In response to your call for anecdotes regarding weathering the NYC cold...

As a native Texan, I was grossly unprepared for the NYC cold (circa 1983, when I began college there). This was particularly challenging for me as a member of the cheerleading team, as we traveled to places like Ithaca, NY, and New Haven, CT, to cheer for the football team -- wearing those short-skirt-uniforms, in weather that included driving snow and freezing rain. I adapted to the NYC weather freshman year by spending most of my discretionary income (which wasn't a lot) on sweaters, long johns, and a huge, amorphous down-filled coat. Embarrassed, I also admit that, on the few occasions when the windchill dropped to 40 below zero, I did skip a class or two (not recommended for Columbia students). I did this because I found that my nasal membranes would start to freeze if I went outside in such weather -- a bit disconcerting for a Texas girl!