Feb 12

Feb 12 Snowy Darkness

Architecture, Chicago, Street, Urban Landscapes

“In a graveyard charade, a late shift masquerade
Two for a quarter, dime for a dance
With Woolworth rhinestone diamond
Earrings, and a sideways glance
And now the register rings
And now the waitress sings
The classified section offered no direction
It’s a cold caffeine in a nicotine cloud
Now the touch of your fingers
Lingers burning in my memory”

— Eggs and Sausage, Tom Waits, from Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)

Just like Sunday’s, today’s snowfall was more rain than snow. The temperature was lower, but it still took several hours before the walkways turned from gray slush to a white blanket, and even then, the many holes in the blanket revealed glistening asphalt and concrete. As for the roads, they were just wet.

This winter, beggars can’t be choosers, so at 3:15 PM I headed out while there was still light. Within ten minutes, I was soaking wet. Nobody looked particularly happy to be slogging through the slosh, but that didn’t stop the commuters from heading to the train stations. The markets close at 3 PM, so the flow always begins mid-afternoon. Nevertheless, I suspect many people headed home early today.

I walked along the south branch of the river, and then doubled back, ate dinner, and headed back out, this time walking along the main branch to Michigan Avenue. Very few pedestrians were out, but there was plenty of vehicular traffic, including city plows and salters.

All I could see through my water-spotted glasses was blurred lights and a big city’s fuzzy shapes. It was a nice look, so I decided that is how I wanted to remember today, particularly because most people would just as soon forget it. But with temperatures headed to their lowest level in over a year tomorrow, maybe people will still remember today until the temperature returns to normal later this week.

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