Images of Boston Shut Down by Snowstorm Juno

Snowstorm Juno, that shut down Boston on Tuesday, January, 27th, is the first blizzard we’ve experienced outside the tasty ice cream shakes served up by Dairy Queen. We were fortunate to return from New York City Sunday night, with a bus full of college students, as Bostonians were stocking up on supplies in preparation for the city shutting down today.

For days prior, the National Weather Service warned that travel today would be “impossible and life threatening.” As a result a state of emergency was declared and the entire Massachusetts turnpike, I-90, that crosses the state was closed effective midnight today by Governor Charlie Baker. And in Boston, non-essential vehicular traffic has been banned and offenders face a $500 fine.

After dumping around 20 inches of snow on Boston, the worst of snowstorm Juno appears to be over and we joined others taking a break from being restricted to their homes (and getting in the way of snow plows). Virtually every business in Boston is closed but walking a few blocks near our apartment, CVS and Dunkin Donuts are now somehow open (how did employees get to work and why aren’t they facing fines?), but McDonald’s and Starbucks in Allston remained closed.

We’re fortunate to have a view of Commonwealth Avenue, one of the biggest streets in Boston and several of these photos were captured from the windows of our Allston apartment. Snow plows were busy throughout the night continuously clearing Boston’s streets. It was announced yesterday that Boston’s public transportation would be shut all day today. The trams have been running continuously since midnight, with no passengers, to keep the tracks relatively clear so the city can attempt to resume normal business operations tomorrow.

Boston prides itself on being more organized than New York City in clearing snow quickly and we can tell that the city is doing a great job during a storm ranked in the top 10 worst to ever hit the area. It’s been entertaining watching some crazy events unfold- like a cross country skier emulating something we’d more expect to see in the streets of Norway. Our local squirrels were temporarily buried in their tree hole, but have emerged unscathed, though perhaps a little flustered. The governor has announced the travel ban in Boston will be lifted at midnight tonight, but more businesses are already reopening. For those experiencing Snowstorm Juno, stay safe and warm, and if you’re lucky to be reading this from a beach somewhere, enjoy a Margherita for us.