It was just reported that the "Great Buffalo Bombcylone" of 2022 is the very worst blizzard in almost 50 years. With emphasis on the "almost."
That's because, as of this writing, some 27 poor New Yawk State souls have died in it. And "only" 23 died in the "Great Buffalo Blizzard" of 1977. The absolute nastiest, huge-est, most ugliest, blindingly-whitest, most frozen-est blizzard in American history.
And although I didn't know it at the time, I flew into on the evening of Sunday, January 28th, 1977.
And yes, my arms were tired.
I was the sales manager of a medical equipment manufacturer, and I had an appointment with the physicians and medical staff of the largest hospital in Buffalo for 7:15 the next morning. It was left to me, my company's "deal maker," to put my company's equipment in this prestigious hospital, and I was not about to be late.
So I awakened early the next morning, showered, shaved and dressed in my best "power" suit. All while listening to the news. And the news was telling me that we were in a blizzard. And it was inundating Buffalo.
I took the elevator down to the lobby of the Marriott and headed for the revolving door.
Funny, I thought to myself, there was no one in the lobby. Nobody behind the bell desk. Nobody in the little card shop that overcharges for everything. Nobody. Strange, I thought. But I continued toward the revolving doors to take me to my scheduled appointment just down the street.
Why were the floor-to-ceiling glass windows all across the front of the lobby and the revolving doors completely white, I wondered to myself? The entire front of the lobby windows and revolving door were completely white. Strange, I thought, as I kept walking. And then I reached out to push the revolving door so I could exit, and I learned the answer to my question...
The entire front of the hotel was covered in snow. From floor to ceiling, left to right. And the revolving door wouldn't...revolve. It was completely covered in show and frozen shut. It hit me; I was snowed in...
What the Hell?
What I didn't know at the time, but was soon to learn, it had snowed more than 81 inches the night before. The "lake effect" snow storm that had hit Buffalo and northern New York State and most of New England with 60 mph winds and seven feet of snow the night before had shut down the entire northeast. It was to be called,
"The Great Buffalo Blizzard."
What to do now, I asked myself? I went to the check in desk and rang the bell. No answer. Nobody at the bell desk, either. I walked back past the elevators and toward the kitchen. There I found about 20 other guests all gathered together, with quizzical looks on their faces.
It was time for my "Army" to kick in.
Somebody had to take charge of this situation and it seemed like it ought to be me. I decided to organize the by now about 40 guests into talents and groups and settle down for however long this might last.
One of us was a chef, I learned. I sent him to inventory our food supply and scare up a little breakfast. I'd been a professional bartender in an earlier life, so I opened up the bar (had to break a lock; sorry). While I was making bloodies for us all, another guest, who happened to be a professional comedian (what luck!) chose to break into his act. While we were all laughing hysterically, a tech-savvy guest managed to get the overhead music playing and the lights to go on in the lounge.
And before long it had become a...parteeee!
Well, fellow Patriots, the "Great Buffalo Blizzard," which was the very largest and most awful "snowmagedden" ever to hit any area anywhere, was pretty damn great. By the time the snow had drifted it was above the third floor windows! More than 40 feet of snow!
Since we couldn't get out, nobody who worked there could get in. And so we were left to our own devices for almost a week! I heard one of the guests dressed down to his skivvies and dived off the third floor balcony into the snow drift covering the entire front of the hotel marquis! Head first! I heard he had to be rescued else he'd have died of ass-phyxiation.
They didn't did us out until late Thursday of that week! I spent five days in the Buffalo Marriott, enjoying the very finest of everything but maid service. It was nice of them not to charge us for the rooms (no reason for them to, as we had to make our own beds). Nor for the meals, as we raided the reefer and ate steaks all day and all night. Or for the "hundreds of gallons of liquor" they said we consumed. Poured by yours truly and a couple of lieutenants!
It was drunk out in Buffalo all that week!
I flew into Buffalo, took a cab to the hotel, and then took a cab back to the airport six days later and flew back out. No meeting at the hospital for me. Nor anyone else, I would imagine.
You want some snow? We had snow. More snow than I had ever seen, or ever wanted to see again. I moved from Missouri to California 'cause I'd had it "up to here" with snow. And now I'd "had it up to here" with more snow than anyone had ever seen before.
Maybe it was worse over this past weekend. If so it was no doubt due to when the storm hit. But it would have to be humungously awful to out-snow the blizzard I lived through. Or the hundred and fifty or so of us guests held hostage by the Downtown Marriott.
Held hostage in supreme comfort, I might add, with all meals and a full bar, no charge. And a personalized letter of apology to each of us from Marriott's CEO, I might add.
It was a memorable trip for me, and for my fellow guests. I still keep in touch with a couple of them. I'm sure there are those for whom this past weekend's blizzard caused the same reactions. But wait until the memory's nearly 50 years in the rearview mirror and see if it still makes you shiver! Mine still does for me...
Weather's a bitch. Life throws you curve balls. You're toast unless you learn to deal with them. As the saying goes, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. And we did, almost 50 years ago...
