West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT
    • GET WSR FREE IN YOUR INBOX
    • SEND US TIPS AND IDEAS
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
SUPPORT THE RAG
No Result
View All Result

Favorite WSR Stories

  • This Giving Tuesday Help Sustain West Side Rag
  • STAMPED OUT! Have Notaries Vanished from the Upper West Side?
  • Why Residents of an UWS Building Are on a Rent Strike: ‘Only Negotiation Power We Had’
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
SUPPORT THE RAG

CITY MADE FAKE SNOW WHILE BLIZZARD APPROACHED

January 21, 2014 | 4:13 PM
in ABSURDITY, NEWS, OUTDOORS
9

winter-2

Why pay to make fake snow, when the real thing is on its way?

As seen in the photos above and below, snow machines were making artificial snow Tuesday morning around 7:45 a.m. to prepare for this weekend’s Winter Jam in Central Park near the Bandshell. Meanwhile, a massive storm was barreling down on New York City, expected to dump a foot or more of real snow.

Did somebody miss the forecast?

An NYC Parks spokesperson tells us that the city needs to add artificial snow to the real stuff to make sure that the snow is deep enough for all of the Winter Jam activities.

“The grooming equipment we have coming in to create the snowfield at Winter Jam requires a large amount of snow, so in addition to the natural snow we’re getting this week we’ve decided to continue blowing snow. The snowfield will accommodate skiing and snowboarding lessons, cross country skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing.”

Thanks to Denton for the photos.

winter-3

winter-1

Share this article:
SUPPORT THE RAG
Leave a comment

Please limit comments to 150 words and keep them civil and relevant to the article at hand. Comments are closed after six days. Our primary goal is to create a safe and respectful space where a broad spectrum of voices can be heard. We welcome diverse viewpoints and encourage readers to engage critically with one another’s ideas, but never at the expense of civility. Disagreement is expected—even encouraged—but it must be expressed with care and consideration. Comments that take cheap shots, escalate conflict, or veer into ideological warfare detract from the constructive spirit we aim to cultivate. A detailed statement on comments and WSR policy can be read here.

guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

9 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
webot
webot
11 years ago

Your tax dollars at work.

Thank you Mayor De Blasio.

great start

0
Reply
james
james
11 years ago
Reply to  webot

is “thank you mayor de blasio” the new “froyo and banks” remark for 2014? bloomberg made snow, too. you can’t rely on a forecast when snow is the main event.

0
Reply
Dave
Dave
11 years ago

As of 6 p.m. those machines were still running. My guess is they’re building a slope. More info on the Winter Jam can be found here: https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/festivals/winter-jam

On a side note, tax dollars are absolutely not “at work.” Aside from the fact that 90% of Central Park’s operating budget comes from private donations, this is a sponsored event.

0
Reply
webot
webot
11 years ago

i can assure you that taxpayers are paying for some of this, if not most. Meanwhile the snow continues to pile unplowed on our streets, specifically the UES.
Regardless,
Clearly it is a waste of money. Did anyone in charge watch the forecast?
Of course, well, its Central Park ! Home of the billionaires! thats all our Mayor cares about!

Oh wait, we can’t use that tired excuse anymore…….

0
Reply
ScooterStan
ScooterStan
11 years ago
Reply to  webot

Re: “Of course, well, its Central Park ! Home of the billionaires!”

Ummm…last time I checked Central Park was open to EVERYBODY…and always has been. I seriously doubt that ‘billionaires’ use it, but if they choose to do so they are certainly welcome … as is EVERYONE!

RE: “thats all our Mayor cares about!”

Ummm…where’ve you been? That was the charge against the previous mayor! Remember, we had an election back in November and we elected “Che” deBlasio, the anti-Bloomberg.

You need to update your auto-kvetch software!

0
Reply
webot
webot
11 years ago
Reply to  ScooterStan

umm Stan, did you see my last line that we can use that excuse anymore…?

also, it is what we call sarcasm.

I read your comments, I thought you had an understanding of the concept.

0
Reply
ScooterStan
ScooterStan
11 years ago
Reply to  webot

sorry…did not see last line.

A thousand pardons!

0
Reply
Sean
Sean
11 years ago
Reply to  webot

You must be a hit at parties.

0
Reply
Richard Sutton
Richard Sutton
11 years ago

It does seem like a blunder, from the outside perspective, but from our many years skiing, we remember ski areas making snow before a natural snowfall. It seems that man-made snow creates a better base to hold the snowfall, and also to resist the wear and tear of skiing, so I think the Parks Dept. was doing the proper thing, with a big weeked coming.

0
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

The Disco Ball Causing Problems on West 86th Street: ‘Extremely Disruptive’
ABSURDITY

The Disco Ball Causing Problems on West 86th Street: ‘Extremely Disruptive’

December 5, 2025 | 12:27 PM
UWS Weekend: Great Things To Do in the Neighborhood
COLUMNS

UWS Weekend: Great Things to Do in (and Around) the Neighborhood

December 5, 2025 | 7:56 AM
Previous Post

RETAIL OPENINGS & CLOSINGS: GYM SWITCHEROO, KIDS STORE CLOSES, BED BATH RUMOR, MORE

Next Post

FATE OF BURNED CITIBANK STILL UNCLEAR AS DAMAGED BUSINESSES BOUNCE BACK

this week's events image
Next Post
FATE OF BURNED CITIBANK STILL UNCLEAR AS DAMAGED BUSINESSES BOUNCE BACK

FATE OF BURNED CITIBANK STILL UNCLEAR AS DAMAGED BUSINESSES BOUNCE BACK

SNOW GALLERY: POOR LITTLE GEESE, ICE SCULPTURES AND FRIGID HUMANS

SNOW GALLERY: POOR LITTLE GEESE, ICE SCULPTURES AND FRIGID HUMANS

DELICIOUS FRIVOLITIES: MORE FRO-YO, MACARONS, AND JUICE COMING

DELICIOUS FRIVOLITIES: MORE FRO-YO, MACARONS, AND JUICE COMING

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT US
    • GET WSR FREE IN YOUR INBOX
    • SEND US TIPS AND IDEAS
  • WSR SHOP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.