Many of the roads around Arlington remain unplowed as of 10:00 a.m., despite the sunshine and the end of the 4-5 inches of snowfall.
The federal and county governments are closed, as are many private offices, which sought to avoid asking employees to trek through hazardous driving conditions this morning. Many retail businesses decided not to open due to the storm either.
Outside of Wilson and Clarendon Blvds, all of the roads in Clarendon were unplowed this morning, and the normally bustling rush hour around the Metro stop was quiet — the man handing out the Washington Post Express newspaper could be heard saying “Have a good day” to every passerby from a block away.
Jessica Chakrin, a Clarendon resident, ventured to a mostly empty Whole Foods this morning with her boyfriend, Steve Benkert, who lives in D.C. Neither works for the federal government, but both were enjoying a day off work and some spontaneous, child-like fun.
“We went to Whole Foods breakfast, had some [coffee] there, and I was about to shove her in the snow… that was about as far as the day was planned,” Benkert said. He noted that the Whole Foods was almost empty — a rare sight for most Clarendon regulars.
With Monday’s federal holiday, the snow meant most workers in the area got four straight days off work.
“Snow days are fun,” said Rusty Mathews, who lives near Clarendon on Fairfax Drive and works for a law firm. “They’re a nice change, but right after a holiday, it’s particularly nice. You get a long, long weekend.”