After growing up in Minnesota and then moving to the East Coast, we have seen our fair share of blizzards. This post recaps one of the New York City storms we got stuck in. Obviously, safety is the most important thing to consider. But we lived in an apartment and didn’t have to worry about clearing sidewalks or any necessary travel.
So reward a few years and get some inspiration if you find yourself stuck in a blizzard any time soon.
Maybe you missed it, but the East Coast got 24 hours of nonstop snow and wind. It started late Friday night while we enjoyed the company of friends & neighbors at the local watering hole. I slept in until 9:00 AM on Saturday, which was amazing, and when I woke up, it was a winter wonderland.
Good thing I had prepared for this blizzard with a quick run to Target and our local liquor store. It ended up being the absolute greatest day. Now that I’ve survived a blizzard and enjoyed every last second, I’m clearly an expert that should be giving you advice.
Supplies required for Blizzard:
- From Liquor Store:
- Champagne
- Bailey’s
- Wine of all kinds
- From Target/Grocery Store:
- Marshmallows
- Fruit juice
- Hot cocoa of all kinds – Salted Caramel & Chili Spice are my favorites
- Ingredients for comfort food recipes from your favorite cookbook
- Things you probably have at home (if you don’t, buy/get them)
- Sugar
- Almond Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Coffee
- Good Boots – I have these and I love them.
- Amazing PJ’s
- Books
- A fully stocked Netflix queue
Once you have all the supplies, it’s time to get into your PJ’s and enjoy yourself a blizzard.
Our Blizzard Itinerary
9:00 AM – Wake up, make the coffee, and take the dogs outside for an adventure. They have epic winter coats similar to these. They are comfortable for the pups and help keep them warm in weather like this.
9:30 AM – Make cinnamon rolls. Read, drink coffee, and stare out the window at the snow. Repeat until you finish your current book.
12:00 PM – Search the hashtags about the storm to see how much has accumulated and the pictures people have taken. You should probably take 100 pictures to make sure you have a good one to share.
1:00 PM – Make a mimosa and stare out the window at the snow some more.
1:30 PM – Make macaroni & cheese because nothing goes better with a mimosa.
2:00 PM – Start a new book. Keep drinking mimosas.
3:00 PM – Answer text messages from all your out-of-town relatives, letting them know you’re alive and have power. Also, remind them that the NYC metro area is bigger than people think, and we are not in the area that is getting flooded.
3:30 PM – Take the dogs out again and play in the snow. Ski goggles are never a bad idea when the wind blows snow towards your face at 30 mph.
4:00 PM – Peer pressure neighbors to hang out with you and drink. We used a bribe of dessert – including snow cream (see recipe below) and hot chocolate.
4:30 PM – Pack your backpack full of goodies and head out into the storm… well, across the street, but it felt really bad ass. Drink wine with your hot chocolate and snow cream.
6:00 PM – Starting discussing pizza and wondering if delivery guys are considered emergency vehicles. They’ve banned any road travel except for emergency vehicles until tomorrow. In my opinion, it’s one of the smartest moves, and Minnesota should consider that sometimes.
6:10 PM – Realize that you all want pizza and start calling local places. Get lucky on your second try (really, it was a miracle). Convince friends to “gear up” because we walk the 10 blocks to pick it up.
7:00 PM – With pizza in your possession, walk fast back to enjoy it. Also, count your blessings if you have a garage to park in.
7:20 PM – Eat pizza, drink more wine, watch youtube videos.
8:30 PM – Make the trek back across the street, bundle up the dogs and take them out again. Prepare yourselves for little success considering the snow is 2 feet high at this point.
9:00 PM – Change into a fresh pair of PJ’s, pour more wine and settle in for some Netflix or if you’re lucky like us, you get a few hours with two of your best friends via FaceTime.
11:30 PM – Fall asleep to the sound of the snow plows working extra hard and wonder if tomorrow will bring sunshine.
Best Blizzard Day ever.
We were supposed to be heading out of town today for a work trip, but since travel was banned until mid-day and the Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed for part of our route, we pushed it back until Monday. Looks like we get to repeat the day all over again.
Stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy an excuse to stay home in your pajamas all day.
Here is our recipe for Snow Cream:
