Chris Kelly of Seattle walks bundled up through Belltown during a snowy day in Seattle, Feb. 4, 2019. "This is not my style," he says. "I'm just trying to stay warm out here."
A man crosses Rainier Avenue South during the early morning hours of snowy Seattle, Feb. 4, 2019.
Commuters wait for a light rail train at the Columbia City station in a snowy Seattle, Feb. 4, 2019.
A King County Metro bus travels northbound on Rainier Avenue South in Columbia City, Feb. 4, 2019.
A Seattle Center employee shovels the parking lot adjacent to the Museum of Pop Culture, Feb. 4, 2019.
A Pike Place Fish Market employee snaps photos of a snowy doppelganger at Pike Place Market, Feb. 4, 2019.
Shawn Franklin of Tacoma, with Seattle Free Walking Tours, leads a group of tourists through the Pike Place Market on Feb. 4, 2019. “Normally it’s packed from wall to wall here," he tells them. "They’re slackers ... not like me.”
Travis Mann of Hines Building Engineering cleans the steps outside of Amazon's headquarters in downtown Seattle, Feb. 4, 2019.
Are those snow globes? The Amazon Spheres covered in frost. Seattle, Feb. 4, 2019.
A pedestrian walks along Yesler Way past an advertisement depicting sunnier days, Feb. 4, 2019.
Cindy Wu of Seattle hugs her 1-year-old dog Boomer after taking a selfie with him at Seattle Center, Feb. 4, 2019. "This is his first time seeing snow," she says of her pooch. "He's loving it!"
Schools closed, of course, as did community centers, some libraries and the municipal court for part of the day. Garbage collection halted in both Seattle and Tacoma and the Seattle City Council canceled its morning briefing.
Overconfident drivers unwisely tested the steep hills of Queen Anne and Capitol Hill. Scores of Seattleites lost power as well. And the city and King County both opened emergency shelters for the area’s homeless population.
And yet, for the apocalyptic fear that descends on the city with any hint of snow, so too does a sense of celebration. On Monday, for a city that rarely sees snow, an awful lot of school-age children (and some hooky-playing adults) scrounged up sleds and channeled their snowman-making skills for a day of fun.
This city may be petrified of the snow, but few others enjoy it as much as Seattle. — David Kroman
