Snowstorm in New York City 

January 22, 1966 

While Srila Prabhupada prayed to receive Radha-Krishna in New York, a snowstorm hit the City.  That morning, Srila Prabhupada, who had perhaps never before seen snow, woke and thought that someone had whitewashed the side of the building next door.  Not until he went outside did he discover it was snow.  The temperature was ten degrees.  

The City went into a state of emergency, but Prabhupada continued his daily walks.  Now he had to walk through heavy snow, only a thin dhoti beneath his overcoat, his head covered with his “swami hat.”  The main roads were cleared, but many sidewalks were covered with snow.  Along the strip of park dividing Broadway, the gusting winds piled snowbanks to shoulder height and buried the benches.  The Broadway kiosks, plastered with layers of posters and notices, were now plastered with additional layers of snow and ice.  But despite the weather, New Yorkers still walked their dogs, the pets now wearing raincoats and mackinaws.  Such pampering by American dog owners left Prabhupada with a feeling of surprised amusement.  As he approached West End Avenue, he found the doormen blowing whistles to signal taxis as usual, but also scattering salt to melt the ice and create safe sidewalks in front of the buildings.  In Riverside Park, the benches, pathways and trees were glazed with ice and gave off a shimmering reflection from the sky. 

In the news, Selective Service officials announced the first substantial increase in the draft since the Korean war; a month-long peace ended with the U.S. Air Force bombing North Viet Nam; the New York transit strike ended after three weeks, and the transit Labor leader died in jail of a heart attack.