Seattle doesn't know how to operate in snow. We had an unusual snow situation in December, with heavy snow falling for several days in one week, causing a rare buildup that stuck around and effectively shut down much of the day-to-day business of the city.
It also created an unusual opportunity for a sense of community, at least in my downtown neighborhood. Without all of the traffic, our streets were quiet. People who had nothing better to do felt free to get out and walk the streets, wave to and chat with their neighbors. People were sledding in the streets, or getting their exercise by shoveling sidewalks. It was a quite different feel from a normal business day, when every other street is a major traffic arterial filled with hurtling tons of loud, smelly vehicles. What if everyone lived near work, or near convenient transit? My neighborhood could be more like this every day.
It also created an unusual opportunity for a sense of community, at least in my downtown neighborhood. Without all of the traffic, our streets were quiet. People who had nothing better to do felt free to get out and walk the streets, wave to and chat with their neighbors. People were sledding in the streets, or getting their exercise by shoveling sidewalks. It was a quite different feel from a normal business day, when every other street is a major traffic arterial filled with hurtling tons of loud, smelly vehicles. What if everyone lived near work, or near convenient transit? My neighborhood could be more like this every day.