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TODAY

Thursday, March 28

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jjj / February 2, 2011 11:16 AM

I work from home, so I was safe and sound yesterday.

This morning I decided to venture out and encountered snow drifts up to my chest by the lake. Holy crap it was scary out there. And it's not nearly as windy today as it was last night.

But I guess that's not much of a story.

I feel bad for the people stuck on LSD. As far as I can tell, it's still closed down. I know a lot of cars are still stuck, but I hope they're rescuing the people.

Nuke LaLoosh / February 2, 2011 11:23 AM

My downstate parents are snowbound on their farm with no power, no water, no heat, and no coffee. And no way for anyone to reach them.

Andrew Huff / February 2, 2011 11:44 AM

I went back out last night to take photos and video, and came across a bus stuck in the snow on Western Avenue. It was a 22 Clark Street bus heading up to the Howard CTA terminal to start its run, but now it wasn't going anywhere. The driver said she'd been stuck for about 40 minutes.

bob / February 2, 2011 11:54 AM

Lakeside in Rogers Park we had, no kidding, 60+ mph sustained winds all night. Non-stop. 4+ foot snowdrifts on side streets and sidewalks. Side streets are completely impassable. Video of the crazy winds off the lake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL-9q8K0JAE

Leeta / February 2, 2011 1:25 PM

There's loads of snow outside, yet I'm warm, dry, and watching Portlandia on On Demand, because human progress and science beat nature. Suck it nature.

Nuke LaLoosh / February 2, 2011 3:01 PM

Apparently somebody is cross-country skiing on Western Avenue.

Also, I have discovered that my parents have a portable gas heater and some bottled water, so they'll probably be able to tough it out until the utility company can restore power, then things will return to normal.

jjj / February 2, 2011 3:22 PM

If anyone reading this has ever wanted to walk in the middle of Lake Shore Drive (sort of like Bike the Drive but on foot) now is your chance.

There are lots of people doing just that right now. The police who are keeping LSD blocked to general traffic don't seem to mind (at least not near Hollywood).

TinyJ / February 2, 2011 4:23 PM

Ventured out today in Logan Square to see how things looked. Main arteries plowed, side streets buried. The great thing though, was that total strangers were banding together to dig the streets/cars out. Everyone was smiling and friendly, despite large portions of the neighborhood going without power well into this morning. An amazing scene - makes me proud to be a Chicagoan.

mike / February 2, 2011 4:28 PM

This morning I helped two of my neighbors clear my building's sidewalks and back porch and courtyard. At lunchtime, seven of us cleared out six of our cars. Although I have no plans to drive anytime soon, I'm glad my car is clear. We're good to go! There are ten people clearing out the alley across from my place. They're using a sled to haul the snow out of the alley. I'd do some exploring but I have a lamb ragu that'll be simmering on the stove for the next three hours. Then later, Netflix time. Be careful out there tonight folks. Big Sky's too big to sympathize.

Brule Laker / February 2, 2011 9:31 PM

I walked from the Metra station to Chicago Stadium to see a college basketball tripleheader. Wait, that was in 1967.

y a j / February 3, 2011 1:14 AM

My friends lost power, so they camped out at my place all day. We all had our laptops, blackberries and cell phones going to work from home. I think it looked a bit like a campaign office. We ended our long work day at Rev Brew.

bob / February 3, 2011 9:15 AM

Also, I got up yesterday, got dressed and came to work. A coworker asked how I got there. I said, um, I walked to the Red Line and took it downtown. Seriously, folks, just deal.

mike / February 3, 2011 10:32 AM

Do you have any kids bob? Not everyone lives within walking distance of the el. I do, but I don't pat myself on the back because of it. CPS was closed yesterday, Metra was still screwed up, and LSD was still shut down. It may have been easy for us, but for a lot of people, getting downtown would have been quite an ordeal. Their employers were smart enough to close, which made it possible for you to have a trouble-free commute and act like a tough guy.

Nuke LaLoosh / February 3, 2011 11:03 AM

A coworker of mine was walking to the office yesterday. The wind blew so hard that it forced him to take a header into a snowdrift.

How about that, Bob? Now he has to "just deal" with a head injury!

Mucky Fingers / February 3, 2011 1:55 PM

My only blizzard story is that I don't have one. I responded to this event with indifference and boredom. All I did was shovel my walkways, return indoors, and eat pizza. I should have been helping others as Mike did (kudos to you, brother).

beer:30 / February 3, 2011 4:05 PM

The photo by Melissa Stone [of the burned-out van] is a block from me at the corner of Hoyne & Thomas. A couple guys thought they could get it moving c.7:30 in the morning on Wednesday [yeah, right!] But they only succeeded in pushing the vehicle past its capabilities and the transmission overheated tot the point where it caught fire. A fire truck responding got stuck in the snow on Hoyne trying to get in from Augusta. They had to run a hose from a hydrant & pumper two blocks north at Division & Hoyne to extinguish it. Lord knows how long it'll take the city to haul it outta there. Took a few photos of it myself, one with the Victorian mansion fully in the background. Made it look like Detroit.

Other than that, just shoveled, took a break, and repeated 'til it was done. Mingled w/neighbors, watched people cross-country ski, and a guy was even out jogging w/snowshoes on his feet! Biked to work today. Good times, and life goes on.

taj / February 3, 2011 6:17 PM

It took 3 hours on the bus to get from the Loop to Belmont exit off of LSD. It was a bit scary, especially seeing another bus stranded.

Soup / February 4, 2011 8:39 AM

I had fun! I started the blizzard by leaving work at 2, washing my hair, and getting comfy under blankets in bed. But, boredom struck in at around 9 pm, and I called a friend to meet at Hopleaf. The walk there was "windy" and "blinding". But, it didn't bother me enough to give up. My pal David and I decided to meet at the corner of Clark and Ainsle and venture north to Hopleaf together. When I first saw David, his beard, eyebrows, and eyelashes were so covered in white snow, he looked like an old old man!
But, we both agreed that we felt like children for being out there, even though we are in our thirties... At the Hopleaf, it was warm and friendly, and not as crowded as usual. We chose fine beers and sat by the window, the #22 bus continued to run! Since my pal's employer didn't call off work for him, he left, and I ventured further north to my boyfriend's. It was a strong storm, but if you are healthy and smartly dressed, it was fine by foot. I have friends that got caught on LSD, and I feel so bad for them! I think because I am a cyclist, I feel very apt and comfortable in inclement weather, that there is no part of the north side that is unnavigable, especially near the lake front path... Wednesday was fun too. I shoveled my front walk, hung out with roomies and cats, and then took the #22 downtown, my face peeled to the window. I am a clinical social worker went to work and ordered Chinese food for all my clients at the emergency shelter! I listened to their blizzard stories, and sang happy birthday to a client too! It was pretty great.

Anthony Lewellen / February 4, 2011 11:48 AM

Oh man, there was this blizzard. Man there was like a ton of snow all over and stuff and wind and stuff and people were getting stuck in their cars and stuff. Man it was crazy.

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