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January 27, 2004
We'd roll out the red carpet, but we can't find it
Welcome to Washington, D.C. Bring your own shovel.
I picked the perfect time to visit the District of Columbia: during my two days here so far, the area has had six inches of snow topped with glistening freezing rain. Good luck trying to land a taxi out of National airport -- they're scarce because city streets aren't plowed. Many of them aren't salted, either.
With most schools closed and the government telling workers to go home early, D.C. has largely shut down... because the streets (and most sidewalks) are slippery, slushy conduits of non-commerce. My friends here say that it snows heavily several times per year, so winter weather isn't big surprise like it would be in, say, Miami Beach.
Contrast D.C. to Chicago where, if there's snow or freezing rain in the forecast, an army of trucks patrol the city's vast network of streets and highways, daring Mother Nature to bring it on. From a customer service standpoint, D.C.'s frozen municipal government fails.
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