Metroblogging Portland is talking smack about Minneapolis
Every time we have any sort of frozen precipitation in Portland, whether it be snow, sleet, freezing rain, or OMBWTFBBQBL!ZZARD, invariably the city grinds to a halt and we begin to hear rants and stories of how “Back when I lived in the midwest, this was nothing!” and “Portlanders are just too stupid to drive in the snow.”
This morning I was perusing some posts from other Metroblogging cities this week, and I start reading Metroblogging Minneapolis. You know, Minneapolis. In Minnesota. Where it’s cold and snowy. Surely if anyone can handle the snow, it should be folks in Minnesota, right?
Imagine my surprise when I come across posts like Closed Due to Severe Weather and Snow Closes Mall of America, U of MN. They got 7″… which is hardly large orders of magnitude more than the 4-6″ we got a few months ago.
I’ve heard that this is the first time the U of M has closed for weather in 15 years, and the first time Minneapolis schools have had a snow day in 7 years. Or something like that. Point being it’s been a long time. I like to think that had we only got 7″ total, we’d have been just fine. Not without our fair share of idiot drivers and yucky traffic, but 7″ does not a snow emergency make.
Related posts:
My office actually closed on Friday b/c of the weather. Of course, I didn’t know that and casually drove in. But 494 was a-okay, just had to drive more carefully than normal (talking on my cell and typing on my blackberry, of course). The news totally fear mongered us.
So did mine, and I, too, found this out upon arriving at the office. Somewhere between 7:00 am when I first called and 10:00 when I arrived they changed the emergency message from “the office will open at 10:00″ to “the office is closed.”
I counted 7 other cars in the lot. I contemplated staying but… nah.
My point wasn’t to put down Minneapolis people (Minneapolisians? Minneapolans? what are you guys?) but rather to point out that snow is a disruption back in your area too.
If I were talking smack at any group of folks it’s the EX-Minneapolis people who now live in Portland, and get all snooty when it snows, pointing out how it wasn’t a big deal back when they lived in the midwest.
The only problem with that theory is that we got way more than 7 inches! More like 18 across two days.
I always say “Minneapolitans.” Like the ice cream.
I think we do our fair share of whining no matter how much snow we get.
Minneapolitans? Very cool. Much more fun-sounding than “Portlanders”
I worked my normal work hours Thursday and Friday. I was even on time to work on Friday. Of course, they’re only attacking the hardiness of Minneapolitans…and I am built from tough St. Paul stock.
I’ve got a 5 foot pile of snow at the end of my driveway. 5 feet. We’re pretty tough here.
I’ve got a 5 foot pile of snow at the end of my driveway.
How many of your neighbors’ children have you lost in there?
Seven inches of snow woulda been a piece of cake. I have about 20″ here and did I mention the freezing rain? I couldn’t even open two doors on my house to let the dog out.