Ohhh the weather outside is frightful...

Whenever anybody asked about our trip, we'd only ever be able to make it to 'and then we're in New York for a month..." before the cries of "OH MY GOD New York? Its going to be freezing!" cut us off.

Everyone of course had their own little bit of traveling advice to pass on, but the warnings about New York in December were by far the most common.

Stef, a Winter hater, had been dreading it since we booked the tickets. Myself on the other hand, couldn't fathom how a little chill was going to be such a HUGE part of my fabulous New York adventure.

As we loaded on up and headed outside La Guardia airport to try and get a bus into Manhattan, we were far too hot and bothered not to mention sweaty from sporting a small house on our backs, to even notice the icy wind slapping us in the face.

By the time we arrived outside Grand Central terminal, we were far too awe struck with everything around us to notice that everyone walking by resembled eskimos.

And as we realised we has been too cocky in attempting the subway on our first night, therefore hopping off at the first station we could, we were too overwhelmed with the dude screaming "THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AMERICA" to understand we were totally underdressed.
In fact it wasnt until after dumping our bags at Sabrina's apartment on W36th st (dont even ask me to explain how THAT all works) and deciding on a walk to Times Square that the we accepted how bloody freezing it actually was.

"Oh no way this is perfect weather...if it was this warm all the time, I'd be happy" scoffed Sab.

Shitty.

Times Square was indescribable. Every available service was covered in blinking, flashing, colour changing, neon, LED lights. Every building, every shop...everything. Nothing you see in the movies or TV shows does it justice. I took about a million photos and not ONE of them does it justice. It is so loud and so bright and so in your face and magical and exciting and overwhelming all at once. There is a photo Stef took of me staring up at something, mouth hanging open like a 5 year old.

After drinking in as much of it as possible for one night (and thanking my lucky stars I didnt have epilepsy) we walked the few blocks home and crashed out.

Sabrina's apartment is awesome. The outside looks like something you'd see in an episode of friends, with the fire stairs zigzagging up the bricks and grey metal trash cans out the front. After making it past the long and narrow corridor, you're treated to a mini kitchen (kettle, toaster, oven however no microwave and only 2 forks). The bathroom is a architectural masterpiece, a shower is squeezed in at an angle, with toilet almost impossible to get to, wedged in behind the sink and next to the towel rack.

The living room/our bedroom is the epitome of shared student living. Sabrina and her housemate also called Sabrina (thus being christened with the nickname Sabrina Squared) are both students at the New York Film Academy (NYFA), so the walls are adorned with old Audrey Hepburn movie posters and the coffee table is littered with monologue books. Our bed is on the floor in the corner, opposite the Taj Mahal of backpacks and clothing with our own window looking out onto the fire escape stairs and snow.

We also share our 'bedroom' with Batman the cats litter trey. Who needs alarm clocks when you have a cat's morning poo wafting through your nostrils!?

Sabrina and Sabrinasquared's rooms are off the living room. It's a sick apartment, always cosy and warm to come home to after trudging home in the snow and pretty much right in the the middle (or a short subway trip away) from everywhere you want to be.

Day 2 in NY was spent discovering Soho and keeping an eye out for Natalie Portman who was apartment spotted earlier in the week. The streets are far more picturesque than Times Square and there are funny little shops and cafe's all over the shop. We spent about 54 hours in Urban Outfitters (our new favourite store..its like General Pants and Borders and Crown st all combined but cooler) before catching the sub' home and spent the night getting acquainted with some of the other NYFA students. After some amusing conversations (a favourite quote of mine: "I know I'm really good, but I'm going to get even better. I'm going to be a star!") the lines became blurry and it was soon difficult to figure out if the girls were having a conversation or rehearsing for a scene.

Day three, Sab our tour guide had college so we took ourselves off to Fifth Ave for a sightseeing adventure that included the New York State Library (amazing), Empire State Building (exciting and oddly quiet up there) and the famous Rockefeller Christmas tree.

By now, we had also grown enough balls to try a hot dog from one of the street vendors (which was so amazing, we immediately ordered a 2nd) and had our first snow fall.

We hadnt even gotten dressed yet when I was putting the juice back in the fridge and noticed it was raining outside. Except the rain was obese. And cold. And white.

An excitable snow-dance and run-outside-in-our-undies-to-take-pictures later and we were walking through it; something that's not so fun.

As I have discovered, snow is cool and a novelty when it's sitting happily on the ground, covering sidewalks, trees and cars...it's also kinda cute when you have little snow flakes on your beanie...however snow is NOT cute when it's actually falling. In fact it's kinda sharp and cuts your eyes and face. It's like rain....but colder and we soon learnt that you're supposed to treat it as such as use umbrellas.

Still- I'm the one holding up the group on the way to dinner because I'm way behind, laughing to myself while I write my name in the snow on the ground, stomp my shoes in a patch of fresh, fluffy snow or gather up a snow ball to peg at someone's back.

Conclusion on snow: fun to look at, beautiful definitely but not so fun to walk in.

With the snow also came the drop in temperature. Regular get up for a stroll down the street:

* Stockings under leggings or jeans.

* Two pairs of socks and Nike kicks.

* Singlet, tucked into the stockings.

* Tshirt

* Thermal long sleeved top.

* 2 hoodies or other jumpers.

* Huge overcoat made out of sleeping bag material on the inside.

* Ear muffs/beanies

* Gloves (two in Stef's case)

* Scarf

Even then, knees, fingers and faces are frozen from the blistering cold, leaving my nose bright red and my hands numb.

This all being said, it's hard to let the cold get to you when there is so much to see and do. New York is beautiful and busy and exciting. Cold, yeah okay. But its only bad when you've got a long walk ahead of you. If you're getting the subway or a cab, or if you're heading into a warm pub or restaurant or shop...then it's only unbearable for a few minutes.

Yesterday, the coldest day of the year here, Stef decided was a good day to get me standing on the streets, eating a hot dog in a I Love NY tshirt for one of our shoots for Movement magazine. A TSHIRT. You have no idea the pain I went through. The stinging, blistering cold freezing me down to my bones. I have never been so cold in my entire life. Thank god Stef is amazingly talented and got the winning shot in a couple of minutes.

Last night we also ventured out of the apartment at night time. For the past couple of nights, we had just been getting absolutely plastered and staying in. Sunkist and vodka has become a standard in our diet as has old school house music and watching weird shit on YouTube.

Last night however, we decided to spend the money we usually would on eating out, on going out and instead cooked a pasta cabonara and salad.

Everyone eats later and goes out later here in NY so we didnt leave the apartment until quarter past 12 and met one of Sab's hot hook up guys got us into a club.

Cloak checking is a standard (for obvious reasons) as is old trust fund guys buying tables with Belvedere vodka and offering 10 or so random girls to join them.

The music and vibe was awesome- mix of old stuff (X gonna give it to you..) and new stuff and everyone was letting loose and dancing, unlike the clubs in L.A

We were smashed very quickly and after a few heavy dramas- (including as Stef vomiting in the gutter outside the club, before nearly falling headfirst into the snow/her own vomit)...we made it home by limo because there were no cabs available.

Dancing out the entire Vampire Weekend album back at the apartment (sorry neighbours) we finally hit the sack at 5am.

Today was a right off. Snow still covers the ground (day old snow is like walking through slushie's) and we have only made it out of the apartment for a Maccas run. The apartment is too warm and this bed is too cosy to even consider donning the 9 layers required to leave, even if we didnt feel like a bulldozer has run over us.

New York so far has been a joy. Everything I'd ever imagined it would be and more and there are still so many things on our list of things to do- not to mention the fact that Jess arrives here in a matter of hours.

For now, however, Sab is at a theatre production (All My Sons- the one with Katie Holmes in it) and Stef is hungry so we must begin the debate over wether to order in (everywhere delivers) or adventure outside....

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful....and since there's no place to go- let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.