Street sweeps

I remember the first time in snowed in Portland, Oregon. I was jogging on the track, late at night when it started to snow. At first I just smiled at the little flakes that were melting as soon as they fell. Oh well, I thought, at least they're pretty. But with each lap I made, the flakes got bigger and bigger, and after 4 laps, I couldn't believe it, the snow was sticking! Everyone was so excited, none of us slept that night, throwing snowballs, making snow angels. The next day there was chaos everywhere, crashed cars, people sliding on the slick ice, the city was a mess.....all over a few inches of snow!

In Moscow in the winter it snows so often that it would take a lot more than a few inches to stop them. What's the secret behind their efficiency? The street sweeps. Every morning, snow or shine, there's a huge city wide crew of people, scraping away at the snow and ice, gritting the streets, adding all the chemicals. Regardless of where you live you can be sure that by the time you walk out onto the street, it will be relatively slick-free. Of course most Moscovites appear to be expert ice skaters, who when faced with a particularly slippery spot on the sidewalk just glide over it. Nor would they be phased if there were a huge pile of snow, it's just snow after all.

Of course the snow gang doesn't just clear the roads. They are in charge of keeping the Metro entrances cleared, so the steps don't get too icy, and more impressively, there's a group that shovels off snow from roofs! One evening, as my Moscovite friend Diana walked me around her old neighborhood where she grew up, we saw a team of men shoveling snow off of someone's roof. "I remember them," she smiled wistfully. "Every morning I would watch the huge waterfall of snow come off of the roof. They were always there." Admittedly shoveling snow is probably not the best paying job, but you must admit, we are all grateful that these jobs exist.