Commuting thru Snowy Salem
March 9, 2015
By: Xan Duback
My heart sinks as I round the corner on Essex Street to Boston and realize that the little, blue lights on the top of the electrical poles are flashing; another parking ban has been initiated. The snow hasn’t begun to fall yet, and already the City of Salem has banned me from going home. I move into the other lane and signal to take a left, turning me around towards the hospital, the only place I have been able to find safe parking all season. I find a spot near the entrance, raise my windshield wipers, and say a little prayer that the plows don’t cover my car in snow. It had only been two days before that I had walked back to retrieve my car and had to dig out almost four feet of snow on all sides just to get out! Now it is almost dark, I wrap my scarf around me as tight as I can and start the twenty minute walk back to my apartment; again. Highland Ave., which is a major road that runs from the city to Salem is bustling with drivers speeding to their warm, safe homes. Seeing a break I dart into the middle. No one cares to stop, they are all fed up with the traffic which has intensified exponentially as the roads shrink due to snow. Finally an ambulance blocks the far lane just long enough for me to get to the other side. I hug the towering snowbanks as I slink along with traffic, finally reaching the side street which will take me home. None of the sidewalks have been dug out and the roads are covered in sheets of slush and ice. It is a treacherous journey, especially in the dark. As I walk, all I smell is trash which has been left to pile up for weeks with no good place to put it. A man laughs like a maniac as he swerves towards me, but at this point I am used to the games people play with pedestrians. Hopefully soon it will be spring but until then it’s just another winter day in Salem, MA.
Contributor's Note: This is Xan Duback's first semester back at Salem State after she took a two year gap to work full-time. She is double major in Elementary Education and History and has a passion for writing.