FIRST PERSON | DALLAS -- "Dallas feels like Rochester!"
That was the friendly greeting I received on the way into work this morning. I was wearing my college hoodie from the University of Rochester, so the reference to Rochester, N.Y., was understandable. However, let me correct Dallas residents' perception of their cities winters. Dallas is not like Rochester.
I come from Syracuse and, in Upstate New York, snow isn't measured in inches. We use feet. In Upstate New York, it's not cold until the snow squeaks beneath your feet -- at around 15 degrees. In Upstate New York, we don't complain about scraping off our cars. We keep ice scrapers in our trunks year-round. In New York, our snow plows are twice as wide as the road. The biggest difference, though, is that in Upstate New York, whether Syracuse, Rochester or Buffalo, we don't see the sun. From about November to March, the sky stays grey.
So, Dallasites, please don't tell me Dallas is like Rochester. Texas is not like New York. It is not cold. If I thought it was cold, then you wouldn't see me in shorts. The snow in Dallas was beautiful -- until it melted when the sun rose. Scraping your car is not the most novel activity in the world; millions of people north of the Mason-Dixon Line do it every winter day. Dallas does not have snow plows. Dallas-Fort Worth has pickup trucks with sand in their beds. Finally, please do not tell me Texas is like New York because I can see the sun down here.