Minnesotans Ring In An Icy New Year
(WCCO) -- An icy front covered the Twin Cities just before the festivities began, bringing a slick start to the New Year. In downtown Minneapolis, traffic slowed as icy pellets hit the streets.
Over in St. Paul, it's exactly why Colleen Healy planned a party at home for her friends after watching the forecast.
"We are going to play cards. We're going to play canasta and have a taco bar and just stay in and stay safe," said Healy. "We are going to go out dancing later this month we decided, and just go out and celebrate, but maybe not tonight."
Still, in downtown St. Paul, at the Wells Fargo WinterSkate free ice skating rink, the snow didn't derail hopes for a memorable night.
Matt Michaud and Anna Mehus are teenagers from Woodbury.
"We are actually going on our first date," said Michaud. "We were hoping for the weather to be good all day, and it is."
The rink is open until 1 a.m. just for the night, and hosted crowds even after the snow fell.
"I just got my license, so my dad was worried about the roads," said Mehus. "But, we have been waiting for this day for so long."
The party heated up early on over at the Seven Sushi Ultralounge and SkyBar on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Guests stayed warm with a tent and fire on top of the rooftop bar. Vanessa and Edmond Taylor from St. Paul said the weather made them all the more motivated to go out on New Year's Eve.
"We actually rode a metro bus. We braved the elements. It was safer," said the Taylors.
Amy Alpaugh and her group of friends came downtown from Lakeville, saying the roads weren't a problem for them.
"We bought tickets ahead of time so we were determined to come out no matter what the weather was like," said Alpaugh.
WCCO-TV's Lindsey Seavert Reports
