A reminder to get yourself someplace warm in February, even if it’s just a greenhouse.
What’s your favorite warm-up spot? Despite a lifetime spent mostly in the Northeast and mostly having a tough time in February and March, I’ve never been good at planning a wintry escape. What are your favorite sunshine-y places in wintertime?
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28 Comments
As someone who struggles through the winter, my favorite way to warm up is a bath. Add a good book (nothing too depressing or intense), and I can transport myself somewhere sunnier and brighter, even if only for an hour. If that fails, Sedona is always a dream. 🙂
I just returned home to Portland, OR from lovely San Diego to find snow on the ground *sigh*. Three days of sun made all the difference ;-).
Florida-bound in two weeks. I tried to plan ahead this year, knowing that I’d feel the need for some sunshine.
Related anecdote: my sister and I are born and raised Californians, but my sis is currently attending a program in Wisconsin, and she happens to be rooming with the sole other Californian in attendance. The other night she told me that people kept coming into their room and saying how cold it was in there, baffled. “You guys are from California, how can you stand it?” And they’re just like, “we’re from California, we don’t know how to turn our heater on!”
It sounds counter intuitive but sometimes, a trip to where it’s colder means when you return you actually appreciate the warmth of where you were. I always find that a winter weekend ski trip just a few hours farther up north has me appreciating “temperate” NYC. Also the sun always seems brighter shining on a snow covered mountain.
Ha! I can see that. Plus, magically snowy wintertime is always welcome!
Oh man, I live in Phoenix. We’ve maybe had a handful of days that qualify as “winter”. I fantasize about boots and coats. The grass is always greener, I guess!
A butterfly conservatory ! Our library has a pass you can borrow for a day and the warm humidity + butterflies magically floating around help warm my cold winter bones.
Colorado can be cold, but when the sun shines (which it does very often) it feels much, much warmer (and the snow makes the sun even brighter!) Plus, we have natural hot springs galore around the state, my favorite being Avalanche Ranch Inn and Hot Springs! Winter in Colorado is fantastic.
a cruise!! My family is headed to the sunny islands for a 6 day cruise. it’s the perfect way to unwind and get some good old fashioned vitamin D!!
Living in the pacific northwest doesn’t quite allow for me to find someplace warm unless it is getting cozy in a blanket with a warm mug of tea. However, if we had our choice it would be to go to Kauai again ♥
I agree with Amy about the warm baths and good books. I pick books in warm settings during the winter. Also in St. Paul we have the Como Conservatory which is a fantastic green space inside, open 365 days a year. Its a nice break from the winter outside.
love to see this little wild thing tromping through the green house. thats a framer.
We’ve been under a sweltering heat wave in Australia. Must be nice to feel distinct seasons. Winter is just a mild summer where I am, you’re lucky to be able to wear winter fashion! Nice pics! Looks like the tropics
February has always been a hard month for me, and I’ve likewise never planned for good winter-escapes. It’s usually bitter cold in Colorado and “less sunny” though I know it’s useless (and a little unfair) to complain to anyone who lives in the east or midwest. This year, however, one of my friends (who lives in Minnesota and is not a fan of the cold) is hosting a retreat in Joshua Tree next week! This feels might be my first ever winter vacation to a warm spot and I’m so, so excited.
Oh fantastic! We made it out to Joshua Tree one March and it was magic. Not warm, per se, but magic.
In complete agreement with the struggle and the planning part. I grew up in chilly Connecticut and moved to an even colder New Hampshire a few years ago. With a limited budget and trying to find a willing companion, a warm getaway can be hard to come by. Luckily a warm weather friend came through this year and were off for a long weekend! I did however plot and scheme about how to make warm happen on the cheap. I discovered a lovely Ashram in the Bahamas. They offer very affordable accommodations. Your stay includes a meal plan of healthy eats. There are may classes to take for personal enrichment and its a departure from the typical tourist scene. Other ideas, an infrared sauna (its a nice dry heat where you could take a book to read!) or Bikram Yoga. Also many churches have fellowships that organize groups to work for organizations like habitat for humanity in a warmer climate where communities are in need of assistance. Lodging is modest and in-expensive. Its not a chaise by the poolside but you still have the warm sun and a chance to help someone out!
I visit our local greenhouse in NH two to three times a week with my toddler. It’s a warm, green space for her to stretch her legs a bit during this long, icy winter.
Nice! Any chance it’s the Wentworth Greenhouse?
Yes! My favorite!
Lovely! I took these shots at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden conservatories. Such a welcome reprieve from the cold!
We are just back from a week on the Big Island. It’s not as popular as some of the others, but we swam with manta rays at night (15 feet diameter!), hiked on the oozing lava fields, and found hundreds of dolphins and dozens of sea turtles, everywhere it seemed. Super highly recommended, although the trek from Brooklyn was definitely far ;).
Worth the trek, no doubt!
Up in the mountains with a warm and sunny Alpine view to bask in inbeteeen skiing (or just a pause on the slopes), followed by the spa baths 😉
Perfect.
My husband and I live in Beijing – cold, arid, grey, crowded, with varying levels of air pollution depending on whether the wind is blowing or not. We spent the Chinese New Year in Phuket, Thailand. Tropical magic – warm air, sunshine, flowers, turquoise water, brightly colored fishes, delicious food, interesting and friendly people, bathing suits, beach cover-ups,, and sandals for a week. Back in the states, we’d head anywhere south or southwest…
My husband and I currently live in Tokyo. Tokyo winter is not so bad temperature wise, but the homes are not insulated at all, so feels very cold. We usually escape to the hot spring spa called Onsen with a sauna weekly, and get away to the Snowy Mountains in Nagano for a long active weekend. When there’s tons of snow, it strangely doesn’t seem that cold, but energizing! Tokyo is already starting to feel like spring with plum blossom looking beautiful!
That sounds lovely! Agreed 100 percent about the snow! It’s the cold grey days with no snow that get to me!
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