The City Of Evanston Throws A Snow Emergency Party And I Wasn’t Invited!

Thursday afternoon, winter weather advisory, six to 16 inches possible…oh shit!

I’ve just moved to the city of Evanston within the last few months from next door neighbor Skokie and already I’ve experienced the maximum that any person could possibly experience, both good & bad. But nothing could have prepared me for the snow emergency that was declared this past weekend in the city of Evanston and the aftermath that followed.

Thursday afternoon most Chicago radio stations forecast a winter storm warning consisting of everything that I didn’t want to hear; snow, more snow and even more snow for the entire listening area.

So I prepared for it righteously. I called my landlord the day of the impending forecast and asked him where it would be *safe* to park in the neighborhood. He told me where it was generally safe to park and where specifically to avoid, both being ticketed & towed.

By all means he told me, avoid Asbury Street, he said.

After I arrived home Thursday evening, I parked in the safe area. I got home, laid out my winter clothes, made my lunch and even went to sleep early, a rarity for me on a Thursday evening. My logic was simple; get to work on Friday in one piece and not slide all over the road.

The snow was expected after midnight, so I had an even break; just barely. Strangely, I awoke at 3 am, slipped on a pair of jeans and went up to the lobby of the building to survey the damage. It didn’t look that bad, I told myself and went back to bed. Two hours later, I awoke again and it looked as if the snow was getting heavier, so I decided to get ready, clean off my car, start the engine and let it warm up.

I left my apartment at 6 am and went according to schedule. At 6:15, I saw a local taxicab do the unthinkable; the driver attempt to do a U-turn by turning into an icy, snow-covered alley and then back out halfway, but of course, the car became stuck in the snow.

As I watched him struggle, I walked over to him gingerly and asked him if he needed a push. At first he declined, but then when he saw he was spinning, he gladly accepted the offer. He asked me in broken English, “You want drive car?” I politely declined and give him a good firm shove and out he went from the alley and into the street. As I walked back to my car, he passed me, honking at me enthusiastically, as I gave him a thumbs-up for good measure.

I brushed the snow off my car with my gloves & the extra snow brush I brought along with me & once the car felt nice and toasty inside, I prayed that I’d get to work safely, pushed the automatic stick to *D* (drive) and off I flew. But I didn’t fly that fast, more like 20 miles an hour, with a line of cars in back of me, none to happy I suppose.

But, snow is snow and it’s one kind of weather I don’t mess with. I made it to work in record time, 45 minutes ahead of schedule; I took no chances and waited inside my car and took several dark and terribly bad photos of the street near my workplace.

The rest of the day flew off without a hitch; it was a light work day & not that many people came in nor were there a lot of cars on the road neither. People at last heeded the advice of both the weathermen & newscasters; avoid driving if you can; take public transportation if at all possible. This time it had worked.


By the time the work day had ended, the roads were clear. It looked so picturesque outside, almost like a picture postcard from the early Twentieth century. And thinking it that the roads were clear, I parked in front of my building as did a few other cars; on Asbury Sreet.

The next afternoon, as I went to start my car and get my afternoon going, I found a ticket attached to my driver’s side car door; due to a snow emergency the city had declared & according to the sign, I wasn't supposed to park there and yep; I was ticketed accordingly.

When I spoke to a Evanston police officer that afternoon, after picking up an item from Freecycle, the officer explained to me that since the city was still on the *declared* snow emergency, that was the reason I received the ticket, even if the street had been cleared.

That didn’t make any sense to me and I told the officer that it seemed as if that was interpretive law, meaning that those in charge could make and bend the law to their liking. The officer then told me that I was lucky I wasn't towed. I agreed and hung-up.

In late September, when several funnel clouds were reported in the area, tornado air raid sirens were sounded. When it comes to snow it seems we citizens have to find things out on our own. I guess snow is far less destructive, other than the fact that a person can get frostbite or freeze to death.

Funny how that is really, when considering I live in a town where a mayor doesn’t even show up to her own city council meetings and the aldermen take turns *playing mayor.* Funny how it is that neighbors don’t say hello to each other and act unfriendly to new neighbors, even if they dress they alike or look slightly different. Funny how it that people in million-dollar mansions still behave like Howard Hughes and never come out, other than to get their newspapers.

Funny, how pathetic it really is. Really and truly sad. A terrible statement on America in all reality, that is, that nobody really cares and supports apathy. And in honor of their apathy, I want to puke my guts out on their sidewalks, pee & shit in their bushes and walk away whistling as if nothing bad ever happened.

Apathy can be such a good friend at times and I suppose it’s better than jumping into Lake Michigan, while screaming a curse to the sky.