Freezing Rains to Slippery Roads: An ode to New York Winter

After weeks of heavy snow, its time for some freezing rain. Since last night, its been raining and now the view outside - almost everything is covered with a sheet of ice. The tree looks like it has frozen in time and the water on the window pane is frozen on its way down. And the snow lying on the road sides, also got an 'icy' face lift. 

                                                                         Frozen in Time

Another, effect of the freezing rain is of course - the slippery roads. And weather advisory issued, was 'Snow, Sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads', which turned out to be precisely right. The sidewalks look like a slushy mess, and the street corners have become water ponds. And a walk on the street is just 'Slip n Slide', or as, skating on the road.

With all this ice around, I braved an 'icy' trip to the grocery store this morning -it was quite an adventure; had no idea that the sidewalks won't be for walking but for sliding. According to the weather forecasts, the rains will stop by afternoon and I just hope that the ice on the sidewalks melts, otherwise, the skating will have to continue for another day.

Freezing Rain and ice and slippery roads; it's tougher than a blizzard. 

Warm up to NYC chill: Five Winter essentials

Surviving the big apple cold weather needs some warm accessories apart from sweaters and coats; and these five winter essentials come handy and are equally fashionable. 

1. Ear Muffs - The gushing cold winds in NYC can be torturous for your ears and the ear muffs come as a  savior. It was invented by Chester Greenwood in 1873 and has become a winter essential since then. It protects ears in the chilly weather and comes in many designs and styles. And the acoustic ear muffs come with headphones, which is even better especially while working out. 

2. Mittens - The hand gloves which keep the hands warm and prevents frostbites. Mittens have one cover for the four fingers and one for the thumb unlike gloves which have four coverings for fingers and one for thumb. It keeps the hands nice and toasty and some even come in a design with the removable finger cover for ease. And they even look cute. 

3. Leg Warmers - These are footless coverings for lower legs and are a sure way of keeping legs warm. And can be worn with leggings, jeans, jeggings and are pretty much a fashion accessory for winters. Earlier these used to be worm by ballet dancers but later it became a fad. 

4. Boots - A pair of warm winter boots go a long way in protecting one's feet during the chill, and also saves one from slipping on the ice while crossing the road. And not just that, boots look awesome and complete a winter attire perfectly, as it goes well with coats, sweaters and even skirts. 

5. Chullo - The cutest of them all, a chullo is a hat with ear warmers and strings to tie under the chin for keeping the head warm. It is just what one needs to keep the head and ears protected from the cold. And comes in beautiful colors and patterns. 

                                                             A beautiful Chullo Hat

These five are definitely needed to cope with the extreme weather in New York and they look as good as they feel. And to beat the chill, of course a cup of hot chocolate can never go wrong, slurp!!

First Snowflakes of the season: Came tumbling down

The first snowflakes of the season came tumbling down on Sunday night and continued till Tuesday afternoon. Snowflakes looked beautiful flying away with the breeze. The shapes of the snowflakes was a surprise for me, as I got to know about it for the first time last year, when I saw the light and sound show on Saks fifth Avenue during Christmas time. It was splendid.

                                                                    Saks Fifth Avenue

Snowflakes - 'Snowflakes are conglomerations of frozen ice crystals which fall through earth's atmosphere'*. They come in so many shapes and sizes; and no two snowflakes are alike. They have been a point of interest for many researchers around the world and many books have also been written as the shapes of the crystals are very unique. 

These snowflake symbols are associated with Christmas and of-course the winter season. One can see paper snowflakes all over the city, as stores and many streets are decorated during winters. These tiny pieces of snow are truly a work of art. 

                                                                  Swaroski Snowflake 

Links: 

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake