I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not writing more interesting things about living in New York City. The truth is that it is just so cold here, I spend probably 95% of my time either in the apartment or at work. This is just not the weather for long walks or neighborhood exploring. Usually I'm just trying to get from the subway to wherever I'm going in the shortest amount of time possible, not even pausing to look up or marvel that I live in this cool city. January was just frigid. We had snow at least twice a week for the whole month and I don't think it probably got above 35 more than a couple days. We still have snow on the ground from Christmas, although it's on it's last legs now - the 3 foot high piles have subsided to mere inches now and the dogs are having to go to the bathroom on the bare sidewalk for the first time in a month. February has been a bit warmer and it hasn't snowed yet. It was 40 yesterday for about 10 minutes, then a cold front came in while I was at work and by the time I left, it was 20. This morning it was 17 degrees when I left for work and with the wind chill, it was supposed to feel like 2 degrees. Trust me, it did.
So, really, we haven't been exploring much, we haven't been walking or touring or leaving the apartment for long stretches of time. Frankly, it's starting to drive me a little bit crazy and I'm feeling a little bit trapped. At least in Oregon, if it stops raining for a few hours, you can go outside.
We have, however, been going to the ballet a lot, which is a nice way to get out of the house. I think I mentioned this before, but the ballet is set up more like a symphony performance. The season includes about 30-40 dances, each probably 30-40 minutes long and every night they perform a difference combination of 3 or 4 of these dances. So if you go on a Tuesday night, you will most likely see 4 different dances than you would if you went on a Saturday. It's actually really cool and good for those of us with shorter attention spans. They usually do a very traditional ballet, and contemporary ballet and then kind of a broadway/more showy ballet. A little taste for everyone.
Having only ever seen the Nutcracker before, I wasn't sure if I would actually like ballet, but it turns out that I do! It's just amazing to watch these incredible athletes who are SO strong, yet so beautiful and graceful. They flit around the stage looking effortless and weightless, and then you focus on their arms and legs, and you see how hard they are working, how much strength it actually takes to make these things look effortless and weightless. It's pretty astounding, actually. Swan Lake is coming up and, having seen Black Swan recently, I'm really hoping that we will be able to get tickets to that. But, I'm sure it will be a very popular performance and there might not be any availability for us free-loaders.
Hope everyone else is staying warm!!
3 comments:
I know exactly what you mean-- winters here, at least from my wimpy West Coast perspective, are brutal. A few things that I've found that help me get through the cold:
1. Plan a mid-winter vacation to somewhere warm. You are a mere 3 hour flight from most Caribbean destinations, and a lot of those trips can be done on the cheap. If not a tropical island, you can often fly to Miami for around $200 r/t and priceline hotels for super cheap.
2. Mulled wine. YUM. Hot, spicy, alcoholic. Definitely takes the edge, and the chill, off.
3. Bikram Yoga. The studios are heated to 95-100 degrees and that heat feels REALLY nice in the dead of winter. Yeah, 90 minutes of yoga in a room that hot is kind of miserable, but when you leave, you actually appreciate the cold.
4. Korean Spas. NYC has got to have some. They are heavenly, and (usually) a very inexpensive way to spend a day. Your admission fee usually covers unlimited use of their heated pools/jacuzzis.
If I think of anything else, I'll let ya know!
This is awesome, Melissa! What fantastic ideas, all of the, and I actually saw a Groupon for a Korean spa go by the other day, so I know they're out there.
Where do you usually find your deals for the Caribbean? I keep an eye out on Kayak most days, but any recommendations would be great!
And 95-100 degrees would feel HEAVENLY to me right now. :)
Hope your winter is going well. We're thinking of planning a trip to D.C. in April, for the cherry blossoms?
So, we just went to Cancun and I was able to use miles to get us there. But in the past, I've found tickets just thru the airline's own sites to Miami and the Bahamas for $200 and around $250, respectively. Miami is an American Airlines hub, so you can often find deals on that airline. Check JetBlue, too-- I'm pretty sure they fly direct to Cancun. Priceline is also a really good resource for hotels. I've gotten pretty good at bidding and winning!
You should definitely come down! You've got a free place to stay! :-) Here's a link to the "bloom watch," where they try to estimate "peak" bloom dates:http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/bloom-watch/ We'd love to see you!
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