Not Exactly Your Winter Wonderland

"How are you getting around?" I asked Mr. Ron Ron, as he was waiting for someone to open the door to Casanova Pizzeria on Front Street.

"Very carefully," he said.

Caution was the key strategy as post-blizzard streetscapes ranged from perfectly clean sidewalks to single-file, icy patches where property owners had made no effort to shovel the snow.

Here's Park Avenue at Fifth Street on Tuesday afternoon.

East Front Street had a wall of snow between sidewalk and curb.

Some piles were more than head-high.

Approaching the main train station from Park Avenue, one section of the sidewalk had only knee-deep holes for one boot-shod foot at a time. There has been a longstanding debate over who is responsible for clearing snow from around the train stations, the city or NJ Transit. Looks like it wasn't decided Tuesday.

Some of the oddities along the way included these new windows at the "luxury condo" building. They were open to the gale winds and blowing snow all weekend.

But Roofus the famous downtown cat was snug inside the old Budget Rent-A-Car building and as usual, was rather indignant at finding a paparraza invading his privacy.

Weather notwithstanding, one Front Street merchant was hoping for post-holiday spenders to come along and posted this inviting sign.

My little pedestrian jaunt persuaded me that going out later to witness the PMUA rate hearing, by which time the slush would be frozen again, was not a good idea. I leave it to the more intrepid to report on the hearing. Anyway, I did my hazardous duty Monday night getting back and forth on foot to City Hall for the council meeting.

--Bernice