Forecasts for 2 to 3 feet of snowfall in the New York area overnight Monday were greatly exaggerated, but there still was enough of it for these youngsters to make a snowman in Chinatown. Central Park recorded only 6 inches, as subways and buses groaned back to service on Tuesday morning. Many schools and businesses were closed pre-emptively on Monday, leaving the city strangely vacant as many commuters reveled in an unnecessary work-from-home day. The blizzard did prove to be the real thing on eastern Long Island, where up to 18 inches fell, and in New England, where some Massachusetts towns received as much as 30 inches of snow. Lu Huiquan / for China Daily.