Some of the hardest Chicago mornings are not snowy at all — rain came in at thirty-four degrees, the temperature fell overnight, and every walk in the city turned to glass. Snow Removal and Salting Services treats ice as its own discipline: salt timed ahead of the freeze, scraped surfaces treated again, and close attention to steps, ramps and the low spot at the end of a drive where meltwater pools and sets. Snow gets plowed and shoveled too, of course, but February is a freeze-and-thaw month and traction is what the day actually requires. A walk that looks merely wet instead of shining is the sign it was done right. No one thinks about it afterward, which means it worked.