The US Federal Government will be closed for a second straight day on Tuesday as a result of the blizzard that struck the DC metro area over the weekend. A second storm, less severe than the first but still dangerous, is expected to set in Tuesday evening and it seems likely the government will not reopen until Friday. Predictions range from 5-13 more inches of snow to fall between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Only essential government employees are being told to show up for work on Tuesday. Many federal buildings will not open their doors at all, including nearly every tourist attraction in Washington. The Smithsonian museums, the Capitol visitor's center, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives will all be closed, disappointing what few tourists remain in the nation's capital.
"I'm disappointed," one visitor from Alabama told me today along the National Mall. "The snow is beautiful, but it's impossible to get around and I can't go into any of the buildings. But I'm here, so I might as well make the best of it."
Clean-up from the last storm continued on Monday, even as snow-weary residents braced for the next one. Locals could be seen out working everywhere in the District, shoveling sidewalks, pushing cars off of ice patches, and salting neighborhood streets. Work crews have been working round-the-clock to plow roads, extend Metro service, and clear out the fronts of government buildings.
"We're not doing any construction work in this weather, so we might as well clear snow," one man told me while taking a cigarette break outside of the Library of Congress. "I've been at this since 4:00 Friday afternoon, shoveling out all these government buildings around here."
Not everyone was working hard though. Stanton Park was full of neighborhood children enjoying the snow-covered playground, and several government employees who did not have to work took their kids sledding down Capitol Hill. Others strapped on their skis and sped along through their neighborhood parks, enjoying the winter wonderland that currently is Washington, DC.
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