Big snow fall in Manhattan

Gorgeous snow fall last night. About 3 inches of snow accumulated all over Manhattan. Out our window this morning everywhere you look at gorgeous swirling snow flurries.

All the noises of a New York morning are muffled by the snow falling silently. It transforms the high energy, bustling New York city into a surreal winter wonderland. Trees are delicately coated in microheaps of snow with sides of an impossible angle. Snow climbs up in gravity defying molehills on car side mirrors; statues are given a whitegleam; and the snowflakes dance quietly as they travel to earth.

As the city wakes up, the picture changes quickly. Shop keepers start clearing their entrance-ways and the snow ploughs start clearing streets. The prepared shop owners who had salted their pavements last night were happy as the snow melted as it fell on the little balls of salt.

The tranquility is broken by the scrape of the snow shovels, but the traffic still sounds very muffled. It is as though nothing wants to be too noisy on this gorgeous morning.

Quickly the traffic picks up. Accident reports on the radio and long traffic delays remind us that the snow has a downside as well. But, for two Australians in the city, it is hard to not stare out the window as the gorgeous snowflakes gently dance to earth. The steam clouds billowing from the tops of the buildings, as people fire up the heating against the cold, fight a losing battle as the snow gently and slowly covers everything.

I leave for work, slipping and sliding over the frozen, snowy pavements. I have got a lot better at this, but it still requires a lot of concentration. The snow quickly covers my hair, my scarf and my bag. The snow on the roads is already turning into a black, brown slush. My shoes are covered in snow, ice and salt. Not a good treatment for nice leather shoes!

The train quickly whisks me to work. At the end of he subway ride, all the snow on me has melted. Even my shoes look reasonable. Passengers coming into the subway are still covered in a dusting of snow.

Now the snow is falling outside the window. It is as pretty as a postcard! The rooftops of all the buildings are white and clean. The snow flurries tumble and play outside the window.

-- Sent from Gmail for mobile mobile.google.com