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Snow Job
Aired January 28, 2004 - 13:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In New York City, CNN's Maria Hinojosa has literally been caught red-handed.
Have you booked that Caribbean cruise for this time next year? In other words, how bad is it? We hear it's so cold, but not so much on the snow, right -- Maria?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Miles, it's pretty cold.
O'BRIEN: Yes?
HINOJOSA: It's definitely pretty cold. I've got to tell you, although, you know, New Yorkers right now are breathing a sigh of relief. The snow started at about 6:30 last night. It didn't let up until about 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning. So, a lot of preparations for the morning commute. But then the snow tapered off.
Now, in other places -- Massachusetts and even in Albany -- they're kind of calling this the snowstorm that wasn't. Albany was expecting 13 inches. They got three. Massachusetts got just a dusting. So, a lot of people there are happy.
But New Yorkers have kind of had it with this winter. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are still pulling out of here. Maybe you can get a chance to look behind me. This is Union Square Park. There are some people still putting salt and a little bit of shoveling back there. But, in essence, even in the parks, you've got the clearing of the walkways here.
And pretty much here, even if you look down to 14th Street, yes, there are lots of snow accumulation areas. That's just because people have been plowing it up in that way. But traffic is pretty much back to normal. And even down here -- this is 15th Street, which is pretty much of a small side street -- things are very clear out there.
So, I have to say that things are getting back to normal in New York City. They did have several thousand -- a couple of thousand workers out overnight. They did have -- well, let's just say, they have used 250,000 tons of salt, Miles, already in the season -- 120,000 tons to go. Everybody is kind of hoping that that's not going to happen.
Now, you're right. The biggest deal was the million kids who got to stay home from school today -- mine included. They were just ecstatic. But havoc, of course, for the parents. But it's still even too cold for them to come out and play. So, you haven't even seen a lot of kids out here. But things are pretty much back to normal. The city offices are all open. The municipal buildings are open. Yes, the Martha Stewart trial was cancelled. Yes, the U.N. was closed. But at this point, at this hour, we're really feeling like New Yorkers are back to normal, although they do have that look in their faces of, we've had it with the winter.
So, I'm being very careful with the topics that I'm bringing up with them. People don't want to talk about weather necessarily right now in New York, right?
O'BRIEN: You know, when you're on streets of Manhattan, it's always a good idea not to unnecessarily anger people, I think. Don't you agree that should be one important rule?
HINOJOSA: Well, you know, Miles, you know, everybody's pretty chilled most often. But I'm telling you, when you're talking about this weather -- I grew up in Chicago. We were used to cold. But this is not normal for New York; that it just continues and continues and continues. And it's not just freezing, then it's the snow. The thing that a lot of New Yorkers don't know is that there are flurries that are expected tonight and maybe flurries tomorrow. Enough already.
O'BRIEN: All right, Maria Hinojosa.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 28, 2004 - 13:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In New York City, CNN's Maria Hinojosa has literally been caught red-handed.
Have you booked that Caribbean cruise for this time next year? In other words, how bad is it? We hear it's so cold, but not so much on the snow, right -- Maria?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Miles, it's pretty cold.
O'BRIEN: Yes?
HINOJOSA: It's definitely pretty cold. I've got to tell you, although, you know, New Yorkers right now are breathing a sigh of relief. The snow started at about 6:30 last night. It didn't let up until about 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning. So, a lot of preparations for the morning commute. But then the snow tapered off.
Now, in other places -- Massachusetts and even in Albany -- they're kind of calling this the snowstorm that wasn't. Albany was expecting 13 inches. They got three. Massachusetts got just a dusting. So, a lot of people there are happy.
But New Yorkers have kind of had it with this winter. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are still pulling out of here. Maybe you can get a chance to look behind me. This is Union Square Park. There are some people still putting salt and a little bit of shoveling back there. But, in essence, even in the parks, you've got the clearing of the walkways here.
And pretty much here, even if you look down to 14th Street, yes, there are lots of snow accumulation areas. That's just because people have been plowing it up in that way. But traffic is pretty much back to normal. And even down here -- this is 15th Street, which is pretty much of a small side street -- things are very clear out there.
So, I have to say that things are getting back to normal in New York City. They did have several thousand -- a couple of thousand workers out overnight. They did have -- well, let's just say, they have used 250,000 tons of salt, Miles, already in the season -- 120,000 tons to go. Everybody is kind of hoping that that's not going to happen.
Now, you're right. The biggest deal was the million kids who got to stay home from school today -- mine included. They were just ecstatic. But havoc, of course, for the parents. But it's still even too cold for them to come out and play. So, you haven't even seen a lot of kids out here. But things are pretty much back to normal. The city offices are all open. The municipal buildings are open. Yes, the Martha Stewart trial was cancelled. Yes, the U.N. was closed. But at this point, at this hour, we're really feeling like New Yorkers are back to normal, although they do have that look in their faces of, we've had it with the winter.
So, I'm being very careful with the topics that I'm bringing up with them. People don't want to talk about weather necessarily right now in New York, right?
O'BRIEN: You know, when you're on streets of Manhattan, it's always a good idea not to unnecessarily anger people, I think. Don't you agree that should be one important rule?
HINOJOSA: Well, you know, Miles, you know, everybody's pretty chilled most often. But I'm telling you, when you're talking about this weather -- I grew up in Chicago. We were used to cold. But this is not normal for New York; that it just continues and continues and continues. And it's not just freezing, then it's the snow. The thing that a lot of New Yorkers don't know is that there are flurries that are expected tonight and maybe flurries tomorrow. Enough already.
O'BRIEN: All right, Maria Hinojosa.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
