Snow brings joy and misery to pandemic-weary New York

New York: Children skipped online classes to sled and adults glided on cross-country skis on Thursday as New York’s heaviest snowfall in years brought some relief from the coronavirus pandemic but piled more misery on restaurants and businesses. New Yorkers, used to staring at the same scenes outside their windows during this year’s shutdown, woke […]

New York: Children skipped online classes to sled and adults glided on cross-country skis on Thursday as New York’s heaviest snowfall in years brought some relief from the coronavirus pandemic but piled more misery on restaurants and businesses.

New Yorkers, used to staring at the same scenes outside their windows during this year’s shutdown, woke to something new to look at: a blanket of the white from a major winter storm. “It’s nice to have this bit of a winter wonderland amid the doldrums of staying at home,” said Marlowe Johnson, pushing his two young daughters on a sled down a small hill in Central Park.

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“They’ve grown accustomed to their Zoom classes for school and sitting at home and being on the computer, so actually coming out into nature for a moment is definitely a lift,” he added.

The snowstorm hit the US east coast late Wednesday, leaving more than 60 million people under bad weather warnings from Maine to South Carolina, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights, and causing thousands of power outages.

The “nor-easter,” which also brought wind gusts of up to 70 mph (113 kmh), caused havoc on roads along the eastern seaboard and was linked to hundreds of accidents and at least six deaths.

Across New York, people threw snowballs and took selfies as plows cleared roads and doormen shoveled snow from outside buildings. “They were very excited to get up. They jumped out of bed and put on their snow suits before I had my coffee,” Johnson said of his daughters, aged seven and five. “We had to come out. We’re actually skipping school now just to have the moment outside,” he added.

People also rushed to Times Square, where they built snowmen and had snowball fights. But the weather warning closed outdoor dining at the city’s beleaguered restaurants, which were already banned from serving customers indoors due to social distancing rules. “It’s the latest blow,” said Fnu Dedy, the 38-year-old manager of a Japanese restaurant on the Upper West Side.