Tag Archives: winter

Street Dancing Flash Mobs, Snow Angels + Hot Toddies: Scenes From Snowzilla in NYC

Posted on by

Every now and then New York City gets hit with a mega-storm… There was Hurricane Sandy and this year, Storm Jonas. But, unlike Sandy, Storm Jonas didn’t wreak havoc, it just wreaked fun as the entire city shut down and people every where came out to play in ways that New Yorkers don’t usually play. And so, for your enjoyment, I present, New Yorkers Having Fun…

Yours truly decided to hang with neighbors at Lucky Strike Cafe – where I had a few hot toddies

hot toddy at lucky strike in NYC

During a snow day in NYC the only thing to do is indulge in a few *cough* Hot Toddies at Lucky Strike.

And then, while walking home on West Broadway, which looked like this, BTW:

west broadway snow covered

West Broadway like you’ve never seen it – EMPTY – during Storm Jonas/Snowzilla.

Which inspired me to do this:

Hope you all had a lovely Snowzilla as well – let me know what you did in comments!

Bored? Go Bobsledding – It’ll Put the Hair Back on Your Chest

Posted on by

I spent New Year’s Eve in St. Moritz — which is weird for me. I don’t like cold weather, I’m not an especially gifted skier (read: awkward-as-heck skier), and starting the new year off in a town full of famously wealthy people didn’t really do it for me. I had visions of that scene in Dumb and Dumberwhen Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels go to Aspen all kitted out… and fit right in. But, a bunch of my friends I’d met in Afghanistan the year before were all convening for a ski race in St. Moritz to benefit the Afghan Ski Challenge and I missed them. So I booked a ticket and thought, “Now what?”

Related: Avalanches, Death Threats and No Lifts. Welcome to the Most Dangerous Ski Race in the World

Cool Runnings in St. Moritz — the Most Fun You Can Have on Ice

With Florence, Henrietta, and Beatrice as the bobs run by. (Photo: Paula Froelich)

And then my pal Beatrice told me about bobsledding.

“The Swiss championships are on right now— let’s go!” Beatrice said.

“Absolutely,” I agreed.

“And then you can go for a ride,” she said. “It will be the best two-and-a-half minutes of your life — if you don’t die.”

“What?!”

“Don’t worry,” she assured me, it will probably be fine. Just try to keep your head up so you can see when you turn the bends and enter the horseshoe [the bend where you go full vertical]. It’s a bit difficult with the g-force.”

So we tramped over to the Olympia Bob Run — which has been in operation since 1904 and is the only natural ice run in the world, meaning every year the club hires people to carve the ice run, which must be done with precision as even the slightest fault means death as you hurtle 90 mph down the icy slope. Or at the very least, a lot of broken bones.

Related: Like Danger? Take the Anticarjacking Class at the Ultimate Driving School 

The manager of the Olympia Bob Run, Damian Gianola, was a good friend of Beatrice’s — which is fortunate, as guests can book rides, but they book out fast so, if you’re going to the area, call ahead. Damian got me a seat on the last run of the day and suited me up:

image

Step One: Put on your face mask. Yes, it looks like I’m about to rob a store. No, I did not.

image

Step Two: Pick a helmet.

Continue reading →