Get your boots on! Whether you're stranded in New York City or are lucky enough to get the day off due to the snowstorm, head on out to five of the city's parks for winter fun sponsored by the Parks & Recreation Department.

Brooklyn's Prospect Park and Manhattan's Riverside Park are two of the spots where park employees will be providing sleds and hot chocolate. Toss snowballs, make a snow angel -- but you'll have to jockey with all the public school kids who got the day off for room on the hills. Reminds us of our pre-global-warming childhoods.

Related Stories:
· Parks Department Offering Free Hot Chocolate, Sledding Today! [Gothamist]
· Snow Day! [NYCGovParks.org]
· Snow Days coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: What Dave Sees] ]]> egw 2009-03-02T13:46:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/25/135717/919

Well that's unusual. The United Arab Emirates - a hot, wealthy area known for building elaborate indoor skiing complexes - recently experienced its first real snowfall in a generation. The northern emirate of Ras al Khaimah reported that a five kilometer area in its Jebel Jais mountain range was blanketed with ten centimeters of snow on Friday, a situation so rare that the local dialect doesn't even have a word for it.

UAE residents marveled at the news, which was splashed across the front page of local papers, and many hoped to experience the white stuff for themselves. Unfortunately for them, the mountainous area has no roads, with the only access by helicopter. (Still, don't more than a few Emiratis own helicopters?) Of course, a handful of influential locals got to toss a few snowballs before it melted. Crown Prince Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi got a lift into the area to marvel at the snow, even bringing some back to share with his subjects. Nice guy, that Sheikh.

Visitors to the UAE shouldn't hold out any hope for further flurries, though. Temperatures are above freezing once again in the mountains, and so hot on the coast that they're building an air-conditioned beach.

[Photo: AFP]

Related Stories:
· This is the Frozen North ... of the UAE [The National]
· Cold Snap Brings Gulf Rare Snow [BBC News]
· People Rush to RAK as Snow Starts to Melt [gulfnews.com]
· Snow Coverage [Jaunted] ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-01-25T13:57:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/7/93920/23709

With about a foot of snow falling on Milan and the rest of Northern Italy, officials closed both Malpensa and Linate airports, though both have now re-opened with "strongly reduced" traffic. (Translation: Your flight is delayed.)

But like a snowstorm in New York keeping your flight out of Vegas on the ground, the winter weather in Italy had wide-reaching consequences: David Beckham, who's been in Dubai training with temporary team AC Milan, will be stuck in the land of high-altitude bars and dirty beaches until at least Friday.

While public transit is still running in Milan, the streets look pretty empty. All the better for photographers to venture out and capture some interesting images, like these, of a city that rarely sees this much snow.

Related Stories:
· Two Airports Closed Amid Snowfall [IHT]
· Winter Storm Shutters Las Vegas Airport [Jaunted]
· Snow Day in New Orleans [Jaunted]

[Photo a bike sharing station: affisch]]]> pbb 2009-01-07T10:00:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/26/121344/25

Christmas has come and gone, and the Pacific Northwest is still digging out of its winter cataclysm. Need three reasons to venture out? (Besides delicious food, cabin fever and the desire to take pretty pictures, that is.) We've got you covered with these hot spots. You could also try the bus, the ferry or offering strangers a ride, but it'll be a lot warmer at...

Linda's Tavern: Maybe some beers at what local indie newspaper The Stranger calls "one of Seattle's best drinking joints" will get you over your fear of being superficial. 707 E Pine St.

Fifth Avenue Theater: Come for the show (it's the classic musical "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers"), stay for the short-haired girls. 1308 5th Ave.

Re-bar: See the sights beyond your snowy driveway at this DJ-driven bar. 1114 Howell St.

Honorary Xmas/Possibly Fake Missed Connection: We're not sure if anyone could really fall in love with a Salvation Army bell ringer, but it warmed our coal-black hearts all the same.

Related Stories:
· Seattle Airport Is Newly Fond of Farm Animals [Jaunted]
· Snowy Seattle Goes Mexican [Jaunted]
· Freezing Cold, Hot Photos [Jaunted]

[Photo: elgregein]]]> egw 2008-12-26T16:05:38-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/24/8201/4211

Yes, TSA made him take it off for screening: Colin Farrell left LAX for parts unknown for the holidays. (We're guessing his native land of Ireland, but that's just a shot in the dark.) JustinBobby, we hope you are taking fashion notes.

Farrell may have just been nominated for a Golden Globe for his movie "In Bruges"--a sort of dark travel fable in itself, in which he and Brendan Gleeson are stuck in Bruges with nothing to do--but even he couldn't get to Seattle for love or money. The Pacific Northwest is this year's Denver, with one memorable difference: Since Seattle isn't a hub like Denver is, the masses are stuck at home in their originating cities--they couldn't even fly in.

And forget going by ground: A Seattle-bound Amtrak Empire Builder train was delayed in Chicago yesterday due to steady snowfall there--and is expected to let all its passengers out in St. Paul instead of risking the journey West. But hey, at least Santa can get in, right?

Related Stories:
· As Commuters Grapple With Icy Roads, More Snow On The Way [Seattle P-I]
· For A Good Time, Call Julie [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: JustJared]]]> egw 2008-12-24T09:15:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/23/16945/240

Snow-mageddon 2008 continues in Seattle, where Greyhound riders have been shacking up in homeless shelters until the bus company starts service again. Refunds, a spokeswoman says, probably won't be given to passengers who've been delayed for literally days.

Fliers are faring better: Portland's airport is up and running again, as is Sea-Tac. Chicago O'Hare, meanwhile, is buckling under the weight of its own mini-blizzard, with hundreds of flights canceled so far. The city's most famous current resident, however, isn't worried: Barack Obama is vacationing McConaughey-style in Hawaii.

Related Stories:
· Travelers in the Air [Seattle P-I]
· Greyhound Riders Sick of Seattle [Seattle P-I]
· Greyhound Abandons 60 Passengers In Seattle, Locks Up For The Night [Consumerist]
· Flights Canceled in Chicago [NYT]
· Photog Gets Glimpse of Obama on Vacation [ABC News]

[Photo of PDX on Monday: scazon]]]> pbb 2008-12-23T17:05:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/22/172734/33

Hey, we just realized that all our bellyachin' about snow-caused drama on the East Coast is nothing compared to the drama at SEA, where ice and snow are so bad the airport ran out of deicing fluid. Presumably they couldn't airlift more in. (We'll be here all week!)

Portland International Airport, too, is having more snow than is pleasant, and we've already told you about the snowpocalypse in Upstate New York. United and Continental are riding out the storm by cuddling up together, while the people in Oymyakon continue shivering: Their hometown is apparently the coldest inhabited place on Earth. Forecast for this week? Minus 90 Fahrenheit!

Related Stories:
· Headaches Continue at Sea-Tac [Seattle P-I]
· Storms in Pacific Northwest Strand Passengers [The Mercury News]
· United, Continental Favor Living Together [Chicago Tribune]
· Temperatures Could Hit -70 C in Northeast Siberia [Novosti]
· Snow Days coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: North Bend Eric]]]> pbb 2008-12-22T17:29:58-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/