30 minutes in january: blizzard

As soon as I heard on the news that New York was bracing for an enormous snowstorm, I knew that I had the perfect plot for my story. Manhattan on any given day is full of millions of stories — the hustle and bustle of the city gives me energy and sparks my curiosity around every corner. But Manhattan during a storm — now that’s when you see the true spirit of New Yorkers come out. I’ve been living here for over a dozen years now, and have witnessed some incredible acts of nature affect my city. There have been city-wide blackouts, hurricanes, snowstorms, and fires. Whenever the city “shuts down,” New Yorkers don’t just hibernate. We explore this quiet city and run around in the streets with the snow falling all around us, without fear of getting plowed down by cars or buses. Those who didn’t think ahead to buy groceries (and essentials like wine!) venture out to find out if any stores are open. Kids bundled up in snowsuits need to stretch their legs after being cooped up indoors, and dogs must be walked.

The first half of the day I stayed inside in my pajamas, sipping tea and catching up on some TV, occasionally popping over to my window to check the snow’s progress. After lunchtime I became restless and bundled up in my warmest gear and my new snowboots (Sorels for the win!), strapped my weather-proof D4 around my body, and headed out into the white blizzard. I was happy to discover many of my neighbors were all out taking walks as well!

Psst!  Now that you’ve walked around New York in an actual blizzard with me, go check out the COMPLETE opposite scenery of tropical Barbados, photographed by the ever-talented and lovely Aniya Legnaro!