 "Photo: The Associated Press")
WASHINGTON — A $20 cab ride to the airport skyrocketed to the “snow rate” of $100 in the nation’s capital, and those travelers who could get to the airport or train station still had to haggle or wait in long lines to escape the snowbound Mid-Atlantic.
The most pressing matter: get out before another foot or more of snow comes Tuesday.
“I’m done with city, urban snow life,” said Chris Vaughan, a Washington resident who was able to re-book a flight to go skiing in Utah. He dodged the pricey cab fare by having a friend drop him off at the airport — in exchange for a bottle of wine.
The region had nearly 3 feet of snow in some areas. One scientist said if all the snow that fell on the East Coast were melted, it would fill 12 million Olympic swimming pools or 30,000 Empire State buildings. Philadelphia and Washington each need just a little more than nine inches to give the cities their snowiest winters since 1884, the first year records were kept.
Meteorologists predicted the snow would start Tuesday afternoon and continue into Wednesday. Between 12 and 18 inches was forecast for Philadelphia, the nation’s sixth-largest city and a travel hub — which could cause a ripple effect of travel problems for the rest of the Northeast. Airlines warned travelers more flights would be canceled, and the new storm was expected to hit a wider area, affecting New York and Boston.
Sharon Lewis of Bowie, Md., was desperate to spend time with family in Trinidad. She bargained for an hour and got a flight to New York’s Laguardia Airport. But it came with caveat, she would then would have to drive across town in rush hour traffic to make a connecting flight at John F. Kennedy airport within an hour.
“I don’t know how that’s going to happen,” she said. “It’ll be a disaster.”
On Craigslist, owners of four-wheel drive vehicles were selling rides to residents in northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs. One classified ad read: “Stay safe on icy streets — 4x4 Tahoe available.”
Union Station was bustling with long lines as many passengers decided to try Amtrak after flights were canceled.
Manuel Bernardo, 30, of Bethesda, Md., was on his way to Barcelona, Spain. He bought a ticket to New York and was hoping to make it there in time to catch his flight to Madrid.
“Until this morning, I was happy as pie, because I love snow,” he said.
Others prepared for yet another storm.
“Getting around is a pain right now as it is, so slushy and sloppy,” said Meghan Garaghan, 28, as she stocked up on staples and sweets at a Philadelphia supermarket. “I don’t want to think about what it’s going to be like with another foot and a half of snow dumped on top of this mess.”
The storm closed schools and some 230,000 federal workers in Washington had Monday and Tuesday off.
The snowbound U.S. Senate met for a few minutes Monday to recess for 24 hours.
Majority Leader Harry Reid said it was difficult to make it to work because many streets were still not clear.
Be the first to comment on this article!