Brr!

This winter has been especially bad in New York City. Our winters here are usually pretty mild -- it snows maybe once, and it only gets cold enough for me to break out the Uggs maybe once or twice. This year? It's snowed twice in the past week, and I wear my Uggs so much that I'm actually thinking about buying a new pair. WTF?

So I figured maybe I could find some cold-weather bargains since all the stores have in their spring stuff now (which is great when the wind chill is 5 degrees like it is today). What's on my list? One of those furry trapper hats. Don't laugh -- I have a friend who has one that she got at a vintage store, and she swears she is never cold. I'm jealous.

I like this one (ignore the cheesy Bloomingdale's photo) since it's black and would go with all of my coats. Only problem? Even though it's on sale, it's still $225!After googling "fur trapper hat," I found this one at Fur Hat World (don't ask). It's real fur and $150 on sale, which isn't totally horrible.

Finally, if real fur isn't your thing, this hat from Urban Outfitters is cute and cheap at $35. It's not available online anymore, but I bet you could still find it in a store!

Sad.

Anyone who has ever been to Union Square in New York City has probably seen Joe Ades, an older Australian man, always dressed to the nines, selling vegetable peelers on the sidewalk. He was quirky, fun to watch, a great salesman and part of the wonderful weirdness that is New York. The New York Times reports today that Joe died on Sunday at the age of 75. The Union Square Greenmarket will always be a little quieter without him.

let it snow!

I love New York City when it snows. If only I wasn't watching it snow from my office window...

If I had a million dollars...

Shift normally doesn't like me to post about weddings...but hear me out.

If I had a million dollars, I'd get married in New York City, fly my family in from Indiana and pay for their hotel rooms. I've lived in NYC for four years now, and I love the idea of a New York wedding in a gorgeous loft space, with incredible food and entertainment. And you can't ask for a better backdrop for wedding photos than New York! Taxis, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline... Since nobody lives in NYC forever (well, nobody I know, anyway), it would be such a great way to document your time here and to show your kids that once upon a time, mommy and daddy lived in the greatest city in the world.

A friend of mine just got married in "the city," as we call it, and her wedding was nothing short of fabulous. She has fantastic taste and it looked like everyone just had so much fun. Here are a few photos from her wedding, courtesy of her awesome photographer Robert Sukrachand.

Christmastime is here...in November.

Out of nowhere, it feels like winter in New York City. Nevermind that it was 66 degrees over the weekend, we had snow flurries this morning and I had to break out the gloves and fully-lined work pants. But I digress.In New York City, it's fall, then you blink and it's full-blown holiday season. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived last week (although it's not lit up yet). All the stores have their holiday windows up. As I was leaving for work this morning the maintenance guys were putting up the Christmas trees in our lobby. Yes, it's still mid-November and Thanksgiving is next week. But even though it's cold and crowded with tourists, I still love New York City at Christmastime.

It's romantic and nostalgic and I can't wait to bake cookies and decorate our apartment. And get a tree - even though the fiance doesn't know it yet. :)