Finding Nemo*

This weekend my wish for a significant New York snowfall came true, with a storm the Weather Channel took it upon themselves to name Nemo. Apparently they're doing that now, but whatever it was called, it was amazing. I know storms are not usually things to be celebrated or looked forward to, they wreak havoc on power lines, wreck cars and generally inconvenience most everyone, but I absolutely adore snow. Yes it's cold, yes it's slushy and wet and annoying. But it's also completely magical to me. Rules are suspended in a major snowstorm — school's are cancelled, roads are free-for-alls and the entire world turns into a playground.

I'm staying on the Upper West Side and we got more snow here than in mid and lower Manhattan, but the official tally in Central Park was 11.4 inches. While I was hoping for the 38" that some models were initially forecasting (heeeyyy New England), nearly a foot of snow still made for some pretty amazing scenery.

I watched the storm from my window like a giddy little kid on Friday afternoon, with the rain/ice mix turning to snow around 2pm.

After dinner and some celebratory Nemo-induced drinking, I walked home around 1am and my neighborhood was already blanketed — and so, so pretty. Saturday morning I headed to Central Park (with every other camera-owning New York resident and tourist) to take about a million pictures and try to keep my jaw from physically dropping around every corner. Pictures can't possibly do it justice, at least not with my wimpy camera, but seeing the park covered in snow is definitely one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

It exceeded my expectations in every single way.

I visited my usual spots, made new and exciting under the snow. Almost all of the walkways had been plowed (have I told you how much I love this city) so I was free to enjoy the spectacular views for hours without getting cold and miserably wet. Although if you were into that, they open the lawns (normally closed in winter) when the city gets 6" or more of snow and there were plenty of people making snowmen, chasing dogs and even cross-country skiing.

It seemed like everyone in the city was making their way to a favorite sledding spot, and I put it on my to-do list under the "eventually" column. When I'd seen (and photographed) basically every single view in Central Park, I headed to the west side where I stopped at a diner to refuel before starting my snowy tour of Riverside Park.

The sun was beginning to set, and the light was reflecting off of the ice and snow-covered trees in the most amazing ways. I also noted that the sledding hill selection seemed on par with Central Park, but it was much less crowded — if you're serious about sledding, I recommend trying out Riverside. The park was generally more empty too, especially as I got closer to the north end by Grant's Tomb.

I then cut over a few blocks to the top of Morningside Park, which was the least picturesque of the three, but still a sight in the snow. I'm staying a block away from the south entrance to the park, so I walked its length and ended up back home, exhausted and a little bit cold but exhilarated and even more in love with the city.

The streets are plowed now, the wind has blown most of the snow off of the trees, and it's supposed to be 46 and rainy today, so I'm sure the city is about to turn into a wet mess — I'm learning that even with a large amount of snow there is a very narrow window when it can be best enjoyed and photographed. I'm so glad I got out in it when I did. Saturday ranks as one of my absolute favorite days I've ever had, and I'll never, ever forget how magical the city felt, or how thankful I am that I'm here to see it all.

*I know. This headline is a terrible pun and I'm certainly not the first person to use it. It's hard naming blog posts (and presumably, storms), ok?? Hey look at all that pretty snow!