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The day after a snow storm means grabbing a shovel or firing up the snow plow for many residents.
Some said they kept up with the snow Tuesday night as it came down- making the morning cleanup easier to deal with. Tony Mihaljevic said he brought out the snow blower Thursday night to clear the area surrounding his Lincoln Square apartment building. The aftermath of the winter storm was not as simple for a restaurant and banquet hall near O'Hare. The roof caved in at Café la Cave along Mannheim Road in Des Plaines overnight.
The space is regularly booked for parties. But fortunately last night, there were no events.
"Thank God no one was here," said Kimberly Sutter, Café la Cave.
In some of Chicago's southwest suburbs, private snow plows were spotted working overtime to clear parking lots while residents broke out their shovels and snow blowers.
Likewise, crews were busy clearing the smaller roads, which did not get plowed during the height of the biggest snow storm Chicago had seen since the blizzard of 2011.
Robin Pollard, a mail carrier for eight years, says many residents on her route cleared the snow, but conditions were still challenging.
"It's very hard to go through the snow," she said.
In addition to breaking out the shovels, in many Chicago neighborhoods, a longtime tradition was in full force: Lawn furniture helped residents save cleared parking spots.
Meanwhile, crews were busy clearing the runways at Chicago's airports Wednesday, and many travelers were hoping they could get out of town. More than 1,000 flights were canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports Tuesday. Passengers heading to the eastern part of the country might be in for more delays Wednesday because the same storm is now settling in there.
Travelers are advised to check the status of their flights with ABC7's Flight Tracker before leaving home.
During the recent string of winter storms, many southwest suburban communities escaped with just a couple inches. Tuesday, however, many saw the most snow of the winter.
Chicago's Dept. of Streets and Sanitation deployed hundreds of plows onto the side streets overnight.
"We will make sure that the mains [streets] are still under control, and then we'll begin the process of moving into the residential streets," said Cmsr. Charles Williams.
City officials encouraged Chicago residents to track the progress of snow plows in their neighborhoods at www.chicagoshovels.org.
