New York Today: A Winter to Remember

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times They could have used heated sidewalks.

Updated 6:38 a.m.

Good morning. It’s Ash Wednesday.

And it’s a temperate 29 degrees.

So let’s give up winter, for now.

And take a look back at some of the things that it brought us:

- Trash. Lots of it. With sanitation workers busy plowing, sidewalks became semi-permanent interactive installations.

- Alternate side parking was suspended for 22 days, the longest stretch since 2001, though nowhere near the record of 62 in 1978.

- Heated sidewalks. So-called snow-melt systems are a rarity in the city, but they exist. They are popular among “the doggies,” as one doorman put it.

- Heated bus stops.A publicity stunt by a Florida tourism board, complete with models in bathing suits. The idea of such shelters is not likely to spread.

- Drinks, sandwiches and signs outside liquor stores riffing on the term “polar vortex.”

- The cold selfie. Thousands indulged, few looked cold. We commend you, superlou1010.

- Wintry descriptor shortage. Media outlets had to raid the adjective pantry to come up with something new. Witness “icy grip,” “bitter blast,” “thundersnow.”

- The snow hazing of Mayor de Blasio. Or the last stand of the sanitation commissioner (and his cable knit sweater).

- Road salt shortages. About 40,000 tons were stuck in Maine because of an old law.

- Forget seasonal affect disorder. We got snow rage. See Al Roker’s critique of the mayor for not calling snow days. See, Upper East Side, unplowed.

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

WEATHER

Rejoice! The sun breaks through the clouds, with a high of 35 degrees.

Temperatures drop again at night, when there may be snow showers.

COMMUTE

Subways: Some 2 trains running on the 5 line. Check latest status.

Rails: O.K. Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or N.J. Transit status.

Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

Alternate-side parking is suspended for Ash Wednesday.

COMING UP TODAY

- The City Council fields budget proposals for next fiscal year at a preliminary hearing at City Hall. 10 a.m.

- A rally outside City Hall to change zoning rules to require more low-income housing. Noon.

- Cardinal Dolan distributes ashes at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Noon.

- Anti-abortion advocates pray at the Brooklyn Bridge before starting a cross-country relay race for the cause. 7 a.m.

- The mayor accepts his first invitation to appear at the Inner Circle Show, the annual political parody, on March 22. This year’s theme: “Stuck with de Blasio.” 1 p.m.

- “The Rollin’ Colon” continues its tour, unfurling at Mount Sinai Hospital in observance of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. 8 a.m.

- The Art Show, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America, opens at the Park Avenue Armory. Noon. [$25] …

- … Followed by the Armory Party 2014 at MoMA. 8 p.m. [$150 and up]

- “Modeling the Melt: What Math Tells Us About the Disappearing Polar Ice Caps,” a talk at the National Museum of Mathematics, in Midtown. 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. [Free, R.S.V.P.]

- “Nerd Nite” talks on Tetris, “Star Trek” and a theme-park ride based on “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” at the 92nd Street Y. 8:15 p.m. [$29 and up]

- Happy birthday week, Lou Reed. Seven bands pay tribute to the songwriter at the Way Station in Prospect Heights. 8 p.m. [Free]

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

IN THE NEWS

- The police commissioner said street stops would remain a “basic tool” in fighting crime. [New York Times]

- A crusader for charter schools is locked in combat with a formidable opponent: the new mayor. [New York Times]

- Stubborn blanket of snow: An interactive graphic of snow depths around the region since January. [New York Times]

- What the old snow looks like to a polar geophysicist. [New York Times]

- An Upper East Side resident lost everything when trash removers emptied the wrong apartment. He is suing. [New York Post]

- Crosses to go. Be on the lookout for mobile ashing teams today. [Daily News]

Joseph Burgess contributed reporting.

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