Sidwell Closed, Obama Says Washingtonians Can't Handle Weather

[WMATAGMOAGH]

From wtop.com (they have audio on their site of the president speaking with the media as well):

   Obama pokes fun at D.C. area's reaction to snowJanuary 28, 2009 - 11:29am

WASHINGTON -- After his daughters got a snow day Wednesday, President Barack Obama wants to see a little bit of "flinty, Chicago toughness" applied locally.
"When it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things," a joking Obama told reporters Wednesday morning.  "My children's school was canceled today because of what? Some ice."  Obama said his daughters -- Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 -- pointed out that school in Chicago is never canceled.  "In fact, my 7-year-old pointed out that you'd go out for recess. You wouldn't even stay indoors," Obama says.  "We're going to have to try some flinty, Chicago toughness to this town."  Malia and Sasha Obama attend Sidwell Friends School, a private school in D.C.  Most public school systems in the Washington area closed Wednesday. D.C's public school system was the exception, opening two hours late.  Side streets and sidewalks throughout the region were icy. Some major roadways, including the Dulles Toll Road, were described as a sheet of ice.  A winter storm warning for the D.C. metro area expired at noon.  As is typical with snowy or icy weather, transportation agencies asked people not to venture out.  "If you don't have to go out, let us do our job" said Maryland State Highway spokesman Chuck Gischlar Wednesday morning.  "Take it easy and go slow," says D.C. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Karyn LeBlanc.  (Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

[WayneNYC]

Not to knock, the DC area, but it's one of those things that I found almost comical too.  Growing up in NYC, I attended NYC public schools and honestly recall just one snow day and it pretty much happended because most of the teachers lived in the 'burbs and couldn't make it into the city.  The DC area schools get a lot of snow days and I imagine cities like Chicago, Boston and NYC does not because they regularly deal with more snow.  I also had to get used to people raiding the stores of certain items like milk, bread and so on at the mere mention of a snow storm.

[Perry]

It was always a joke going to school in the DC area.  There was one year where PG County schools were closed because it snowed a little in the southern part, but in the northern part where I lived, it was perfectly sunny out. 

I love those runs to the grocery store to wipe out bread, milk and TP.  I'm thinking if I'm going to be socked in for a day and can't get out, first of all I would hope I had something in the house anyway, but I'm sure not getting milk and bread.  Get some fun stuff!!

As smart as a lot of the people are supposed to be out there, I don't see a lot of common sense. People don't have any out here either, but there are a lot more uneducated folks in Las Vegas than DC, so you sort of expect misguided judgements.

[WMAveteran]

From wtop.com (they have audio on their site of the president speaking with the media as well):

   Obama pokes fun at D.C. area's reaction to snowJanuary 28, 2009 - 11:29am

WASHINGTON -- After his daughters got a snow day Wednesday, President Barack Obama wants to see a little bit of "flinty, Chicago toughness" applied locally.
"When it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things," a joking Obama told reporters Wednesday morning.  "My children's school was canceled today because of what? Some ice."  Obama said his daughters -- Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 -- pointed out that school in Chicago is never canceled.  "In fact, my 7-year-old pointed out that you'd go out for recess. You wouldn't even stay indoors," Obama says.  "We're going to have to try some flinty, Chicago toughness to this town."  Malia and Sasha Obama attend Sidwell Friends School, a private school in D.C.  Most public school systems in the Washington area closed Wednesday. D.C's public school system was the exception, opening two hours late.  Side streets and sidewalks throughout the region were icy. Some major roadways, including the Dulles Toll Road, were described as a sheet of ice.  A winter storm warning for the D.C. metro area expired at noon.  As is typical with snowy or icy weather, transportation agencies asked people not to venture out.  "If you don't have to go out, let us do our job" said Maryland State Highway spokesman Chuck Gischlar Wednesday morning.  "Take it easy and go slow," says D.C. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Karyn LeBlanc.  (Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

The entire Obama statement about schools and the weather was carried on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams also.  At the end of the segment Williams reported that to be fair he had to note that Sidwell Friends, a private school, was closed but the DC Public Schools opened two hours late.

[LandoverDivision]

Even though I've lived in D.C for many, MANY years, I'd have to agree. People north of us gets hundreds of inches of snow and we get 1 inch, all of a sudden shit shuts down. It's stupid, but I don't complain because that's just one extra day of rest for us students.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Even though I've lived in D.C for many, MANY years, I'd have to agree. People north of us gets hundreds of inches of snow and we get 1 inch, all of a sudden shit shuts down. It's stupid, but I don't complain because that's just one extra day of rest for us students.

What city gets hundreds of inches of snow a year?  I'm writing this in a city that gets an average of 67 inches of snowfall per year and it is my understanding that the local public schools were closed yesterday.

[LandoverDivision]

Even though I've lived in D.C for many, MANY years, I'd have to agree. People north of us gets hundreds of inches of snow and we get 1 inch, all of a sudden shit shuts down. It's stupid, but I don't complain because that's just one extra day of rest for us students.

What city gets hundreds of inches of snow a year?  I'm writing this in a city that gets an average of 67 inches of snowfall per year and it is my understanding that the local public schools were closed yesterday.

O.K so I went overboard with the snowfall. I wasn't serious. My point is that other cities get a lot more snow than us and we shut down for some flurries.