I think weather reporters everywhere can agree that Blizzard Jonas lived up to their expectations of burying the East Coast in snow. Read More →
Archive for snow
We don’t have much to complain about since New York has not been hit with as much snow as other parts of the country this winter. But when we are hit with another blizzard, we groan because chances are we’re going to school or work in it. Of course, we all look forward to “snow days” (when schools are closed) so we can catch up at home instead of treading our way through snow mountains and slippery roads. Not to mention all the wet grit and grim from the streets. Gross! But “snow days” are rare in New York City. So needless to say, it’s snowing (A LOT) but we’re not closed; no “snow day” for us. But we are here to support our students who have also made their way to campus. Although it’s not easy to move around with all this snow, New Yorkers always find a way to get where we must go. Our students who move here from other parts of the world, also quickly learn how to get from uptown to/from the boroughs in all conditions. It means we plan a little more efficiently and we’re more resourceful… And thank goodness for one of the more reliable mass transit systems.
With no where to go today and probably very few visitors (because who would risk coming to Columbia in this storm — besides us and all our dedicated faculty and students), we’ll have more uninterrupted time to review applications. We’ll begin releasing admission decisions for our two-year MIA/MPA/MPA-DP programs in mid-March so there’s not much time to finish reviewing all the applications we’ve received for fall 2014 consideration. That’s all I have for today (sorry it’s not as enlightening)– my head is in the applications…. and the snow storm happening outside my windowless office.
Travel safely where ever you may be.
a view of Columbia University Low Library
entrance to Columbia University Morningside campus
A snowstorm in New York City can be enchanting, especially when viewed from indoors! However, it is not in our nature to stay put for long and the show must go on! So, we New Yorkers bundle up and do our best to traverse the snow banks that have replaced the street curbs and sidewalks, keep upright on the ice (lifehacker tip: walk like a penguin!) and keep fingers/toes from freezing. Temperatures today hover in the teens (12 degrees right now) and the wind that whips across Morningside Park, between the streets and avenues all over the area can take your breath away, literally!
While these pictures were taken personally, the Gothamist’s piece “enchanting new photos prove polar vortex snowstorm was totally worth it” features some great ones. Be sure to watch this gorgeous black and white video of the snowstorm in Morningside Heights too!
I am not a meteorologist and I rarely watch local television news (I prefer the PBS NewsHour), however my highly unscientific observation is that it has snowed a great deal in New York City in the past month – seemingly more than any other year that I lived in New York City.
Normally after a storm the snow will entirely disappear after a few days, however one storm has followed another week after week and the city has thus been perpetually covered in snow for over a month.
I posted some pictures after the blizzard that hit the day after Christmas and a few readers mentioned they liked the pictures. It snowed yet again on Wednesday night and I took some more pictures on the way in to work Thursday. Some of these were taken with my Blackberry so they are not the best quality, but I hope you enjoy them anyway. The main gate at 116th and Broadway has some statues and they were fashionably snowed on.
The trees on the main walk were pretty with the snow covering the branches. Later the snow becomes pretty alarming when the temperature warms up and the snow crashes on top of unsuspecting pedestrians.
These are the same bikes I took a picture of last time, and I do not think many of them have moved.
Those of you that have visited the International Affairs Building might be familiar with the “fish bowl” that is a part of the main lobby. It was covered in snow . . .
. . . and later on there were some SIPA students exhibiting joint cooperation by making a snow man to watch over the fish bowl.
Some of you might have heard on the news that the greater NYC area was hit with a blizzard yesterday. I thought I would share a few pictures.
This is not a glorious picture, but when I went to take out the garbage this morning this is what awaited me . . .
This one is interesting because it was inside the 50th street subway station . . . I say again, inside. The wind was blowing so hard it forced the snow through the street vents . . .
Not many people were riding their bikes today . . .
And normally steps are visible in front of Low Memorial Library, but not today . . .
Why is this post labeled Blizzard #1? Because based on a review of what’s going on in our application system, our office is going to be hit with a digital blizzard next week when the January 5th deadline hits.
"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."
—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs
