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The Blizzard of 2003

On Sunday evening, February 16, 2003, a major winter storm that had already shut down Philadelphia and Washington began dropping gentle flakes of snow on Manhattan. By Monday morning, a foot of snow had fallen and when the snow finally stopped early Tuesday morning, the twenty inches of snow represented one of the largest winter storms to ever hit New York. Mayor Bloomberg estimated that the additional costs for snow removal at around one million dollars per inch. It was the biggest storm of the century...although the century was only three years old.

While blizzards are a nightmare to many commuters and service workers, Manhattan residents take to the streets and parks of the city and find their inner child, regardless of their age. President's Day, 2003 became one big snow day off from school. On Monday afternoon, I left the warmth of my Upper West Side closet apartment and ventured into Central Park to capture the following images.