Scenes From a Snowy City: Historic Snowstorm Hits NYC

Blizzard forces Fordham to suspend in-person classes and New York City to suspend COVID-19 vaccine distribution

February 4, 2021

New York City witnessed its largest snowstorm since 2016 this week, with 17.4 inches of snow reported falling over Central Park. The winter storm hit much of the East Coast, starting Sunday evening and lasting until Tuesday. Though the 2016 storm was the highest snowfall ever recorded in NYC, the recent storm tied for 15th on that list.

a snow covered path in Central Park with midtown buildings in the background — A snow-covered path in Central Park leading to Columbus Circle. Despite the weather, New Yorkers still enjoyed the scenery that the park offered. (ALYSSA MACALUSO)

the Bethesda fountain with a series of snowmen in front of it, each getting progressively smaller — Bethesda Fountain, one of the largest fountains in New York, has been decorated with snowmen of all sizes. (GILLIAN RUSSO)

Both of Fordham’s campuses were closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the unsafe travel conditions; all in-person classes were canceled, and Fordham’s COVID-19 testing centers were closed.

A snowman wearing a fur cap — Leon Snowenstein happily points out and appreciates all the passers by who observe proper social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines in the park. (GILLIAN RUSSO)

One Times Square with heavy snow fall obscuring the view — The heavy snowfall on Monday decreased visibility of many buildings; however, Times Square still shined bright through the storm. (ANDREW DRESSNER)

The National Weather Service called this week’s storm a “powerful nor’easter,” dumping up to 2 inches of snow per hour in some areas. The city was met with school closures, the postponement of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and restaurant closures as the newly constructed outdoor dining areas were not accessible. Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Monday.

the Outdoor Plaza at Fordham Lincoln Center as viewed from McMahon Hall — Fordham Lincoln Center’s plaza has been engulfed in snow. With in-person classes canceled to accommodate the storm, there are no rushing students to disturb the pristine blanket of snow. (ALYSSA DAUGHDRILL)

a delivery worker brushes snow of their bike — In midtown, a delivery worker brushes the accumulated snow off his bike as he gets ready to work. Food delivery workers are considered essential personnel by the state of emergency. (ANDREW DRESSNER)

This is the second year in a row in which Fordham closed campus on the first day of the spring semester. Last year, Fordham Lincoln Center faced a water main break between Broadway and 63rd Street on Jan. 13. The closure this year, however, offered much better scenery around campus and the city.

someone shoveling off the top of the stairs at Times Square — Crews worked tirelessly to clear Times Square for visitors and store owners. (ANDREW DRESSNER)

This snow day was unlike previous campus closures because, for most students, classes went on as usual in a virtual setting due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Students who could step away from their computers witnessed beautiful snow-covered streets and sidewalks. Views of Central Park showed snow-topped trees towering over the vast white sheet below. There was an abundance of sledders sliding down the many hills, and snowmen filled every open space. Even some skiers could be seen trekking the fields.

a blanket of snow covers a meadow in Central Park — Skiers trek through Sheep Meadow, showing off their perfect transportation method for this weather. (ANDREW DRESSNER)

a bicycle in a snowbank covered in snow — A bicycle sits untouched in the Village as the streets and sidewalks continue to pile up with snow. (LARA FOLEY)

a street of cars covered in snow and plowed in — New Yorkers have been hard at work plowing and shoveling for the past two days. Here, a street in upper Manhattan continues collecting snow on Monday afternoon. (ESMÉ BLEECKER-ADAMS)

a child drags a sled up a snowy hill in the park — A child walks up a hill in Ewen Park, located in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, getting ready to sled down this steep slope. (ALISON ETTINGER-DELONG)

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About the Contributors

ANDREW DRESSNER, Former Photo Editor

Andrew Dressner (he/him), FCLC ’23, is a former photo editor at The Observer and is majoring in natural science on the pre-med track. Outside of The Observer, Andrew loves taking photos, is an EMT and enjoys rock climbing.

ALYSSA MACALUSO, Former Head Copy Editor

Alyssa Macaluso (she/her), FCLC ’23, is a former head copy editor at The Observer. She is majoring in American studies but loves taking classes across disciplines. Aside from trekking across the city to try yet another ice cream shop, Alyssa loves climbing rocks (and the occasional tree), kickboxing, visiting niche bookstores and going to concerts.

GILLIAN RUSSO, Online Editor

Gillian “Gil” Russo, FCLC ’21, is one of The Observer’s virtual vanguards — er, online editors. Previously, she worked as the arts & culture editor and one of the inaugural newsletter editors. Gil is a journalism major/theatre minor who had hoped to write just one Broadway show review before graduation, and although that didn’t happen, she did achieve her new goal to do at least one thing for all 15 divisions of The Observer by then. Other fun facts include that she enjoys dancing and sword-fighting, she can say the alphabet backwards, and she modeled for a French chair catalog one time. gillianrusso.com

ALYSSA DAUGHDRILL, Former Photo Editor

Alyssa Daughdrill (she/her), FCLC ’23, is a former photo editor at The Observer and a journalism and visual arts double major. She is on the E-Board for the Tae Kwon Do club on campus and enjoys going to concerts, exploring the city with friends, dancing, reading and taking pictures.

LARA FOLEY, Layout Editor

Lara Foley, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’22, currently serves as a layout editor. She studies new media and digital design and loves to doodle. She adores working alongside her fellow layout editors and conquering the labyrinth that is InDesign! She has two cats and a doggo back home in Los Angeles.

ESMÉ BLEECKER-ADAMS, Fun & Games Editor and Assistant Photo Editor

Esmé Bleecker-Adams, FCLC ’21, is a visual arts major and (oh-so-jaded) New Yorker who is incredibly grateful for her time at The Observer and for all the lovely people she has met there! Favorite hobbies include sewing, playing table tennis and ignoring her alarm clock.

ALISON ETTINGER-DELONG, Multimedia Editor

Alison Ettinger-DeLong, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’23, is a multimedia editor for The Observer. She is a dual sociology and urban studies major. Alison’s favorite part of creating multimedia content is making graphics and editing videos. She also loves discussing intersecting social demographics, caring too much about fonts and eating lots of vegetarian sushi.

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