A boy crashes his sled on a hill at the US Capitol after a major winter storm swept over Washington January 24, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - Washington shut down US federal government offices on Monday, while New York prepared for a normal workday following the worst snowstorm in decades to ravage the US East Coast, as residents of both cities frolicked in the freak snowfall.

Midtown Manhattan came back to life on a bright and sunny Sunday as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and cavorting in massive drifts left by New York City's second-biggest snowstorm in history.

In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed through Sunday. The Office of Personnel Management said federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, along with local government offices and schools.

Even so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on.

The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after the historic storm that left at least 20 dead in several states.

"For us, snow is like a normal winter," said Viola Rogacka, 21, a fashion model from Poland, walking with a friend through New York's Times Square. "It's how it should look like."

Theater shows reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"We still have some areas that we have to do a lot more work on. But we've come through it pretty well," de Blasio said on ABC's "This Week." "I think tomorrow is going to be pretty good.

We think we'll be broadly up and running again at the city tomorrow."