Groundhog Day 2013 showered hope on travelers scheduling trips to roam around the country. In fact, according to the New York Daily News on Feb. 2, both Staten Island Chuck and Punxsutawney Phil were not able to see their shadows. This means that these New York and Pennsylvania wild animal prophets believe this winter is going to be a short one.
Indeed, both soothsaying woodchucks took tradition seriously, climbing out of their holes to reveal what is to come in the weeks ahead as far as slush, snow, and miserable sojourning conditions. This is especially important information for trip-planning Angelenos who aren't used to such weather drawbacks.
But now, with the new Groundhog Day news that these critters did not see their shadow signifying six more weeks of travel, Southlanders can confidently book early spring travel plans without fear of too many flight delays or horrible travel conditions on the other side of the country. Or, at least, travelers who hail from the City of Angels can do so if these trekkers believe in the power of Punxsutawney and in the instinct of Staten Island Chuck.
Meanwhile, Groundhog Day 2013 events were held in both Staten Island and in Punxsutawney on Saturday. While the latter celebration in Pennsylvania was said to have drawn a crowd of 36,000, the one in New York City was much smaller and didn't include Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
But Bloomberg has a good excuse for his absence at the official ceremony since in 2009, the man who helms The City that Never Sleeps was bitten by his town's official Groundhog Day rodent back in 2009.
That said, there's no sense in tempting fate on Groundhog Day again for this major East Coast official who needs to stay away from similar possibilities of being injured if he wants to stay heathy and safe enough to run New York City without having to handle a handicap caused by an angry woodchuck.
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