Friends, Part 1

I learned many years ago that recruiting a companion to go out into a blizzard was an exercise in futility. Although many can perhaps be persuaded to see the reasons behind such a venture, apart from children, very few are going to voluntarily leave the cozy confines of one's home to subject themselves to a blizzard. On one occasion, I had tried to persuade a girlfriend to go out into a blizzard with blinding wet snow, so strong it required goggles. The response was a very confident "no way" - understandable I suppose. Arguments aside, the facts speak for themselves - there are good reasons that the city looks like a ghost town in these conditions.

But my office was shut down, and although I had things to do indoors, this record-breaking snowfall really begged for some photography - a greatly added incentive to bundle up and venture out. A snowstorm this crippling is a rare phenomenon in New York City. Deserted streets. Even as a I write this, I have not heard a vehicle pass by in over one and a half hours.

I headed into the West Village, where I knew I would find the least adulteration of the snowfall. I was amply rewarded with sites that rivaled anything I have seen here in a long time. Cars completely buried and row houses so beautifully framed and adorned by snow, some still with Christmas decorations. See my photo gallery here.

At the corner of Bedford and Grove Streets, I stopped to take a photo of 17 Grove (previous story here), which was so exquisite with its wreaths in every window adorned with blue bows, each frosted with snow. As an added bonus, the owner had taken a moment to open the doorway and admire the winter wonderland outside his home. We spoke briefly in a way that bespoke of two people meeting in a small rural town. I so love this part of New York City, and the snow just gave it an extraordinary ambiance.

But this was not to be the day I thought it would be. Not at all. Across the street lies the building whose exterior was used for the filming of the TV series Friends. It is here that I would meet a lone traveler who would change my day...