It was hard to find any orange jack-o-lanterns under all that white powder. Halloween in the Boston area looked more like Christmas with the recent record-breaking arrival of some four inches of snow.
The luminous wonder of winter has returned once again to the city of Boston. The beauty of pearl-white covering spread over the sidewalks, the rows of buildings, and along the trees is always a sight to see. The bay winds have turned from their usual Autumnal briskness to a more cutting chill. The visual factor of the snow is something to behold; trees who have yet to shed leaves coated in white, sprinkles of snowflakes dripping down like baking flour every so often. The sky has turned from white to a frosty silver. Walking along Commonwealth Avenue feels like something straight out of a C.S. Lewis storybook, though unfortunately the weather’s effect on the city could sour a few people’s aim for a happily ever after.
Some Boston businesses are going into hibernation with seasonal closing such as the Emory on Beacon Street. Many Boston Businesses are still able to stay open with the snowfall, though there are limitations that now arise. In the past few months exterior restaurant patios have opened up to give more room to customers for social distancing. Unfortunately, with the snowfall those exteriors are closing for time being, leaving the interior to solely handle customer service. Places such as Stephanie’s on Newbury, Wen’s Yunnan noodle restaurant, Joe’s American Bar and Grill, Saltie Girl, and Buttermilk and Bourbon all had their exteriors caked in fresh white powder.
Though the closure of exterior seating will undoubtedly limit patron capacity for a bit of time, Proper social distancing protocol is still being followed by all Boston businesses. The city and all its businesses remain committed to keeping their patrons safe and healthy. It sadly won’t be able to change the fact some places won’t be doing as well financially as before, though if anything over the last few months have shown, it’s that Boston is indomitable when it comes to facing new challenges. The snow, while beautiful, isn’t meant to last. If it doesn’t melt by the end of tomorrow it’ll likely turn to pure slush by Sunday with forecasts predominantly pointing to rain. Boston businesses will then have to make a choice whether to reopen their patios for more open space, or simply keep business limited to interior settings. And, even that could change this Fall.
Halloween was always going to be an odd situation this year given the nature of going door to door isn’t quite a viable activity for public health. Snow isn’t the worst trade-off for candy. Regardless of all other factors and stressors. The best thing to do as of this moment is to just take some time to enjoy the enchanting nature of the snowfall. It was great to get a chance to enjoy this window of winter joy before it melted away.