Staying warm in NYC
 

I'll ne in NYC in January and being from the deep South I'll need to buy some warm clothes to wear. Could anyone who has had experience with women's thermal underwear tell me the warmest to get. I don't know if silk is best or a wool blend or a certain brand.

NYC is not Siberia. There is no need for long underwear unless you plan on going skiing.

Simply wear a warm, practical coat, hat, gloves, scarf and make sure you have waterproof booties - all things you can take off when you go indoors for extended periods of time. All indoor spaces have plenty of heat (often too much for my taste) and with long underwear you will be fainting from the heat.

You probably don't want long underwear. The key is layers. Yeah, the long underwear will be fine for the little time you are outside, then you will be sweating and overheating when you are inside (which is probably much of the time).

Sweater, coat, gloves, hat, scarf should be enough.

While I agree thermal underwear is not nec. for NYC, here's a thread from the Europe board on warm underwear
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34533732

Just remember most places are heated (and often overheated) which is why layers are preferable to having underwear you can't remove. The only scenario I can think of for needing "long johns" would be if you want to do something like walk the Brooklyn Bridge or if it gets really brutal.

If you wear long underwear, as soon as you get inside wherever you are going, you will overheat.

As everyone else said, layer. A hat and gloves will go a long way towards keeping you warm.

I'm with everyone else here. The first thing i do when I get on the subway platform each morning is take off my hat, gloves, coat & scarf. A lot of buildings are overheated too. When i go shopping I wear a t-shirt under my coat, otherwise I would just sweat to death.

Yes, veto the long underwear but do bring boots that can handle snow in the event of a storm.

I lived in NYC for 30 years and I found that long underwear made walks on the East River and many other outdoor activities much more pleasant. I wore the drawers, but not the shirt, and I purchased socks of the same material as the underwear and wore them over my other socks. I also suggest something to cover your ears and overshoes or water proof shoes or boots.

It took me 20 years to learn this lesson. You will definitely not regret an investment in long drawers.

Call L.L. Bean for underwear advice.

But if you are doing a toursit visit to NYC and not taking three-hour walks along the river, you don't need long underwear.

What I do when I go in for the day & know I will be walking, is wear a pair of tights or coolmax leggings (Walmart $8) under my pants or a long skirt. Get some coolmax socks to keep your feet aerated, ie sweat turns cold. But the fabrics that breathe best for winter are silk/wool blends, wool or cashmere sweaters. It can get windy, or cool between those tall buildings with little sun, so be sure to have gloves and a nice big scarf and you'll be fine. A pant coat or layered sweaters and a blazer should still be fine in Jan. if you don't want to spring for a coat. I moved up North after a few years down South, so if you're afraid your thinned blood will have you feeling cold the whole time, I recommend silk longjohns.

Mike is right. You don't need something extra to cover your legs, but you will be much more comfortable if you do. Maybe Mike has really hairy legs.

I think many of you are speaking as natives who are accustomed to the climate. When my niece who moved to Florida comes back to visit us in Boston, she's always freezing and needs warm clothes that we don't. She seems to need hat, gloves, whatever, at about 10- 15 degrees above the temp that locals would. So for NYC in mid-winter I would recommend an extra layer, but it need not be special long underwear -- just a pair of regular leggings, nylons or tights will make a big difference if you're going to be walking around outside much (shopping, Central Park, etc.).

Otherwise, as others have said, be sure to cover up all areas with hat, gloves/mittens, scarf, etc. and add layers that you can take off as needed. A windproof/waterproof layer with sweater (or fleece) and turtleneck underneath will do for most people.

I will say that 35 degrees in NYC feels a lot colder than 35 degrees in South Carolina. Must be the humidity.

Having spent lots of time in Manhattan in the dead of winter, I still say you don't need thermal underwear unless you are wearing a skirt. At the most, on a really cold day, a pair of tights.

This thread is a joke, right?

Unless you live on the sun, you very rarely need to take heroic measures to stay warm in NYC. And if you do, as mentioned, you'll fry indoors as most shops/restaurants/buildings are quite warm.

A few layers is all you need.

The day before you leave, get specific info from www.weather.com.

Enjoy NY!

I can't believe all the people here blowing off drh's question! OK, I actually can since I've seen much worse here, but it's still uncalled for.

DRH - The worst thing that happens if you get to NYC with long johns and don't need them is that you have a pair of long johns at home in case you ever need them in the future. It's certainly possible that you'll find you won't need them, but it's also certainly possible that you'll be very glad you have them. In part, how much time you plan to spend outdoors may influence.

But, why not buy them (silk is definitely comfortable!) and try them. Don't wear them after the first day if you find you're too warm. You can even go into a bathroom on your first day out and remove them if they're that warm! ;)

jlm, that goes back to the fact that clean, nice, public restrooms in Manhattan can be tricky to find.

I am in agreement with jlm_mi on this one. Buy the thermal underwear and take them with you, try them for a day and if they are too warm, remove them. I am one of those people who is in a state of being chilly in the winter no matter how warm it is inside, everyone is different in this respect.

You WILL be able to find a washroom to do so if the need arises.

Have a great time!

drh,
You know you better than we know you, in terms of your receptivity to the cold. Generally speaking, you probably don't need to buy them for the average winter day in NY. But, if we hit one of those really nasty cold spells where the tempatures are in the teens, then you may certainly feel more comfortable wearing some long-johns.

My suggestion is to simply wait until you've been here for a bit. You can always purchase if you find that the cold is more than you can tolerate.

I don't think you'll need long undies, either, drh, but if you decide to pack some anyway, I highly recommend LL Bean or Land's End silk underwear. The tops come in long sleeved, sleeveless and t-neck styles, and the bottoms have little stirrups that go around your foot, so they don't ride up, and best of all, they're thin enough that they don't show under all but the thinnest tops. They're warm and sturdy enough to machine wash repeatedly. Good luck!

Buy a good coat!!! LLBean is great for all of your warm winter needs. I doubt you will need the long johns, but it can feel pretty cold walking around Manhattan for any length of time. If you are not used to it, you will freeze. So dress in layers. Buy the silk long johns if you want and feel warm.