WEEKEND HISTORY: VIDEO OF THE BLIZZARD OF ’96
Posted on January 31, 2015 at 8:17 pm by West Sider
Last week’s blizzard may have fallen far short of expectations, but the city has been walloped with the real thing before. In 1996, Central Park got 20 inches of snow and the MTA kept running subways and buses.
Check out the video below from Eyewitness News, which shows some great shots of 72nd street and Broadway, including images of people skiing to work, the now-defunct HMV and several other small shops that have disappeared.
Hat-tip to Adam D.
Now that was a snowstorm. I remember Mayor Rudy going on TV to tell us all to wear hats and mittens when we went out.
I watched this video a few weeks ago after seeing it posted on another site. I’ve lived on the UWS since 2003, and only remember that store on the corner being an Urban Outfitters. I had to Google to find out what “HMV” was, which turned up lots of interesting stuff about their battle with then-nearby Tower Records.
Thanks for sharing this clip!
I remember Tim Minton as a junior reporter here on the West Side. One day in particular–perhaps he was chasing a deadline without a story–he stopped my father (well-known at that time) on the street and asked, “Mr. X! Mr X! Where are you off to? Do you have a story for us?” I found it endearing then, and I find it endearing now.
Again, a great clip that brought back memories. Thanks, Avi!
I remember the storm of 96 I went out & took the bus downtown!
That was back in the day when NYC was known as the city that NEVER Slept. Nowadays, we’re known as the city that shuts down in the face of extreme weather (8 inches of snow). I believe the Mayor and Governor should make such decisions on the morning of the storm, just like they use to do back in the day. School closing decisions were made at 6AM, we would huddle by 1010 WINS and listen to the closings, hoping our school was announced. Back in those days, trains and buses ran 24/7. Nowadays, they store the trains in tunnels, disrupting service. By the way, they never actually shut down the system this past “blizzard.” They kept power on. Turning down the system can be done in hours; restarting the power can take a minimum of 12 hours. They “shut them down” at 11 and had them running by 9AM. A complete powering shut down (beginning to end) would take almost 24 hrs. The MTA should give refunds for weekly and monthly passes that were in operable , , , Good Luck!