"Best $2k I Ever Spent!" Extra Thoughts On NYC Vs. L.A.

We all recall the tumultuous GofG civil war last week, when our NYC office, delirious from the brutal onset of another winter, stumbled over here and nailed an anti-LA manifesto to our door while we were eating lunch outside in t-shirts. With our second-round KO of a response on the books, some would think the matter was now closed. BUTthere's one thing that's worth saying a million times if it's worth saying once: we don't miss "the seasons."

[Photo by Todd Heisler/NY Tiimes via] Let's be clear: when we say "the seasons," what we really mean is winter. LA has plenty of spring-ish (bright and warm) and fall-ish (bright and cool) days. Now, when your pretentious East Coast friends lecture you about "the seasons," the experience they're promoting is the one you can see in the photo to the right: bone-freezing, soul-crushing, ball-shrinking COLD, with a healthy side dish of inches, if not feet, of snow. And don't forget the wind!

[Photo via] See, I grew up on the East Coast. I like skiing. I like hot cocoa. I appreciate the beauty of freshly fallen snow. But I went to school in Vermont. I know what it's like to worry about losing a limb on the 10-minute walk from your dorm room to class. I also know that fresh, beautiful snowfall becomes hazardous brown sludge within 20 minutes (10 in the city).

Winter weather is great- for about three days at a time. Luckily, that's the perfect amount of time for a trip up to Mammoth or Big Bear, both of which also blow New England ski mountains out of the water. And when your awesome weekend of winter sports, piping hot beverages and nice cozy sweaters has come to a close, you get to drive down out of the mountains and head back to a place where you don't have to wear two layers of sweatshirts in order to fall asleep at night. It takes a little getting used to a 70-degree Christmas, but it would take a little getting used to if you won the lottery, also. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of reasons to like the East. But like everything else people will tell you builds character, winter weather blows.

[Top photos via and via]