By The Associated Press
From New Jersey to Maine, millions of people, many
with Superstorm Sandy still fresh in their minds, dug out from
underneath mounds of snow Saturday.
Many were left with serious consequences. Hundreds
of thousands lost power, and on New York's Long Island, abandoned cars
littered the roadways, left by people who could not make it home Friday
night as the storm intensified.
Others simply had a few inches to clear from their
cars and sidewalks. But mostly, people soldiered on, planning cocktail
hours after clearing waist-high snow, cross-country skiing down narrow
streets and even braving 4-inch stiletto heels to stay chic during New
York Fashion Week. A few of their stories:
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Randle Roper and Jacob Olson have been waiting for a blizzard for a long, long time.
Roper, 41, and Olson, 31, moved to downtown Providence, R.I., from Los Angeles two years ago.
"We've been waiting for this snow forever," Roper said.
The two spent days waiting with childlike
excitement for the storm, hoping to use the snow boogieboards they
bought when they heard there would be substantial snowfall.
"We're looking for the perfect hill," said Olson, who grew up in the Marshall Islands and is completely unfamiliar with snow.
"I love it," he said. "It's so much fun."
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Karen Willis Beal got her dream wedding Saturday -
complete with a snowstorm just like the one that hit before her parents
married in December 1970.
"This is what I've wished for all my life," Beal said afterward.
The storm kept some guests from making it to the
church-turned-restaurant in Portland, Maine, where the ceremony was
performed. But she was still happy she got her storm.
"Weather be damned, it's been a great day," said her husband, Greg Beal, of Manchester, N.H.
The happy couple even took some outdoor photos, including one at a lighthouse where they used a sled as a prop.
"The gusts were enough to knock you off balance," Greg Beal said.
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Angel Nunez stood with one foot on the bottom step of his row house in Jersey City, N.J., ready to scoop another mound of snow.
Nunez wanted to clear the steps quickly, and well;
his upstairs neighbor is due to have a baby any day, and he wanted to
make sure she could get out safely if necessary.
Jersey City only got about 5 inches of snow. But
after two years of shovels getting dusty and people forgetting what a
typical Jersey winter is like, the snow came as somewhat of a surprise.
"We got a little spoiled from the last few years of
not having as much snow. So it comes as a little bit of a shock, but
it's February, so we should be expecting it," He said.
"But I think this is enough. This will do it for the rest of the year for me."
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The storm didn't stop the chic from attending - and
dressing the part for - New York Fashion Week. At the Nicole Miller
show, blogger Stephanie Ospina, of New York, was wearing her pointy-toe
stilettos pumps with bare legs.
She thought about not going to shows Friday but decided "I'm going to go to as many as I can. New Yorkers are that way."
She did wear boots - not quite snow boots since
they were 3-inch wedge heel shearling boots to the Lincoln Center tents -
and changed once she got inside.
Alyssa Montemurro, 22, said her 4-inch heels were a workplace necessity. She didn't bring boots.
Why? "I am 5-foot-3 on a good day, and when you're
interviewing models backstage it's best to be somewhere near their face
level."
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In Boston, one 16-ton city snowplow almost got
stuck on one street and had to pull back while a frontend loader was
called in to clear it.
"This is bad, this is really bad," said the plow
driver, Domenic DePina, who has worked for the city public works
department for more than four years.
Complaints could be heard on the plow's
communication radio about people around the city shoveling or blowing
snow back into the street, which officials warned against.
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A pirate flag snapped in the gale-force winds outside Eileen O'Brien's house in Sagamore Beach, Mass.
O'Brien stood outside in the gusts, trying to clear heavy snow from her deck for fear it might collapse.
The town was without power, and O'Brien said the temperature inside was falling fast.
"My thermostat keeps dropping," she said. "Right
now it's 54 inside, and I don't have any wood. There's nothing I can do
to keep warm except maybe start the grill and make some coffee."
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Scott Bauer and his wife, Stacey, were digging out
from several feet of snow at their rental house in Fairfield, Conn.,
near the shore. It's their second rental home they've lived in since
Superstorm Sandy destroyed their home.
Bauer, who is 40 and in medical sales, said they plan to build a new elevated house and hope to move in by October.
They didn't lose power or get flooded in this
storm, and Bauer, who has two sons, was upbeat, noting his family is
healthy and are rebuilding.
"We've already been through the up-and-down
rollercoaster of emotions with losing our home and the kids moving twice
now," he said. "I think they are hardened by the storm, so they're
definitely a little tougher now, and they realize that this really isn't
that bad."
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Mike McNamara, 55, chief operating officer of a
Bronx charter school, left his downhill skis in Colorado when he moved
to New York recently.
"But I brought my cross country skis - just in case there was enough snow in New York City, like I'd seen on TV."
That day came Saturday. The Pennsylvania native
flashed a grin as he pushed off with his poles across Central Park's
Sheep Meadow.
The 15-acre preserve, blanketed with nearly a foot
of snow, became a playground for frolicking dogs and for children
building snowmen and making angels under a bright sun.
But this was still New York City, "and it's hard to
find a spot that's not fenced in." That includes Sheep Meadow, its
fence topped with snow against a postcard-perfect view of Manhattan's
skyline.
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Forget shopping for groceries or shovels. At one store in Abington, Mass., people had one thing on their mind: a drink.
Customers were lined up 10 deep ahead of the storm
at Rosie's Liquors, snapping up 30-packs of beer, bottles of wine and
every single bottle of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum.
Manager Kristen Brown said the store had five times its typical sales Thursday and Friday.
"It has been crazy," Brown said. "We've been absolutely slammed. It's almost been like Christmas here."
"A lot of people are saying, 'I'm going to be stuck with my family all weekend. I need something to do.'"
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Associated Press writers Katie Zezima in Jersey
City, N.J.; David Sharp in Portland, Maine; John Christoffersen in
Fairfield, Conn.; Verena Dobnik, Leanne Italie, Karen Matthews, AP Radio
correspondent Julie Walker and AP Fashion Writer Samantha Critchell in
New York; Rodrique Ngowi in Boston; Erika Niedowski in Providence, R.I.;
Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; Bill Kole in Sagamore Beach, Mass.,
contributed to this report.
A woman prepares to launch her child down a snow-covered street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013.
AP Photo/Elise Amendola). Patrick Cramphorn places an "Open" flag outside the P.I.
AP Photo/The Day, Sean D. Elliot). George Ransom pushes a snow-thrower through waist-high snow in front of St.
A shirtless jogger runs through New York's Central Park Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013.
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