I wondered this a little today as I was walking in the freezing slush (30 minutes of my daily commute is by foot - to and from the subway).
I remembered our recent vacation in VT.
I assume that outside major cities it is the same.
People there park right outside their houses, there is parking right outside the stores, restaurants, there is parking right outside their work. So at most they have to walk 1/2-1 block to and from their car. Why do you even need a coat or warm clothing for that (I have not bothered putting it on except to ski - and it was cold and snowy. But since you go everywhere by car, what does it matter? You don't get cold in 1 minute if you are coming from warmth.
In metro areas where you walk everywhere, even if you have a car you go to the grocery store, to dry cleaners and almost everywhere by foot. You are in the cold and wind for prolonged periods of time.
So other than shoveling snow and winter sports for which ski jacket is sufficient, I wonder why do people who live in car oriented areas (most of the US) need all this winter stuff such as gloves, coats, hats...
I am sure I'm missing something, just curious what it is.
Why do most people even need coats?
January 28th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
January 28th, 2009 at 11:04 pm 1233183845
January 28th, 2009 at 11:06 pm 1233183982
Because living in the windy city of Chicago there can be lake effect horrible wind that sweeps across Lake Michigan!
And last I checked, those cars don't exactly warm up quickly - as evidence by the frozen remnants in my daughter's water bottle forgotten from the day before.
I am a self-admitted wuss when it comes to cold. I am sure I could be mistaken for a little old lady stooped over wearing a shawl over my full-length winter coat. I for one cannot brave the cold.
January 28th, 2009 at 11:15 pm 1233184548
January 28th, 2009 at 11:17 pm 1233184628
My mom always bundled up, but for a different reason. She could get very cold instantly. She had rhenoids, which means that she had poor blood circulation. Because of this, any sort of cold (even just washing her hands in slightly cold water), could set off an attack. She always needed to put on gloves, scarves, long warm coats when going out if the weather wasn't all that warm.
Most people aren't like my mom though. I bet most wear coats, gloves, etc. because it can be uncomfortable walking in the cold, even if it is a short distance. Some are also more sensitive to the cold than others, and not every indoor place is warm.
January 28th, 2009 at 11:24 pm 1233185044
California is a different story. When I first moved here in the middle of the winter, I wore shorts while everyone wore coats with scarves, mittens, and hats. After a few years getting settled here, I now wear light coats and sometimes gloves when it’s early in the morning.
It’s a different kind of cold. Montana is dry including when it snows. So when I walk inside from the cold, I instantly warm up. In California, it’s a little different as winter is more of a wet kind of winter and you get cold to the bones. When I go inside from being outside in the cold, I seem to remain cold and take longer to warm up despite that the temp. is a lot warmer in comparison to Montana. It is kind of hard to explain.
January 29th, 2009 at 12:26 am 1233188809
January 29th, 2009 at 01:17 am 1233191843
But when it gets down to -40 with the wind chill, even the run from the car to the door is too long without a coat! That wind just goes right through you.
January 29th, 2009 at 01:31 am 1233192669
It literally cracks me up at my kid's preschool to see bundled up kids. They are ALL bundled up. It's like 50 degrees and we walk from the heated car to the heated house. It's about 20 steps at most. I've wondered often if everyone thinks I am a terrible mom because my kids don't have coats for that short walk.
Some people park outside and maybe bundle their kids up for the car ride too. I don't know. But I see people get there kids out and put their coat on before the short walk to door. I don't *get* it.
By the same token, since we live in such a mild climate I mostly have one wardrobe. My car is garaged. I walk 20 steps or so from the parking lot to my office. My office is always 74 degrees year round. I don't need a summer and a winter wardrobe, for work. I probably wouldn't mind more summery clothes in summer, but the office is freezing so, blech.
Depends where you live, but in Cali I have certainly asked that question many times, and I am pretty wimpy when it comes to cold... But only if I have to stay out in it any length of time.
February 21st, 2009 at 08:45 pm 1235249134
October 18th, 2009 at 06:16 pm 1255889793