Snowcopalypse! Chicago Shuts Down and Digs Out

It’s the day after and it was still snowing for most of the morning when I started writing this post. To anyone living in Chicago, last night sounded a bit like the end of the world. The wind was near-hurricane strength. I heard groans and creaks from my condo building that I never heard before. The snow, the wind, and the cold all contributed to make yesterday one miserable day to be outside walking, but it was especially miserable if you were driving. I mean, other than Bike the Drive on Memorial Day weekend, how often does Lake Shore Drive close down?

The view out my window at around 5 p.m. You will notice that there isn't that much snow in the parking lot, but that all changed on Tuesday when the wind stopped blowing.

As the night wore on, the wind got more intense. Anything that wasn't tied down blew away: BBQ covers, hanging planters (come on people, take these guys down in the fall), outdoor decorations, and so on. Some of these items probably won't be seen again until the spring. Someone's hanging planter made it to my balcony last night, along with some random flower pots. I'm glad that nothing smashed into my windows because the wind was strong enough that almost anything propelled, with the force of the winds last night, would have caused some damage. The first video below is from around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, still pretty early, as far as this blizzard was concerned. The second was taken around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday evening. Along with the snow and the wind, we experienced thunder and lightning, which really did make if feel like the end of the world.

My office decided to close today. What a good decision that was. I took a random walk around my building and it was pretty tough going on foot. CTA buses were running, but good luck finding the bus stops. Snow drifts are several feet high in places, with many sidewalks impassable.

Good luck trying to get to the bus shelter at 16th and S. Michigan Ave.

Try getting out of those garages.

The folks at McHugh Construction had the right equipment to clean off their sidewalk, driveway, and parking lot. I would love to hitch a ride on one of these babies. Check out this cool video; it's "Bob the Builder" come to life.

Even though most of us were stranded and not able to do much, some of us still managed to have fun.The little pug dog pictured below wasn't supposed to be in the picture, but when he saw me take out my camera, he sat right down in front of his "sister" and posed!

Snow? No problem.