Park benches are soaked, puddles are everywhere, your $3 umbrella just blew out, and even your cute rain jacket can't make slogging around town all that enjoyable. It's raining in New York! But don't despair just yet; sometimes the "elements" can result in finding new, exciting things to do or places to visit. That 30-mile bike ride may not happen, but aren't there indoor activities you want to catch up on? When I was little, the tradition in my family during stormy weather was to play Monopoly, and to this day, I still have the urge to move my little iron playing piece around a board at the first sound of thunder. And pass Go and collect $200. But, I've got some other rainy day tricks up my sleeve.
Leave it to New York to have an umbrella-sharing program that doubles as a social experiment: Catherine Bohne, owner of Park Slope’s Community Bookstore started the program, which allows anyone to pick up one of the yellow umbrellas at various locations, free of charge, with the idea that when the person is done using it, he or she returns it to one of the locations. Will it work?
Crackling fireplaces may seem more like a snowy, wintry activity, but since New York living requires a lot of walking and transit time, rainy days=cold and wet. Now, I can’t guarantee these restaurants and bars will allow you to hang up your dripping socks in front of the fire, but at the very least, you can dry out while munching on some comforting foods. That’s right, the following all have at least one fireplace, with either gas logs or the real deal.
Remember when rainy days at camp meant cutting up paper in the art center? Okay, I never went to camp, but I’m guessing there were activities planned in the event it rained.
Now that you are a grown-up, go to Camp with a capital C, which means, eat s’mores and drink beer inside of a foresty-wallpapered-bar.
Remember when rainy days at camp meant cutting up paper in the art center? Okay, I never went to camp, but I’m guessing there were activities planned in the event it rained.
Now that you are a grown-up, go to Camp with a capital C, which means, eat s’mores and drink beer inside of a foresty-wallpapered-bar.
Applewood is one of those free-range meat, local food-serving restaurants you should take the parents or significant other to. In other words, impress them, but maybe they’ll pick up the check at the end of dinner?
Applewood is one of those free-range meat, local food-serving restaurants you should take the parents or significant other to. In other words, impress them, but maybe they’ll pick up the check at the end of dinner?
Ah yes, a restaurants for the stars. Getting a reservation is painful, and I guess there’s good reason? But you probably won’t even notice the warmth of the fireplace because the place will be jam-packed with celebrities…and a lot of hot air, if you catch my drift.
Ah yes, a restaurants for the stars. Getting a reservation is painful, and I guess there’s good reason? But you probably won’t even notice the warmth of the fireplace because the place will be jam-packed with celebrities…and a lot of hot air, if you catch my drift.
Sometimes the right clothing can make Northeastern weather fun. Sometimes I repeat. I wear a bright blue rain jacket that doesn’t exactly repel water all that well, but is cute and cheerful. I used to have an umbrella with a flashlight on the end of it, which never actually came in handy like I thought it would. Okay, I’m not sure how convincingly necessary those two items sound.
One of my pet peeves (I have over 100) is when New Yorkers use those HUGE umbrellas that are as wide as the sidewalk. The nerve! I like staying dry too, but those things are ridiculous.
There’s nothing like a good thunderstorm to account for impulsive shopping. For the good of the struggling economy, right?!? These boots (there’s a matching umbrella too!) hail from Dylan’s Candy Bar, the Upper East Side candy emporium, but you can order online from the comfort of your dry, warm apartment.
New York media site Gawker is always snarky, harsh, and ready to laugh at anything and everything, so naturally they’ve got something to say about this really stupid product called “nubrella” seen above.
Hunker Down at Home
Nothing is making you leave your house with the wind gusts and downpours combined, so it’s time to plan a relaxing day at home. I personally know someone (not me, I swear!) who shuts down when faced with a bad weather forecast, who stayed home from work purely because it was raining outside and subsequently responded with “it’s raining” when asked about his noticeable absence. So, what to do in the meantime???
Catch up on that stack of Netflix movies sitting on your dresser. Yes, There Will Be Blood is long, but what else do you have to do?
Clean your apartment/house. There is nothing worse than doing spring cleaning, or any kind of cleaning on a nice day. You put it off and put it off and now you’re stuck inside on a beautiful 75 degree day. Clean when it’s crappy out!
A blanket and a book are your two best friends on a rainy day. No fireplace? Don’t improvise on that one. Just make yourself cozy the best way you can.
Cook! I’m naturally domestically-inclined, so I have the urge to cook and/or bake on a daily basis. (Yep, boyfriends, friends, and/or roommates are lucky!) Why not try a recipe you never have time for?
Rainy Day Recipes
Rainy days and comfort food go hand in hand, but really, when is comfort food not a good idea? Here are a few recipes, some of my own creation, and some that I just frequently make.
It’s labor-intensive and time-consuming (4 hours), but the smell of spices and apples lingering in your house for days makes it worth the effort. And come on, who makes apple butter anymore? It’s something to talk about around the water cooler the next day!
This fellow New York resident made a mean mac & cheese in her Food Network days and I have yet to find a better, simpler recipe. Cheesy (in a good way) and piping hot, I can’t live with Kraft’s boxed version ever again.
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Click here to log in.Thanks! Your guides rock as well and you pump ‘em out!
Love this guide, love mac n cheese and I’m waiting for it to starting raining here , any minute now!