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Seattle’s winter wonderland December 24, 2008

Posted by Niels in : Personal , 4 comments

Despite nearly getting stuck in Seattle for Christmas, I’ve decided that I love the heavy snow. With Safeway, PCC, and my office within walking distance of my house, I really don’t need to drive anywhere. Apparently others in my neighborhood felt the same way, because after the recent snowfall, the streets in Queen Anne were empty of cars but full of people. There were people walking up and down the streets, filling the bars - all of a sudden I lived in a walking city!

There were snowboarders riding down my street, snowmobiles and cross country skiers zipping around my neighborhood, and the south side of Queen Anne hill was full of sledders. It seems like everyone in Seattle turns into Macgyver on snow days. I saw people sledding on cardboard, rubbermaid lids, recycle bins, trash can lids, and even tables. I’m actually a little sad that I’m now in Maryland, missing the tail end of it all.

Your thoughts?

I like Seattle in the winter December 19, 2008

Posted by Niels in : Personal , 4 comments

The snow was just beginning to fall when I drove my roommate to the airport at 4:30 am. When I woke back up for the second time, there was a good two or three inches on the ground and Seattle had shut down.

I tried the “working from home” thing, realized I couldn’t live without dual monitors, and headed out the door to walk to work. It took less than a minute for me to discover the layer of ice underneath the snow, resulting in me sliding a good 200 feet down my hill. (Mostly on my feet, but not entirely.)

The situation hadn’t changed much by the time I left work, so I ended up walking to the top of Queen Anne hill to meet a friend for happy hour. The roads were still covered with ice and empty of cars. But people were out anyway - walking their dogs, carousing at pubs, or just wandering around the frozen winterscape. All of a sudden, I lived in the middle of a walking city. It was fantastic.

I also took this opportunity to sled down Queen Anne hill, one of the longest, steepest hills in Seattle - now closed to traffic for the night. We tried cardboard boxes from Trader Joe’s to start, but found that the trashcan lids from Kerry Park made much better sleds. Hot cocoa followed and I’m now typing away in front of a roaring fire. A good day, overall.

Your thoughts?