Snowy/Salty Roads

If you have not heard on the news lately, the East Coast has been dominated by snow lately and let me just say... enough already. I know I am from Alaska and I am supposed to love the snow, but let me clarify something. I do love the snow, but I don't like walking in it everywhere I go. This was my problem in Alaska. I hate having to trudge through snow, but I am totally fine driving to it, or it even being in my yard and mountains. And I love skiing. There are a few differences with Alaska and New York winters. Alaska is dry NY is humid. Therefore, when it is 20 degrees here, it often feels like zero degrees. It is a cold that I cannot even describe except to say it is cold to the bone! It is completely different than AK. And the wind comes off the Hudson and through the valley and is absolutely ridiculous. Winter in the city it crazy cold! The wind just whips through the buildings and your face almost falls off.

Another difference: Salt v. gravel. I personally hate salt on the roads. I mean really, do I need the bottom of my work pants all covered in a white salt stain? NO. Do I need my car to be covered in a massive film of salt making it look like a cocaine wagon? NO. Do I need my already rust prone Suby to rust out because I cannot keep washing the salt off my car every two days? Def. NO! Stupid. In Alaska they used sand/gravel and it did its job. Tires grip, don't have stained pants, yada yada. Problem with gravel? My windshield was DOMINATED on a regular basis. And when I say dominated, I mean to the point where my NY friends were seriously afraid that my windshield would implode on me while driving. haha. Well, that did not happen because I got pulled over and this adorable cop made me fix it:)


Let me make something really clear. Snow plowers in NY are the WORST! I am beginning to think that I could do a better job. Every plow driver should probably go to Alaska to be trained. The time it takes to clear snow and the serious lack of skill to get the snow actually OUT of the road is ridiculous. This has been a big problem in NYC and in Nyack. Nyack is alot like the city, in that everything is really close together, right on the Hudson and there is nowhere to put the snow, so they kind of just push it around. Ridic. My driveway has not been plowed since Christmas. Nice, really nice. Guess this is just something I am going to have to get used to.

My Aunt Sharlee said to me a couple weeks ago when I was telling her that I had virtually no snow gear here, it was all in Alaska, "We have winter on the East Coast too!" Boy, do we ever! But, at least it does not last 6 months and we have real hot summers! I can live with that:) Now it is supposed to snow again on Tuesday for the 4th time in 3 weeks. Awesome.