BYT Empire

Brightest Young Things


all photos: Bradley Portnoy and Mike Danko
all words: Peter

This was the 6th Biggest Storm in DC history and the biggest December storm, um, ever. If nature is trying to tell us something, it's got to be  that we should stop doing anything else and go outside and marvel at her temporary insanity.

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As you may have heard somewhere, there was a snowball fight at 14th U. What this means is that people politely waited until the walk signal was on then ran out into the intersection and pounded the opposite side's team with fluffy delicate snow spheres. There were hardly any cars at all, but they were never targets, though every now and then a car would pull up and toss a snowball out their window too, which cars would get lit up like the 4th of July. There was even one maniac on a motorbike with a buddy in the sidecar who would repeatedly pull up, start some shit and then pull away in a maelstrom of whizzing white bullets. He was awesome.

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It turns out the bloodbath was organized by a certain BYT contributor and fashion plate, who will have to remain unnamed as a manhunt is still on for him by various subversive anarchist winter-warfare units whose flag he stole and stuffed in a trashcan.

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Besides some mild unpleasantness towards the end, the cops were mostly  tolerant and calm about the event. In the end that should have been the story rather than the idiotic freakout that made CNN.

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BREAKING NEWS: In a BYT exclusive, we have just learned that in fact the EAST SIDE of 14th was the winner of this fight by 130 snowballs. Sorry Westside, your fake WTO protester costumes did you no good against the East's chants of USA and YES WE CAN. Patriotism wins again!

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Elsewhere some people were more productive with their time. Not everyone is cut out for total war.

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However you spent your time during the weather eventing, we hope you got outside and struggled around just a little bit. Someone wrote in giant letters in a drift on 16th St. yesterday, "I Love DC." They didn't mean the climate--they were talking about the general air of friendship that a storm like this engenders. Everyone you bumped into this weekend was smiling and joking--from the liqour store employee trapped in his shop to the tourist whose plane home was canceled--because basically we were all fucked equally, but at least we were in it together.

BONUS: Ready set DC has  videos

IN THE MEANTIME, this is how it was in Virginia:

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Previously in I Heart DC:

God loves a cheerful giver.

COMMENTS (3)

  • So Sweet
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2 years ago j said

i was so pissed. i metro'd down from uptown for the fight but due to slow running trains i missed it! so pissed. so instead i just cruised around in the snow looking for someone to snow brawl with. fun times.
and everyone is So nice during a snow storm. love it!

2 years ago Evan said

Nice shot chief

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