nw3 to nyc

Observations on moving my family across the Atlantic

Category Archives: Weather


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6 months in and 100 blog posts later

Hard to believe I have been writing this blog for six months now and that this is my 100th post. I thought I would reflect a little on how it’s gone so far.

Well, I now know that I am slightly obsessed by food.  I am in love with brunch and iced tea. There are many posts on various aspects of food and the category cloud shows that loud and clear. Food in New York has been a revelation and continues to be so. My food posts are my most popular and I think I have joined a community of bloggers who are even more obsessed by food than me.

I have made a lot of observations about people. I probably don’t get out and about enough to reflect the diversity of New York but I do like to share the little vignettes about what I do see. I keep getting annoyed about New Yorkers and their manners but I will continue to say ‘thank you’ and ‘cheers’ as often as necessary. The subway has been a rich source for people watching as have the dog owners – I could have done a post a day on the dog lovers of New York.

New York City politics has increasingly grabbed my attention and is likely to be a great source of blog material as the election nears. I suspect this won’t gain my many followers or pique too much interest, but I find it fascinating, so I won’t be able to resist the more bizarre stuff. National politics is less of interest so far but that could change.

And the weather: it’s all about the weather in New York. When you’re British it is comforting to know that New Yorkers are as obsessed by the weather as we are. I’m dreading the humid, hot summer and will no doubt write about it in graphic detail. I am already very well acquainted with the local park and the sandpit as J has his own obsessions too.

So do I like New York? Do I prefer NW3 to NYC after six months? I’d have to say that I still hanker after NW3, it is lovely: the buildings, the history and of course the beautiful Heath, location of the much missed British Military Fitness. If I could export the latter to Central Park, I’d be happy. I’ve enjoyed witnessing the changes to Central Park during my weekly run but it’s not quite the same.

Lots of people have said they would love to have done what we have done and live in New York, but the reality is that you do just end up staying in your own bit of the city, making that your home territory. We explore the city at the weekends, but not always as sometimes it’s nice just to stay put. There’s a list of things to do and places to go and we will do them all before we leave. Just have to remind ourselves quite how lucky we are to have this chance to be in NYC before we return to NW3.


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If you want to get ahead, get a hat

It is hot here in New York today. After two days of rain, it’s now officially summer. I am in downtown Brooklyn, which is a world apart from the Upper East Side. It is busy, there’s a lot of flesh on show and not in a good way. The pavements of Fulton Street are lined with all sorts of stalls selling hats, jewellery and clothing.  Music blares out, competing with noise from stalls nearby. There are crowds of people in Macy’s (Brooklyn branch). I listen to harassed mothers who yell at their small children to ‘shut the f*** up’. I buy a hat in Macy’s:  I am gratified that my head is not large in Brooklyn. I queue in the equally crowded Gap Outlet next door and am barked at by the cashier, ‘next guest!’. I know now that means next in the queue. I don’t feel much like a guest as I’ve queued for 20 minutes and put up with the horror of the outlet experience. I buy E a hat too and hope that head size isn’t hereditary. I walk back to the subway and find I am the only one wearing a hat. I will set a new trend. Alone.


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And everything changed

Yep, still on about the weather. I was walking home from my sweaty spin class (enough said about that) this evening and was amazed by the change in atmosphere here. All the cafes and restaurants that normally hide under awnings and behind double entrance doorways to keep the freezing drafts out have converged onto the pavements. The pavements are alive with chatter, clinking glasses and happy people sitting outside, eating in the warm air. What a lovely way to spend an evening, I felt quite envious. They are in sharp contrast to the cafes that don’t have outside space and the poor souls trapped by the 2nd Avenue subway works, which are almost empty save a few solitary diners who eat alone, reading newspapers and looking out the window. I walked home, buzzing from the exercise and no longer hiding from the weather: jacket open, my red face warming the evening air just a bit more. I could get used to this.


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I’m so confused

What is happening with the weather? It is boiling today. I didn’t need to wear my fabulous J Crew hooded coat or one of my many scarves or hats. In fact, I wore a much missed Belstaff jacket and was too hot in that! What is going on? The playground is full of confused toddlers who career around in jumpers and unexpected freedom that comes from not having to wear a padded coat. Everyone is smiling and talking to each other. This is most odd. Obviously this is perfect weather for the Century 21 bargain sunglasses, so I am happy about that. I am less happy about the 6o-something man lying pretty much naked bar a pair of bright blue shorts on the deck of a building I can see from my kitchen window. I hope that’s not the start of a phase. Come back cold!


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Will someone pick up the trash?

There was a huge snowstorm on the North East coast of the US last weekend. New York got off relatively lightly and the city enjoyed a weekend of playing in the snow. Central Park was beautiful and whilst the snow was soft and powdery, people managed to make the most incredible snow sculptures. We saw a snow horse, lots of snowmen and on one park bench a man had sculpted a woman reclining on the bench, she was possibly a mermaid, I couldn’t quite tell. It’s now Tuesday, the temperature is up and the snow is melting. People cleared the pavements leaving great mountains of snow like the sides of canyons. Now they are no longer pretty, but dirty from exhaust fumes and muddy footprints. The city looks ugly as it shakes off the snow and what it has revealed is the rubbish: mounds and mounds of rubbish lining the pavements where the snow is melting. It is horrible, great bags of recycling and household rubbish piled up and added to by the ubiquitous coffee cup and take out bags. I don’t know how long it takes for the rubbish men to resume their schedule, but I hope it’s soon, otherwise the rubbish will be taking over Manhattan.


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Brrrr, it’s cold out there

I listen intently to Radio 4 on the Internet each day and follow the typical British response to the recent snow. Supermarket shelves emptied in a frenzy of panic buying, schools shutting and travel chaos. Same as usual then. You might think that it would be the same in New York but no. Here it is bitterly cold, temperatures last night went down to minus 9 degrees. I had considered going out for a pedicure last night until I realised I’d be walking back up the street in my sandals on the coldest night of the year so far and be in considerable danger of losing a toe. But still, there’s no snow and no chaos. The padded coats are out in force, everyone is in a big hurry to get out of the cold and in particular the wind. You can tell which direction it’s coming in because of the grid structure of the streets. Walk along the street and get knocked down by the wind then it’s East/West; walk down an avenue and get hit by the wind, then it’s North/South. But it’s deceptive when you’re in a warm apartment, high up, looking out at the blue sky, crystal clear and bright. Lovely. I am gratified that New Yorkers comment on the weather as much as British people do and even they think it’s cold.