Annoying things about winter in New York

Tomorrow is the official first day of winter – but it’s only to set a date, because freezing temperatures have arrived in New York a while ago – we even saw snow (and I had never seen snow in December since I came to live here) . Perhaps, because of my history of posts and videos here on the blog talking about winter, you think I don’t like this season. I will redeem myself: yes, I like the winter in New York – but the main problem is how long is it. The cold weather starts in October and runs through March / April. I already talked about some truths about the winter in the city on this post here , but today I decided to list annoying things about the coldest season of the year.

– The wind – winter in New York is very severe – and freezing temperatures are always present. And the temperatures are not the problem because I use thermal clothes and also good coats. But the problem is the wind … ah, the wind. The wind in New York is something that hurts to the soul. It is not always that it is winding, but when it is, it’s crazy. It looks like that icy air will rip off the little left over of exposed skin – in this case, your pretty little face. I do not think I would complain so much about winter if was not so windy.

– Nose running – I know you now have a disgusting look on your face, but we need to tell the truth. You leave your house in the winter and everything is ok but you walk ten steps and you’re already sniffing. There is no way, the nose begins to run and then, baby, you will need a tissue, a lot of tissues. And forget that quote that “it’s ugly to blow your nose in public”. In New York, everybody’s in the same boat – which means everyone blows their nose wherever they want. And that also means that you will hear everything, from the most discreet to the most scandalous.

– The saga of using your cell phone outside – you are there walking all warm, then suddenly you have to answer the phone, check an address, send a message. Or you are all beautiful on your trip, taking a thousand photos and 3459595 snaps. Then you need to take off your gloves. “It’s going to be quick”, you think. And then you no longer feel your fingers. Okay, okay, you can work it out with a touchscreen glove, but I still have not bought one – and also because I love my gloves.

– Electric shocks – with super strong heating indoors, a rather funny phenomenon happens during the winter here – and that causes some scares in the beginning. When we touch metal objects – and even people – we feel small shocks. Shock occurs when we produce electrostatic energy by making any frictional motion. This energy travels through the droplets of water present in the air. What happens is that when the temperature falls, the relative humidity of the air also drops a lot, mainly because of the heated environments. That means less water droplets in the air, and then the energy can not travel and accumulate, and then, when we lean on some conductor, like the metal or a person, the electric shock happens and we get shocked! . I confess that these shocks have already scared me sometimes.

– Crowded subway – no matter how cold it is in New York, you can be sure that you just feel the cold outside, because all the places are heated (some too hot). A very annoying thing about winter here is getting a crowded subway. That’s because the trains are well heated and the first thing you’ll do upon entering is to take off your coat and your cap. But, and when the subway is so crowded that you have no room to take off your coat? It’s tense, my friends, it’s tense … pray for your blood pressure not to fall (or take off your coat before).

– Strands of hair on the coats – this post is personal, so I share my experiences. When winter comes, I like to keep my coats clean – read on: no millions of strands of hair. It’s my call for everyone to do the same, because I want to die when I’m in a queue or I’m on the subway and I see those coats full of hanging hair. My wish is to ask for permission and to take off one by one. Seriously, I get very nervous, hahahahahaha.

– Dry skin – during winter, our skin always requires more special care, right? I have oily skin and I have never suffered from dryness in Brazil. But every winter in New York is a saga. The heat at home is strong and then the skin suffers. The area of the nose becomes reddish and the skin is peeling. The way is to use a humidifier day and night to minimize the problem. And until I found out that I had to use a humidifier, my face suffered a lot, sir! I did not know what else to go through. Added to this, we still have the freezing temperatures outside that, added to the wind, can do the damage on your face (especially on your lips).

– Accumulated snow– I think snow is a beautiful thing, I love seeing the parks all white and I also love that the temperature is ok when it snows. But, walking on the sidewalks and crossing the streets becomes a very complicated job because the snow begins to melt and then becomes a very disgusting mud. Sorry, guys, you can not think this is fun.