Nothing freaks out more Portlanders than snow. The whole city literally shuts down. Four inches of snow dropped on Portland yesterday, that’s right 4 inches. Four inches is miniscule to those living in the Midwest or East Coast. Somewhere over there, after reading that last sentence, they are laughing at us.
People putting on chains, getting stuck in traffic for hours, and panicking as they are looking for dinner options at the grocery store. Tons of people came in looking for something to eat and the deli had lines of people waiting for hot food. Fried chicken, corn dogs, chicken tenders, Chinese entrees all wiped out.
We had to keep mopping the floors because customers were coming in constantly. Johnny J, the courtesy clerk pretty much propped up by the door all day with a mop making sure a lawsuit wasn’t gonna happen. The parking lot was packed with cars unable to see the parking line, parked wherever they felt comfortable and many cars had trouble leaving the lot.
All of this for 4 inches of snow. Thank goodness I was working.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s how it is with people driving in rain too! There’s a lady who lives on the East Coast, and blogged about having 11 inches of rain, plus a snowstorm.
If it’s any consolation, thinking of four inches of snow is terrifying here. We get a little drizzle of rain down here in Orange County and think all hell has been set loose.
Yea snow makes people act crazy…Here on the east coast we got 2 feet of snow and people were still driving like the pavement was dry…Crazy fools…Today we are having an ice and snow storm…The roads were horrible…A 6 car accident on 495, people not being careful
I remember when I lived in Seattle, a few years ago, we had a huge snow storm. It shut down the city to the point that people were *sledding* down Queen Anne Hill. So many people came out to enjoy it that the cops had to come and “supervise”. They ended up shutting down the road for the day to basically turn what was once a busy street into an amusement park for kids and adults alike. It was hilarious and also, a whole ball of fun. Enjoy it while you can!
And, I can totally relate to people parking all willy nilly everywhere. Ignoring the half-buried Handicap Parking signs, pretending the store has new and improved diagonal parking, or just making up their own version of it… oh yes, winter is upon us.
Ha! Our schools shut down when a few snowflakes appear.
No precipitation here, freezing or otherwise. Just dense dense fog. The local H-E-B market will undoubtedly be crowded just on general principle. Houstonians don’t much need a weather related reason to rush to the grocery store. It’s an everyday thing.
Hey, happy new year!!
Snow is predicted for the next 4 days here in the Boston area. Better run out and get some bread and milk!! Oh yeah – I forgot – I have a milkman and he’s coming today.
Love this blog! I will be sending it to many friends and colleagues!
what a bunch of wusses! lol. for the palouse 4 inches is a good thing. we only got 2 from the other night. you guys are lucky. i want more snow!
@Alicia – 11 inches of rain and a snowstorm. That’s something I can’t fathom… scary!
@Erika – LOL, I’ve seen that before. SoCal folks really get tense with a little drizzle.
@JStar – LOL, crazy fools. They probably think they’re pros. Here in Oregon, I think we have only 50 plowers in the entire state. So our roads hardly ever get paved.
@Kallay – You know I can see that. Queen Anne Hill is steep and with Dick’s burgers just by that’s what you call a functional amusement park =).
@secret agent women – I bet the kids are joyful for that!
@Diane – For some reason, I’m glad I’m not in Houston. However, I may have better material to write =P.
@Melissa – Thanks for coming! Milkman? No way!
@Genesis – Ah no! Whatever we get, you guys will get.
Found your site through Perennial Student. Having worked in retail I can relate to your stories.
As for people parking every which way when it snows, you ought to see NE Missouri. People here ignore the painted lines even when the parking lot is dry! It’s a rural area, and my brother-in-law says they all drive as if on their own farms.
when i lived in the south for many years, a few inches of snow freaked them out as well.
it’s like they didn’t know how to handle it or what to do…this was on a military base, so you had people from all over the world, who couldn’t handle snow or maybe could alittle.
This is hilarious. I live in Missouri and four inches would be welcome right now compared to all the blizzards we’ve been having. Hehe.
My dad lived in Portland in the seventies when he was in college. He said it snowed once the entire six years he lived there and that one time it snowed, the entire city shut down. Everyone panicked. So yeah, your story doesn’t surprise me at all. But I still think it’s cute! Lol.
http://www.jenniferfabulous.blogspot.com
Some people are so happy when it snows, they get as excited as kids with no school, they play in it, and talk about it all day. Nature shows us who the boss is sometimes.
Secretia
I live in Upstate New York, so we’re used to snow storms that put power out and weather advisories that warn everyone to stay inside… needless to say, NOTHING keeps people from coming in to shop around here… unfortunately.