Blizzard?

Chicago.

It's sort of funny to read in the paper about how a monster storm just slammed the east coast. The high temperature today is supposed to hit mid-forties here in Chicago, and Madison ought to be near that. Yet everyone back east seems to think living in Wisconsin is essentially like roughing it on the Siberian tundra, only with more beer and cheese. Of course, we probably do have more beer and cheese. And, for all I really know, never having traveled there, Siberia could be a delightful place. The tales of cruel winters might be their way of keeping out the American tourists.

Also funny: though nearly 27 inches of snow fell on New York City, it didn't qualify as a blizzard because the winds weren't heavy enough for a sustained period of time. Not that it'll stop the local news channels from referring to the "Blizzard of '06" for the next several years. I love when the technical meaning and popular understanding of a word don't see eye to eye.