Day 7: A Gentle Reminder that Your Mother Was Right

In light of this week’s weather forecast, a brief seasonal reminder excerpted from Jason Rothstein’s Carless in Chicago: Survive and Thrive in the Windy City Without Owning a Car.

When I first went carless, nearly everyone said the same thing: “just wait until winter.” And had I not prepared myself well, their predictions that I would buckle under the pressure of Lake Michigan’s gentle and temperate breezes might have turned out right.

If you don’t know about layering and having an adequate winter coat, you probably don’t belong in Chicago anyway. Give this book to a friend and look for work in Atlanta. Or Louisville. Louisville is lovely.

But even I sometimes marvel at some of my fellow Chicagoans failing to appreciate the importance of these three items: good winter boots, good winter gloves, and adequate ear protection. (I know . . . you probably feel duped that you bought a book only to have some stranger tell you that your mother was right.) I will not insult your intelligence by claiming that you will enjoy walking in -10° wind chill weather with the right clothing, but I will stand by the fact that it is tolerable.

These accessories need not be expensive, and sadly, they may not be all that good looking. But feeling your toes as others shiver and wonder why you look so cheerful makes up for that.