It’s winter in San Francisco. Guess which of these clothes I’m wearing these days as the temperature in SF drops to (gasp) the low 40s. Hint: the coats on the left are (from left) a North Face parka, an ankle length camel hair coat, a Thinsulate lined peacoat. I’m wearing the jackets on the right. The coats are only the beginning of what got me through four Chicago winters. There’s also the heavy lambswool sweaters, light (but warm) merino sweaters, the 2-3 layers of clothing underneath the sweaters, wool scarves (worn two at a time), mittens or gloves, earmuffs, long underwear, wool socks, and the occasional demi-ski mask (usually expertly hidden by a scarf).
But it’s true – San Francisco has gotten cold. Instead of all of the above, however, I can get away with a jacket, gloves and a lone pashmina. I rarely even wear a sweater and a jacket at the same time. But it’s still cold. Not quite so cold that any exposed skin freezes upon contact with the elements (thus the two scarves); or so cold that when the wind blows it feels like you’re not wearing pants (that’s when I started wearing long underwear); but a gentler, laid-back Bay Area cold – where you can see your breath some mornings, and where your feet will get cold if you don’t wear socks.
In Dante’s Inferno the second to last layer of hell is covered in ice. I have been to that winter, but I’d rather stick with the winter I have now.
What's your opinion?