Day 1542

After weeks of false alarms, the snow finally came down hard last night. Today the roads are mostly cleared and it's back to business as usual in Washington. But last night, the city was in pure chaos. Due to fallen trees and live wires, well over 400,000 people in the area lost power (including me). Thankfully, I came home from work today with heat, lights and a freezer full of still frozen food. Many are still not as lucky. I heard stories today of commutes last night taking up to 9 hours...insanity. Metro and buses stopped service, roads and highways shut down, including I-95, which stretches from Miami to NYC and beyond.

I suppose it was lucky then that I had to work until 9 PM last night. Rather than suffering through the commute time and freezing roads myself, I heard report after report from coworkers, family and even the US Capitol Police officers that work outside my office. So when my sister called to say the power just went out in my condo building, I decided there was no way I was going to risk the drive home. I bundled up, pulled on my Hunter boots, and walked about a half mile to my friends' apartment to crash on her couch for the night. Yes, I did have to wear day-old clothes to work again today (but geez, I did shower and have fresh hair and makeup). But I was safe and warm last night, and able to open up my office bright and early this morning.

So not as bad and the grumpiness I displayed last night...and I greatly appreciate my friends for letting me stay the night! On the walk over, I did manage to take my gloves off for a few moments to snap a few shots.

U.S. Capitol Building (love the snowman those staffers built in the background!)



Supreme Court Building