Albuquerque got an unusual six inches of snow last night. The skiers are ecstatic, the city is paralyzed and I get to annoy my neighbors once again with tales of my hometown of Chicago. Yes, I’m a weather snob.
While any precipitation is welcome in the high desert, Albuquerque is poorly equipped to handle snow because we get so little of it. One of the reasons I moved here is that snow is mostly optional. I can look out the window and see snow on the mountains and, if I were so inclined, could be on a ski slope in an hour. But I rarely have to shovel my driveway because the typical inch or two of snow in the city usually melts by afternoon.
Morning
Afternoon
When my neighbors complain about the occasional snowfall, I am ready with ridicule. We have a name for this kind of weather where I come from. We call it springtime.
If New Mexicans are spoiled by temperate weather, Chicagoans are spoiled by efficient snow removal. I’ve learned that I cannot expect streets in Albuquerque to be plowed promptly, and that even a few inches of snow can close schools and interstate highways. The best strategy is to stay at home for a few hours until the snow melts off the streets.
Chicago has had a history of aggressive snow removal since 1979, when a record snow paralyzed the city. As a result the mayor, who was on vacation in Florida at the time, was voted out of office a couple of months later. For years afterward, hundreds of snowplows would hit the streets whenever a snowflake appeared.
Many New Mexicans love winter sports, and I’m told the Taos and Santa Fe ski slopes are among the best in the country. I’ve always considered snow something to be endured rather than celebrated. It’s easy to feel that way after you’ve shoveled the same cubic yard of snow the city snowplow shoves across your driveway day after day. I was never tempted to travel from snow-covered Chicago to a snow-covered ski resort, and bought a beachfront timeshare in Mexico instead.
I’m sure I’ll hear all about today’s snow when I meet a group of friends this evening. I can’t wait to tell them about the time I had to shovel snow off my roof in Chicago.