaos, isn't? Climate is very different from California, right? I really hope that spring comes early!
I hope everything has been normal for there.
Hugs
Wow, that snow is insane! But what I really want to know is if Chris put a lawn chair down to save his freshly shoveled parking spot. I read a news article that Chicago is known for leaving different household items in their parking spots as a sort of "dubs" don't take my spot or you'll die! Any thoughts on this?
Sooo crazy! We got a foot of snow here during that storm. Then a few days after (before any of it had melted), we got another 5 inches. It finally started to melt, but THENNN last week, we got 21 inches at our place, and it was freaking unreal. It got down to -15 (without the wind chill) at night. Umm... I live in Northwest Arkansas. I do believe this is the south. Barely the south, but still the south. What the HECK.
We live in Rogers Park, near Loyola University, on the lake. You really should go to Southport Grocery, it's a gem! I'm gathering from your pictures that you live near the zoo and nature museum?
Thats crazy! Glad you moved in before! Makes for pretty pics though...
these pictures make me want to turn on my fire place... utah has had very little snow as of late... kind of wish it would at least snow enough to cover the brown ugly grass...
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thank you for the love note.