Life
7 Tips For How To Make It Through Snowstorm Hercules
The weirdly-named Snowstorm Hercules has hit the East Coast, striking cold fear into the hearts of the hardy Northeasterners. On Friday morning, New York City was rocking the same temperate as Fairbanks, Ala., a cool -4-degree windchill. Up to two feet of snow had graced the ground near Boston, and the state of New York has been declared an emergency so that aid could get where it was needed, faster.
Now, a snow day requires skill, cunning and razor-sharp intelligence — or at least a pot of Irish hot chocolate — for one to survive. So here's what you can do now...
Resign yourself to the fact you are going nowhere
As of Friday morning, JFK was closed, and 1,500 U.S. flights have been cancelled. Subways and busses are running local, weekend or reduced schedules. Amtrak service between Boston, D.C., and NYC is spotty.
Don’t even think about driving.
Get cozy
All the sweaters! Oversized flannel shirts! Leggings! Socks on socks on socks. This is a really great time to practice that Topshop-style layering, because If it’s soft, it belongs on you.
Dinner = comfort food and alcohol
No one’s going to be spontaneously popping in during dinner time in this weather, so no one’s going to judge your booze-and-food pairings.
While fajitas and champagne sounds pretty delicious, other combinations could include pizza and whiskey, or bacon mac ‘n cheese and pinot noir.
Or a salad and filtered water, if that’s your thing.
You're not cozy enough
Oh, go on then. Another jumper won’t hurt.
And you’ve been dying to break out the legwarmers again — the ones you wore in that Flashdance costume sophomore year of college and lurk in the back of your sock drawer after having “forgotten” to throw them out? We all have our secret legwarmers. Today is their day.
Expect the inevitable barrage of parental texts
It’s going to happen: the influx of texts from the parents. They will tell you to bundle up when your heating’s on. They’ll tell you to take public transport when it’s all been shut down. They will inform you that it is snowing outside.
There’s nothing you can do to stop it besides block them, and that’s not very grateful so soon after the holidays, now is it? It’s like a genetic response for them. Go with it.
(Image: The Classy Gay/Twitter)
If you must go outside, do so to sled
Blizzards only come every so often, and in 10 years, it’s possible that careening down bumpy hills might leave you sore or something.
Embrace the remnants of the inner child not dulled out by the trials of apartment-hunting and financial management and throw yourself down the slope.
And make sure to bundle up
There is no such thing as too warm, until there is, and then you just take stuff off. It’s a lot harder to put on non-existent things you don’t have with you if you’re cold.
A king-size duvet, such as the one this reporter models, will do nicely.
