New York, Nu York: The Ugly Snow is Here

By ELLEN LEVITT
Last Thursday New York City was one of several regions in the United States to receive several inches of snow. Snow looks so nice when it is falling; the flakes dancing in the sky, pure white and cool, landing on bushes and trees and making creative patterns all over the place. Within a day or so, in the urban environment, it looks grungy and grotty, with shades of black, gray and urine yellow marring the scene.
My children were happy about the snow at first because the public schools in New York were closed down that day (as were the vast majority of private and parochial schools). We all stayed home and chilled out, did chores, reading, and what have you. I love to shov(el) so I went out twice, to clear the sidewalk and driveway, and brush the car and our steps. 
Snowfall brings quiet and for several hours y neighborhood was much quieter and peaceful. The outdoor subway train lines (the B express train and the Q local train) experienced massive delays so we did not even hear the ka-chunk ka-chunk of the trains riding by. At time however, we did hear whipping winds, more than a bit eerie.
But now it is almost a week after the snowstorm and the snow looks like ick. Parking spots are at a premium. Our lawns look sad. But I did ride my bicycle around the neighborhood, yesterday and today, in order to get to and from work. 
There is a lesser known and sadder side to the snow. There have been a few fires that broke out, and the fire department has a particularly difficult task fighting fires in extremely cold weather. And each time there is a big snow fall, a few people who go out to shovel the snow end up dying from the exertion. Further, the homeless population in the city is especially tormented by snow and cold, and the shelters fill up more in this kind of weather.
How much more slushy stuff will we get in NYC? Will it be as annoying or dangerous in subsequent times? We shall see.