winter

Welcome to the Long Slog

countdown to summer 2014

My least favorite time of year has officially arrived. The Long Slog, as I’ve dubbed it, is the endless period of time between Presidents Day and Memorial Day.

It’s the dead of winter without the festivities and anticipation of the holidays. Just long, gray, chilly days. And there are no holidays to break up the everyday routine of commuting, going to work, etc. Memorial Day and the start of summer seem so far away.

The craziest/saddest part is that I feel like I’ve already been wading through the Long Slog for months! Today marked the 14th snowstorm in NYC, this season. And since the start of the year, we’ve gotten four feet of snow! No wonder I’m tired of seeing the icy mounds of gray snow all over the city.

So I’ve been brainstorming my Long Slog survival plan. It mostly consists of ways to treat myself in NYC: Getting massages here with my mom and sister. (Those were our bday.gif"betony" href="https://www.betony-nyc.com/" target="_blank">this place, soon.) Planning game nights or other events with friends.

And, of course, I’m hoping to go on a few quick, weekend getaways. I actually have one planned for this weekend—ironically, to Vermont! But I’ll be doing lots of warm, cozy activities to counteract the winter chill!

(I’d originally planned to use a wintry image with this post—but I couldn’t bring myself to snap a photo of the piles of snow along the streets!)

More Snow

How crazy is this winter? NYC—and most of the east coast—got another ton of snow today. And there’s more on the way tonight.

I wish I spent all my snowy days like this:

TOMER HANUKA’S “PERFECT STORM”

But unfortunately, my reality is much more like this:

US-WEATHER-SNOW

How many more days until summer?

(Top image via the New Yorker ; bottom image—and more photos of New Yorkers slipping along Fifth Avenue—via the Observer)

How Are You Surviving the Long Slog?

countdown to summer

Are you ready for summer yet? I certainly am! Even though I’m a die-hard east coaster, I’m not a huge fan of winter. In fact, I’ve been calling this period, from President’s Day to Memorial Day, “the Long Slog” for most of my adult life. Because that’s pretty much what it feels like!

Here’s why: In NYC, these are the coldest, greyest months. But unlike November and December, there’s no feeling of excitement and anticipation for holidays and all the fun they bring: family time; parties; last-minute, use-up-your-vacation-days trips. Swaddling yourself in tons of layers to leave the house is getting old.В The long, warm days of summer feel pretty far away, right now!

I deal with the Long Slog in various ways. I do a lot of ballet, make plans with friends, schedule a few weekend trips. And sometimes, I just give in to hibernation. I’ve made more dents in my reading list during Long Slogs than at any other time of year. And during one Long Slog, Mal, Peter and I camped out in our living room every weekend and watched all of Lost in its entirety.

How are you surviving the Long Slog? If you have any book, weekend trip or NYC event recommendations, please let me know. I’d love to hear!

Washington Heights = Skating Rink

When I got home at 10 p.m. last night, the streets were dry and there was nothing falling from the sky. That’s why–despite all the dire weather predictions–I was shocked to find my neighborhood like this, this morning. An inch of ice covers the streets and sidewalks and all the trees and shrubs are drooping under the weight of frozen water. Watching people clinging together for support and taking shaky baby steps as they “walked” to the train would have been more amusing if I weren’t doing the same thing, nearly wiping out several times in the process.

…It’s hard to believe that just a week ago, I was sipping coconut water and sunbathing in Negril!