So in case you haven't heard, it's supposed to snow this weekend.
It's not the first snow of the season; that was last week. However, it is the first time the City of New York issued a Severe Weather Warning this season, and also the city's ultimate snow day, Winter Jam, was cancelled for Saturday.
Suffice it to say, it's supposed to snow a lot this weekend.
The winter storm is named Storm Jonas, and it's not a part of the Jonas Brothers (though maybe they'd let the snowstorm in if it asked?).
Predictions range anywhere from 5 to 12 inches, and the weather advisory predicted snow around 6 a.m. on Saturday.
We're more excited for the first blizzard of the season than we could ever say. Want to know why? Great. We want to tell you. Read on to find out why being snowed in in NYC is the absolute best.
1. Only locals at bars
tjarnlundralph Godnatt för ikväll. #bar#pictureoftheday#lovikka#bartender#bartenderlife#closingtime#järn#beer#saisondêtre#saison#goodnight#emptybar#instaphoto#instapic#igers#instabar#mylife#myjob#pic#beerdrinker
Sorry, bridge and tunnel crowd, but we get tired of you really fast.
Okay, we know we're generalizing. Some of you are awesome. However, imagine we spend the entire night chatting, schmoozing, and drinking with a hottie, and then gather the courage to say, "Hey, want to come to my place?"
[anad]
Just imagine our dismay when that person responds, "Oh, sorry, I've got to get to Port Authority to catch my bus."
When there is a foot of snow on the ground, that scenario will never happen. When there's that much snow, that person probably lives two blocks away. So, they're coming to your apartment.
2. Best restaurants are empty
All the best restaurants in the city are usually crowded. Strolling up to the city's most delicious restaurant without a reservation tends to be a no-go.
If they aren't saying things like, "There's an hour wait," then they're saying things like, "there's a two-hour wait."
Or if it's a takeout place like Xi'an Famous Foods or Momofuku Milk Bar then the place is swarmed, and there's a crowd spilling into the street.
When it's a snow day, many of these places remain open, but their crowds have evaporated. How do they stay open? We're not sure, maybe they're magic, but we're stoked we don't have to wait half an hour to get a slice of crack pie from Momofuku.
3. The city is beautiful
Really, it's unbelievably beautiful when it snows in NYC. It's too beautiful to stand. It's so beautiful that if you make it to either end of the island and gaze into the river, it'll be so beautiful it'll feel like a punch in the face.
The best is when you're crowded inside all day and you start to get cabin fever, so you bundle up in a coat, a scarf, a hat, and wrap a scarf around you. Then, head into the city and marvel at how beautiful it is.
It's amazing to be outside with nowhere to go, nowhere to be, and nothing to do but stare into the sparkly snow.
4. No pressure to go anywhere
We're always rushing around in this city, aren't we? If we're not working late, then we have to meet our friends for happy hour (okay, "have to" is extreme, but it can feel like that, can't it?) then our mom's friend is in the city and she wants to have lunch.
When it snows a lot in NYC, a calm falls over the city that isn't like any other time of year.
[anad2]
Suddenly, you wake up on a Saturday morning and there actually isn't anywhere you have to be. For the first time in a decade, there isn't anywhere your roommates have to be either.
Having supplies for the day you'll spend in your apartment hibernating are necessary. By "supplies" we mean wine, hot chocolate, and whiskey. Obviously.
5. You don't have to do things you don't want to do
Oh, you were supposed to go to that girl's birthday party that you sort of fell out of touch with from college?
Oooh, rough. Doesn't look like that'll be happening. There's way too much snow on the ground outside, so you couldn't possibly go anywhere.
The snow is a super convenient excuse to cancel the plans you didn't want to follow through on in the first place. Plus, last year the subway was shut down for a couple of days so we actually couldn't go anywhere. Which, if we're being honest, was kind of nice.
,6. Playing outside in the snow
huskypittieandbritty "Na na na na na na! You can't catch me!!" #husky #huskiesofinstagram #pitbull #pitbullsofinstagram #playinginthesnow #snowdogs
NYC gives us plenty of opportunity to let out our inner child. Actually, we don't even want to call it our "inner child," because that implies that adults shouldn't be playful too.
Adults should totally be playful, and let's use Saturday's oncoming blizzard as a chance to prove it.
[anad]
Winter Jam may have been cancelled, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't all spend Saturday sledding anyway.
7. Catch up on cleaning
spidey_sam House work can't kill you, but why take a chance? 😂 #spideysamaiam #spidey #spiderman #cleaning #marvel #stanlee #spidermanfan #spiderweb #spidermanfreak #actionfigures #superhero
Okay, we know this one is kind of lame, but like we said, we're all running around a lot.
We're guessing your laundry's piled up, you haven't cleaned your room in a while, and you could really benefit from some time with a broom in your hand.
Maybe it doesn't sound that fun, but we're stoked for the opportunity for the city to have a moment for a collective exhale.
In NYC we work hard and we play hard. When there's snow on the ground and we can't go anywhere, it's really nice to finally have a minute to make our apartments more livable, happy places. Holla.
8. Two words: hot chocolate and movies
fuckjerry When it’s Friday night and all the homies hitting the club, but the finale of the @TorridFashion Model Search series is on so u just home like…
If you pour whiskey into that hot chocolate, we'll get it.
Actually, Kahlua will definitely be tastier, so you could snag some of that. If you have a medical condition and you've gotten a prescription, you could enjoy a nice joint of marijuana. If you don't, then you better not. It's still illegal.
[anad2]
We're just saying you can spend the whole day on the couch, under a blanket, sipping some spiked hot chocolate, and no one can get mad at you. If that's not excellent, we don't know what excellent means.
9. Not riding the subway
underground34 #closedsubway #hurricanesandy #heraldsquare #nyc #manhattan #empirestate #newyorkstateofmind
Okay, if the subway closes, it's actually a blessing. If the MTA decides it won't be transporting us on Saturday, then we won't have to deal with the inevitable, daily disappointments MTA hits us with.
You know what we're talking about. Disappointments like, your train isn't running today. Or, you're late? Okay, well, your train is running local this morning.
So, yeah, when we're snowed in in NYC, we get a day break from the blasted MTA, which is a nice relief every once in a while.
Check out 8 Absolutely Essential Life Hacks to Surviving Winter in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]