This was originally written back on February 4th, 2015.  Ten years later, we take a look back. 

Maybe it’s the extra 15 inches that fell late Sunday night, putting Southie on edge.  Maybe it’s the broken-down MBTA or the giant lines at the bus stops, or the fact it’s friggin’ freezing.  Maybe it’s because kids have been out of school for five days or the full moon, but Southie is definitely on edge.

The South Boston streets are lined with people, at all hours of the day, attempting to dig out their cars or shovel their stoops.  They walk half a block with shovels full of snow to the corner to add to the massive mounds towering in some spots over 8 feet high in an endless cycle.  They look like members of some sad and cold chain gang praying for early parole.  

People wait for buses in the morning in bitter silence in crowds that spill out into the street or line up for blocks like they’re waiting for the new iPhone.  Buses are running late.  Uber prices are surging. Normally, two-way streets are narrowed down to just one, making it only wide enough for one car to get down a street.  If you make a turn to go down the street, you have to hold your breath and hope the coast is clear. (Editor’s note – eventually the city made some of the two-way streets into one-way only.)

Daily driving routes take double or even triple the time they normally do. And it’s stressful navigating the streets.   You need to watch out for pedestrians walking in the streets because they can’t walk on the sidewalks.  You’re worried that they’ll slip and fall under your tire because they’re tweeting or posting a picture of a funny spot saver on Instagram.  Throw in some trash trucks and snow piles strewn with garbage, and it’s a real winter wonderland traveling around South Boston.

We know it’s New England.  We realize we get snow – lots of snow in fact –  but something is different this winter.  There’s an edge in the air and we wouldn’t dare move a space saver if our lives depended on it.  It could cause someone to snap.  But whatever the reason, it seems like Southie needs a big hug and a cup of hot cocoa.  There is more snow in the forecast and we’re not sure if Southie can handle it.  But we will, we always do.  It might seem like the end of the world, but it will pass.  Before you know it, summer will be here and we’ll look back at the winter of 2015 and laugh about it …and then complain about the heat.

Hang tough, Southie