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Hat? Check. Gloves? Check. Scarf? Check! Are you ready for a big bad New York winter? I know I am!

Rumor has it, it’s gonna be a cold one, and since it’s been pretty mild the last two years, I thought I’d download some of my thoughts on New York City for when general winter breaks out the big guns.

First things first though: nostalgia. I remember the New York winters of my youth as being some of the coldest of my life. Seeing the Macy’s windows decked out for the holidays, visiting FAO Schwartz with no intention of buying anything, skating in rockefeller center… All good memories that pale in comparison to the vivid and visceral experience of feeling the bighting wind cut across my face and steal the warmth from my tightly bundled body. Needless to say, good times were had by all on those brisk visits to the city.

Today, winter in the city is a bit different for me. For one thing, I live here now, for better or worse, and there begins a whole world of difference from the jaunts we made from New Jersey in years past. Now there is no escape!

Probably the nastiest bit of work is the commuting situation. We may be relatively safe from the bad driving conditions (read: don’t own a car) but there’s plenty of other things to worry about. For most of us, walking is a mainstay, and that means exposure to the elements during a sizeable portion of our commute.

I just have one thing to say about this: BUNDLE UP!

Seriously, a 10 minute walk doesn’t seem so bad until you have to do it in a 0 windchill. Layering and covering extremities is of course a must. Also, when going to a place you haven’t been before, figure out your routes well ahead of time. It’ll save you that all too familiar pain of knowing you’re two blocks from your destination, without knowing which two blocks it is.

Thanksgiving in New Jersey
It seems that New Jersey has dominated my weekends these last few months, so it was only fitting that I be there for Thanksgiving. I would have flown out to Florida, but with ticket prices reaching ludicrous levels, and the hassle of flying on the holidays, it made more sense to stay local this year. Meanwhile, I had the good fortune to be invited to my very own Morristown, New Jersey to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my best friend and his family. Dinner was, of course, phenomenal. Naturally I was sent home with at least twice what I ate at dinner, so I’m still enjoying the leftovers to this day.

But perhaps more fulfilling still, was simply spending time at home. We went for walks around the neighborhood, visited familiar landmarks, and took a ride around and got lost somewhere past Chatham. Eventually we found our way back an hour later, but despite getting completely turned around and wasting that hour figuring out where the heck we were, I couldn’t have been happier. We visited a national park near town and walked around in the woods for a while too. Getting lost in the woods was actually also a lot of fun, especially when I’m so used to being surrounded by tall buildings and pavement. I didn’t even mind when we found ourselves caught in a thick patch of pricker bushes trying to find our way out.

When it comes down to it, I think NJ fulfills my need to not be surrounded by people all the time. Most particularly people I don’t know. In the city, they’re everywhere, all the time. Even if you live alone, chances are you can still hear the neighbors, or at the very least the noise from the street. The luxury of space is almost impossible to find here in NYC, but fortunately for me, release is not so very far away. So I’ll keep crossing the river.