First Snow, 8:30 A.M.

New York saw its first snow of the season on Tuesday morning, as small flakes fluttered from the sky during the morning commute. There was no accumulation, and temperate sidewalks and above-freezing air temperatures quickly turned the flakes into a mere memory. Fortunately, our photographers were quick to the draw.

Rescuing a Towed Car

Dear Diary:

Once again, I was at Pier 79 waiting to retrieve my towed car.
I’ve done this before. Service is slow.
While I waited, I caught a sign’s big bad apostrophe,
watched a talented dad pacify his toddler, chatted with some other
acceptors. Of course, there are always a few newbies who rage at the machine
about how wrong this tow was.
Though I’d won in this spot before, I know better.
My goal: my car.
Today, there were two guys, told by the staff that their licenses were
expired, who yelped wildly at the restoration fees.
Then came a fancy woman â€" a naïf from out of town or a seasoned New Yorker?
After the two-hour wait, she was called to pay her bill.
At the clerk’s window, she pushed her credit card through the dip
and got the receipt back for signature.
“Just want to let you know,” she told the help for all to hear, “I’m NOT leaving a tip.”

Read all recent entries and our updated submissions guidelines. Reach us via email diary@nytimes.com or follow @NYTMetro on Twitter using the hashtag #MetDiary.

New York Today: A Hispanic Police Commissioner?

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press New York’s 35,000 police officers are getting a new commissioner soon.

Heard of Rafael Piñeiro?

Unless you speak Spanish, probably not.

He’s the No. 2 at the Police Department under Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.

And he’s all over Spanish-language media, thanks to Hispanic leaders, who want him take over the department when Bill de Blasio becomes mayor.

Mr. Piñeiro, 64, who was born in Spain and raised in Cuba, would be the city’s first Hispanic police commissioner.

El Diario, the city’s principal Spanish-language daily, has taken note. As have Fox News Latino, El Nacional in Venezuela and El Nuevo Día in Puerto Rico.

Over the weekend, Mr. Piñeiro was seen talking with Mr. de Blasio at Somos el Futuro, a conference of Hispanic lawmakers in Puerto Rico.

“We spoke briefly,” Mr. Piñeiro said in an interview. “But so did a lot of other people.”

He declined to say what they discussed.

But he said: “It’s good to be a role model â€" for people of Hispanic descent, or any descent, to know there’s someone who came to the U.S. at 12, penniless, and was able to make an impact.”

Here’s what else you need to know for Tuesday.

WEATHER

Snow. Are you happy now?

More like an autumn slushy than a winter wonderland, with a little rain mixed in. But still, flakes are predicted this morning as temperatures fall. High of 42 as the clouds clear.

And then: bring in the tomatoes from the fire escape â€" it’s going to freeze. Low of 29.

COMMUTE

Subways: Click for latest status.

Rails: Click for L.I.R.R., Metro-North or New Jersey Transit status.

Roads: Click for traffic map or radio report on the 1s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect the rest of the week.

COMING UP TODAY

- Mayor Bloomberg speaks at a memorial in the Rockaways marking the 12th anniversary of the crash of Flight 587.

- Learn how to find your relatives’ military records at a workshop given by the National Archives downtown. Noon. [Free, reservations recommended]

- Robots built from scrap metal and programmed by General Electric play heavy metal in Union Square. 1 p.m. [Free]

- A programat the Metropolitan Museum of Art built around the 1938 Balthus painting “Thérèse Dreaming” includes a performance by Dar Williams, Mozart piano music and a psychologist discussing teenage desire. 6 p.m.

- Laurie Anderson, the widow of the late Lou Reed, will be honored at the New York Neo-Futurists’ annual benefit tonight.

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

Joseph Burgess and Kate Taylor contributed reporting.

New York Today is a morning roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till about noon.

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