journey

s with any other flights,

the first thing I did after
landing at JFK
International was turn
on my phone to check my WhatsApp
and social media stream.
Even at 6am, everyone was talking
about the weather. If these new-age
news-bearers were accurate, I was
stepping off my intercontinental
flight into the biggest storm in New
Yorks history.
On the taxi ride to Manhattan, my
eyes and attention jumped between
the famous skyline of silhouetted
buildings and my social media

citizens and the city that never sleeps

was bracing itself for a lockdown.
Over the past five years, extreme
weather heroes have become as
iconic in NYC as any other of its
famous talismans. Weather systems
Sandy, Irene and now Juno are as
recognisable as the Yankees, the
Empire State Building and the
Brooklyn Bridge.
The NYC government platforms and
official weather research bodies have
enough historic and future warning
information to indicate an increase in
intensity of weather patterns, during
both winter and summer and I was

Snowpocalypse now

By Ryan Scott

SnowPocalypse isnt a real word yet, but if New York City were
hit by Juno (a blizzard to eclipse all before it), it would soon
become an otherworldly city

Ryan Scott

Christian Xavier

Right: A
hidden gem in
Central Park.
Far right: A chilly
welcome to the
New York Library.

With National Weather Service

predictions of 51-76cm of snow and
warnings to stay at home, I strapped
on my snowboarding boots and went
out to have a closer look.
I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge,
slightly surprised it was still
standing, and traipsed around
Manhattan as if it were a film set. I
kept expecting to see an end-of-theworld, weapon-carrying Will Smith
and a Siberian Husky swaggering
down 5th Ave towards me.
Older landmarks became much
more prominent in these dramatic
conditions. The huge lion bastions
outside the NYC Library were
blanketed in snow, looking more
alive and connected than ever to the
beautiful faade they protect.
Central Park wasnt easy to
navigate, but I made my way along
the paths, knee-deep in snow, with
the little bridges and buildings
sparkling like pearls against a
virginally white background.

feeds. All the locals were using

#SnowPocalypse, with images and
descriptions of empty supermarket
shelves and brightly coloured weather
patterns dominating my feed.
New Yorkers, though, will be the
first to tell you that theyre a very
resilient breed. It takes more than
a smattering of snow and sub-zero
temperatures to keep their coated,
booted bodies off the streets.
But this time, there was more. The
Mayor of Gotham was laying down the
law. The media were feeding the story
at warp speed to social media-guzzling
00 Sawubona June 2015

I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, slightly surprised it

was still standing, and traipsed around Manhattan
as if it were a film set.
experiencing the sharp end first-hand.
Monday began with a lot of winddriven snow and Mayor Bill de Blasio
dished out instructions which saw
Port Authority and Manhattan Public
Transport officials shutting down
bridges, tunnels, subway and bus
services. After 11pm, a de facto travel
ban was in effect and by midnight,
New York was a ghost town.

With no Starbucks to retreat to

for a double mocha cappuccino
defrosting session, I went back to my
hotel for breakfast.
By lunchtime, the moment had
passed and the ubiquitous NYC buzz
had returned. Every trip to NYC
offers something special, but I never
dreamed it would be such a desolate
winter wonderland.