MANHATTAN — Snowmageddon passed and Manhattan began to dig out from the storm's wintry wrath Thursday.
After more than 10 inches of snow fell in the city, commuters went back to work and children trudged back to school through the slushy remnants of the storm that ground the city to a virtual halt on Wednesday.
"Boots were made for walking, but not on the snow," said Dani Stahl, a fashion editor at Nylon, as she gingerly walked through the slush and ice outside Bryant Park for the start of Fashion Week.
As the city tried to get back to normal Thursday, all public and Catholic schools were open, while alternate side parking rules were suspended. They will also be suspended Friday.
Snow plows continued to clear the streets, and subway and bus service was operating normally. The MTA warned, however, that there could be occasional delays throughout the day.
Naomi Eisenberg waited at 85th Street and Lexington Avenue for more than 10 minutes for either the M101 or M103 buses.
"This morning seems to be much worse, yesterday the buses were on time," Eisenberg said. "Navigating the streets is what's hard."
Eisenberg warned that people should stay away from the sidewalk edge because of the splash back from traffic.
Down in Greenwich Village, Silvia Fernandez, a 29-year-old psychology student at The New School, was enjoying the morning after.
"It's beautiful," she said. "It's good for humans to have horrible weather. It reminds us we are just tiny creatures."
Flights at local airports and Amtrak service also resumed, after both were halted by the storm.
Temperatures on Thursday were expected to rise above feezing, so streets are expected to remain slick as the snow starts to melt.
From Inwood to Battery Park City, residents took Wednesday's storm in their stride. Some headed to parks for sledding and snowball fights. Others chose to ride out the storm in the warm comfort of a movie theater. Those who did have to go to work found a rare seat on the train.
“You’ve got to take time to enjoy it,” said a hiker in Fort Tryon Park, who shoved off before he gave his name on Wednesday.
That's what Bruce Ruiz did, using the storm as a chance to try out some cross-country skis.
"Skiing in the city feels strange because everyone is so distracted — we get caught up in the game,” Ruiz said. “I’m stoked, I love it. I’m grateful we have four seasons.”
Dog owners knew there would be no way their best friends would let them stay indoors. Many of them took to parks to let their canine companions frolic in the white stuff.
"It's true. They love the snow, but hate the rain," said Diane Moriarty, who was walking Boston terrier, Tommy. "He has been doing doggy snow angels."
On the Upper West Side, the AMC Loews Theater on Broadway and 68th Street saw an influx of midweek moviegoers.
“There are a lot of kids coming in today,” said Renier Rosado, who is the cashier at AMC Loews on West 84th Street. “Wednesday is usually a very quiet day. Today we actually have more than 10 people in a theater.”
For those Manhattanites who couldn't take the day to catch "Avatar" for the fifth time, the morning commute was surprisingly easy.
“I was worried about getting in this morning,” said James Kraft, who works in finance in Midtown East. “But my deli guy was there, the Times was on my doorstep, and the trains were running fine. It took no longer than usual.”
But that was early in the morning, before the ferocity of the storm picked up. By 9 a.m. Wednesday, little more than 2 inches was on the ground in Central Park.
As the storm picked up, for children it was all about the sledding. On the Upper East Side, Tucker played in the snow for much of the day.
Ditto for kids in Battery Park City. Even though there aren't many, if any, sledding hills in the neighborhood, one local family came up with a solution.
Dan Fandrich and his two boys, Theo, 12, and Alan, 7, used the Rector Street Bridge ramp as a makeshift sled hill.
“It wasn’t the intended use but it is doing the job and we are having fun,” Fandrich said.
