Baby it's cold outside: My favorite things - Winter Edition

To get to work, I walk 8 minutes to the train.  Wait 5 minutes and then take the train for 44 minutes.  I then walk 20 minutes to work.  That is my commute, it takes about 1 hour 15 minutes door to door, one way.  In the autumn and spring, my commute is nice and relaxing and sometimes in the summer I get off the train a stop earlier and walk 1.5 miles home...just because.  But in the winter, my commute can get tough. 

I walk in it all...rain, snow, sleet, wind, down pouring rain, heat - you name it.  I only took the subway to work twice in 5 years (once when I hurt my ankle and once when I thought there would be a lot of snow, but there was none).

My office tends to get really hot in the winter from the blasting heat that I always have my window cracked a little.  Wearing short sleeves in the winter is common (and sometimes long sleeves in the summer when the AC is on).  But getting to work in a short sleeved shirt? Not easy.  Last winter NYC was cold and windy. I would make bets with myself when I was walking how far I would get before I couldn't feel my toes/fingers/ears anymore.  It didn't snow too much, but the cold wind is brutal for walks.  So this year, I was going to be 'smarter' about my commute attire. 

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I have some decent looking coats, but in all honesty, the warmest of them is a plain black one.  I wear that even though it isn't 'pretty' or professional...it is just a plain coat.  It is warm, but it isn't perfect - so I have been wearing an underarmour zip-up that really helps against the wind.  This ultra thin extra layer has been a lifesaver for me - and I originally picked it up in the summer thinking when I rode my bike it would be nice to wear (I haven't ridden by bike in years).  I am OK that I wear two jackets and sometimes a sweater (the underarmer under the sweater) - my chest hasn't been cold yet!

Next area to tackle is the legs.  I wear normal pants.  A few of my pants are lined but most of them are not.  I wear these same pants all times of the year.   I wear either trouser socks or knee highs, so there isn't much additional foot protection either. Naturally my legs get cold because the only thing protecting them is some cotton or whatever it is pants are made out of.  This past summer I knew leg warmers were coming back...so when I was at a flea market, I picked up a pair to try.  They are thin but long - so I slide them up to my knees under my pants and wear them to work.  You can barely see them, and it makes a huge difference.  I need to buy a few more pairs!

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For my hands, I have been really bad and haven't worn gloves too many times.  When I do, on a normal cold day I really love my Totes/Isotoner gloves.  They are slim and I can move my fingers easily.  When it is super cold I wear these really thick gloves that look like ski/snow gloves.  They are not ideal since they are huge, but they do help with that extra protection when you need it - and I got them at Costco 6 years ago for like $15!

As for scarves? Well, I learned how to knit after my breakup.  More on that another time...but I have a TON of homemade scarves. My favorite is a thicker wool woven big, and made really long, so it keeps me warm all over my neck.

My last favorite winter item is my LL Bean boots.  When I moved to NJ I bought these for our winter house chores (shoveling, etc).  I barely used them since I moved out so quickly and they remained in storage for 2 1/2 years.  But when I re-found them, I fell in love all over.  They took a while to break in - especially the 'tounge' part, which was rubbing my leg the wrong way. But once that corrected itself, they have been wonderful.  I walk through anything in them - massive puddles, mounds of snow, you name it.  They have good traction when its slippery too.   The only downside to them is they are huge / heavy. But considering the benefits, I don't mind.