The Rainy Day Guide to New York

Make a Rainy Day Playlist of Songs

Whether you are staying inside or exploring the city, arm yourself with a rainy day playlist.  I suggest including:

• Rain-The Beatles
• Rainy Days and Mondays-The Carpenters
• Purple Rain-Prince
• No Rain-Blind Melon
• The Beauty of the Rain-Dar Williams
• I Think It’s Going to Rain Today-Bette Midler
• Why Does It Always Rain on Me?-Travis
• Rainy Day-Guster
• Have You Ever Seen The Rain?-CCR
• Rainy Day Women-Bob Dylan
• Wasting The Rain-Shea Seger

The Umbrella Brigade

Leave it to New York to have an umbrella-sharing program that doubles as a social experiment: Catherine Bohne, owner of Park Slope’s Community Bookstore started the program, which allows anyone to pick up one of the yellow umbrellas at various locations, free of charge, with the idea that when the person is done using it, he or she returns it to one of the locations. Will it work?

Cozy Up in Front of a Fireplace

Crackling fireplaces may seem more like a snowy, wintry activity, but since New York living requires a lot of walking and transit time, rainy days=cold and wet.  Now, I can’t guarantee these restaurants and bars will allow you to hang up your dripping socks in front of the fire, but at the very least, you can dry out while munching on some comforting foods.  That’s right, the following all have at least one fireplace, with either gas logs or the real deal.

Buy Fun Rain Gear

Sometimes the right clothing can make Northeastern weather fun. Sometimes I repeat. I wear a bright blue rain jacket that doesn’t exactly repel water all that well, but is cute and cheerful.  I used to have an umbrella with a flashlight on the end of it, which never actually came in handy like I thought it would.  Okay, I’m not sure how convincingly necessary those two items sound.

One of my pet peeves (I have over 100) is when New Yorkers use those HUGE umbrellas that are as wide as the sidewalk.  The nerve!  I like staying dry too, but those things are ridiculous.

Hunker Down at Home

Nothing is making you leave your house with the wind gusts and downpours combined, so it’s time to plan a relaxing day at home.  I personally know someone (not me, I swear!) who shuts down when faced with a bad weather forecast, who stayed home from work purely because it was raining outside and subsequently responded with “it’s raining” when asked about his noticeable absence.  So, what to do in the meantime???

1. Catch up on that stack of Netflix movies sitting on your dresser.  Yes, There Will Be Blood is long, but what else do you have to do?
2. Clean your apartment/house.  There is nothing worse than doing spring cleaning, or any kind of cleaning on a nice day.  You put it off and put it off and now you’re stuck inside on a beautiful 75 degree day.  Clean when it’s crappy out!
3. A blanket and a book are your two best friends on a rainy day.  No fireplace? Don’t improvise on that one.  Just make yourself cozy the best way you can.
4. Cook!  I’m naturally domestically-inclined, so I have the urge to cook and/or bake on a daily basis.  (Yep, boyfriends, friends, and/or roommates are lucky!)  Why not try a recipe you never have time for?

Rainy Day Recipes

Rainy days and comfort food go hand in hand, but really, when is comfort food not a good idea? Here are a few recipes, some of my own creation, and some that I just frequently make.