As Winter Storm Gail fell descended on New York City yesterday (Dec. 17, 2020), I wrote an article encouraging people to venture outdoors for winter walks as the air becomes cooler. Having done that, I could hardly have stayed inside in the aftermath of our snowstorm. On my post-Gail excursion, I took several pictures of the aftermath around Brooklyn, including a Brooklyn snowman, a bush, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I took all of the pictures in this article using the Open Camera App on my BlackBerry Classic.
Brooklyn Heights Snowman
I came across a snowman that someone had built atop a sturdy planter in Brooklyn Heights. Planting a snowman in a planter was quite clever. The carrot nose serves as a nice finishing touch on the ensemble.
Unusual Tree Pit Plant
When I was walking through Cobble Hill the other day, I noticed a peculiar plant growing from a tree pit. The sidewalks of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill are lined with trees growing from tree pits, as I documented here on site once before. Some tree pits are used as flower beds. But few tree pits are used for whatever this plant is in the picture (any tips in our Guestbook are welcome). Perhaps due to its thin stem and branches, it appears to be none-too-disturbed by the snow.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s Snow Hat
As I approached the line separating Cobble Hill from Carroll Gardens, I noticed that one residence’s outdoor Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had received a snow hat. Perhaps it is more accurate to call it a snow mask and saddle? A small Christmas tree just below Rudolph was similarly snow-capped.
Parting Snowy Thoughts
While I found some nice sights on my snowy walk, there are downsides to New York City snow for pedestrians. For example, stores and businesses in the area tend to be good about shoveling the sidewalks, but no one wants to take responsibility for the curbs. The City is less diligent about cleaning the sidewalk in front of municipal property, but it did a decent enough job plowing the streets. One downside to the aftermath of Winter Storm Gail is that the temperatures are hovering around freezing and below for several more days, meaning that we can look forward to icy patches over the coming days. Tomorrow, I will offer some thoughts on how to walk well in sub-optimal conditions.