Welcome to the Snowiest City in the U.S.

Syracuse, NY was just named the snowiest city in the U.S. While I’ve always suspected the snowfall there was excessive, this report confirms the depressing truth: it snows 26 percent of the year in Syracuse.

This means that more than 1/4 of the year is spent in snow boots, brushing the layer(s) of cold, cold snow off the car. No wonder Syracuse University had just one snow day in 10 years. If they worked on the basis of snow, they’d be closed four months out of the year.

It’s December 1st.. the snow’s not too far off, get your shovels out!

Wegmans, Cheap Rent and Tree-Lined Streets…

Last week, I spent time in Upstate, NY, splitting my days between my college-town, Syracuse, and my company’s office in Rochester. Normally my trips upstate last only a few days, so it was really nice to have the entire week to take in all of the things I miss about the area. And wow, I didn’t realize just how many things there were…

• Wegmans. the selection, the hot food, the freshly packed sushi. amazing. I still think about their $3.99 frozen pizzas (spoken from someone who considers frozen pizza a staple to their diet).
• The leaves and tree-lined streets. They just add this charm to the neighborhood that you can’t get anywhere else. It makes you want to go for a run and plow through the leaves, crunching them with every step you take.
• Driving in a car. this simple luxury. The fact that when it’s cold out, the farthest distance I have to go, if I really want to, is walking from my house to my car, sparing myself from walking blocks in the snow and chilly wind.
• Target. OMG. Do I miss Target. Why is it so amazing? Yesterday I walked through one of the stores and just looked at all of the Christmas decorations and candies (yes, it’s early, but I love it so I won’t complain!) and the hair products and shoes and books and music and food, all under one amazing roof.
• The rent. My rent in NYC is four times what it was upstate. This means my Starbuck’s red-cup splurges will have to be minimal this year. And that I have to seriously calculate my Christmas spending and gift buying.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the city, and I know that when it starts lighting up with the winter spirit, ice skaters and holiday festivities, I’ll wonder how I ever went without it. But for a week, it was nice to relive my upstate favorites.

Oh, and obviously the best part about upstate, Syracuse basketball. Kicking off the ’11-’12 season!