The bright lights that usually dazzle in Times Square looked dimmer underneath the snow Thursday. The streets were empty, and the normally crowded sidewalks were lined instead with a few brave souls snapping pictures of the flurries.
Aubin Laratte and his sister Annelaure, who are visiting from France, decided to take advantage of the record-breaking change in the weather.
"We were here yesterday when it was warm, so we wanted to see Times Square under the snow," Laratte said.
Others decided to venture outside, but were hoping to get back indoors as soon as possible, like Lizzie Stein - not a tourist but playing one during the storm with a friend.
"It's dangerous to be out today. I almost wiped out," said Stein, who usually commutes to Long Island. All over the neighborhood, puddles were calf-deep -- step off a sidewalk and you might find half your leg soaked in dirty meltwater.
She and her friend planned to get food and then ride out the rest of the snow day. (If they could find it, that is - the storm was so bad that even Times Square's usual horde of hot dog carts was mostly absent.)
Scott Ahnvey is visiting from London, a city not notorious for its own weather, but was going to continue his day as planned. "If we got half of this snow, the city would grind to a halt," Ahnvey said.
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Some people had no plans other than to see the snow, like Maryjane Arango from drought-stricken Los Angeles.
"We wanted to see the snow, we were hoping it would snow," said Arango. She and her friend planned to walk up to Central Park and enjoy the flurries.
