In a city where political leaders often seem distracted by their own lofty agendas, it’s frankly refreshing, or perhaps shocking, to witness a moment when New York City’s administration actually performs one of its basic public services with competence and timeliness. The biggest snowstorm in five years swept across the city, dumping between 8 and 12 inches of snow on various neighborhoods, including a frosty 11.4 inches in Central Park. Under the diligent watch of Mayor Zoramani, the Department of Sanitation, often the unsung heroes, sprang into action, plowing and salting the roads to ensure that the city wasn’t entirely buried. You can imagine the cheers—okay, mild nods of approval—from residents when the streets were cleared several times throughout the night, resembling a choreographed dance of snowplows.
Despite the commendable efforts of the sanitation workers, the typical urban chaos persisted, creating an amusingly chaotic scene on the snowy streets of Manhattan. Buses resumed operation, but City Bike remained sensibly sidelined as snowdrifts transformed bike lanes into treacherous trails. It’s always a spectacle to see New Yorkers, often considered indomitable, reduced to trudging along in bike lanes like a herd of disoriented penguins. Meanwhile, the sidewalks offered a patchwork of passability, depending on the promptness or lack thereof in the property owners’ shoveling efforts. Perhaps a subscription to a weather app might aid those who ‘forgot’ to clear their patches of sidewalk.
Families of wintry antics also abounded. One needed no slideshow to imagine folks playing in parks, making snow angels, and indulging in other such fleeting childhood pleasures. There was even a brazen daredevil, deciding that snowboarding behind a car was an enjoyable, albeit reckless, way to spend an afternoon. Yet this is the stuff that transports real New Yorkers back to their own snow day memories—when every towering drift was a potential playground.
Mayor Zoramani, in all his benevolence, declared Monday a remote learning day, siding with the academic calendar and ensuring students logged in instead of lounging in their pajamas for an actual snow day. These decisions, he claimed, were tethered to commitments by his predecessor. One can’t help but muse over a bygone era when kids could rejoice in the occasional, spontaneous holiday gift from Mother Nature without needing a Zoom link. Nevertheless, plans are to return to “normal” operations as soon as tomorrow, evidently confident that the icy grip of winter won’t hamper the city’s routine much longer.
In an iteration reminiscent of a rare harmony in New York governance, the emergency response was largely successful. From ambulances that navigated with four-wheel drive to warming centers ready to shelter the homeless, New York’s city services rose to the occasion. Pardon the indulgence, but it seems even Mayor Zoramani is capable of seeing beyond the partisan playbooks and recognizing where a simple helping hand is needed. It may not have been Rockefeller Center with resplendent lights, but in the freeze of the snowstorm, most saw a toastworthy showcase of community spirit—and perhaps a fleeting reminder of what public service ought to be.
