Comments on: Cold as ice. Or maybe not quite that cold.

Question: Cold as ice. Or maybe not quite that cold.

The Shiny Thing — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 07:31:06 -0800

Where can I go on holiday in March/April - if I want to go somewhere cold?

I miss winter.

Thanks to a well-timed move to Singapore, I haven't experienced temperatures under 25C in over a year, and it's making me nostalgic for cold weather. Which cities could I visit if I want to go somewhere chilly?

A few data points:
* It'll probably be in March or April sometime, but the timing is pretty flexible around there. (And yeah, I'm from the southern hemisphere; cold weather in March is a novelty);
* I can't ski or snowboard, so ski resorts are probably out;
* English-speaking - or English-friendly - would be best. My French only goes as far as "bonjour" and "un jus d'orange, s'il vous plait";
* If there's something science-geeky to see or do there, that would be awesome; my camera's feeling a bit unloved and underutilised, so photogenic or creativity-inducing spots are good as well.

I was vaguely looking at Tokyo, or the northern bits of the USA (a friend lives up in Minneapolis), but am open to any weird and wonderful ideas.

By: pushing paper and bottoming chairs

pushing paper and bottoming chairs — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 07:52:55 -0800

How about Fairbanks Alaska--looks like the World Ice Art Championships take place in March. http://www.fairbanks-alaska.com/fairbanks-events1.htm#iceart (scroll down the page to get to the March events)

By: lassie

lassie — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 07:55:06 -0800

I don't know how cold is cold enough for you, but NYC in March is plenty cold for this former Southern hemisphere dweller. Also, I don't know if this would fit your bill for science-geeky, but it appears that the NYC First Robotics Competition is happening on March 17-18 at the Jacob Javits Center. There's plenty to see and do in NYC pretty much any time of the year, and you can always do short day or overnight trips upstate if you tire of the big city.

By: thinkingwoman

thinkingwoman — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 07:58:32 -0800

sweden is supposed to be beautiful, and is sure to be darned cold that time of year. also, lots to do in scandinavia, and very english-friendly.

By: cobaltnine

cobaltnine — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:12:46 -0800

Any of the northern USian cities should do you, especially in early-mid March. (In New England, we often have the last big snowstorm around then.)

If you haven't been to NYC, well, there's no reason not to, and you'll have no shortage of things to do, especially since Lassie's pointed out the RoboComp. Average temp: 48-34 F, 8-1 C.

Boston (slightly more chance of winter persisting) or Philly (about the same as NYC, weather/temp-wise) might work for you too.

By: Reggie Digest

Reggie Digest — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:15:53 -0800

In March and April, you'll have to get pretty far north and quite deep inland if you want to ensure actual winter weather (as opposed to rain). Fairbanks is probably a good bet.

By: mdonley

mdonley — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:51:19 -0800

How early in March? I live in Latvia and there's a lot in the neighborhood - Helsinki and Stockholm, St Petersburg and Moscow, Tallinn and Vilnius - that I'd jump at the chance to see at any time of year. Riga, the capital of Latvia, is on the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska, and it's actually snowing right now, right outside!

Alternatively: go overland from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Urumqi, China (though you can fly, too). Lots of mountains and barren wastes: basically the polar (hehe) opposite of Singapore, and getting to either end of the route isn't too hard from Singapore, surprisingly.

By: Juicylicious

Juicylicious — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:55:48 -0800

I can attest to Fairbanks being extremely cold having suffered through that place for one year. It is extremely cold in March/April. In fact, you can still ice fish in May. The ice sculpture competition is beautiful, but you would only spend a couple of hours there. Fairbanks is not a pretty town, though you could drive several hours to Denali national park. Fairbanks is better left for summer month travel when you can be outside longer.

I would suggest Anchorage where it will still be cold, but much more hospitable to human life at that time of year.

By: scody

scody — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:37:45 -0800

Other big US cities that can still be damn cold in March are Chicago and Minneapolis, though Chicago can occasionally start having a few warm(ish) patches by late March.

By: RedEmma

RedEmma — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:13:11 -0800

if you want some cool ice pictures, Lake Superior is awesome that time of year.

By: saffry

saffry — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:30:18 -0800

Can you skate? The largest skating rink in the world is the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. Last year it was open for skating until March 11, and I think that was an earlier close than usual because of mild weather.

Even if you don't skate, it's quite a sight to see people on the canal.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:25:24 -0800

Iceland, awesome geology and hot tubs. Expensive, windy and drizzly in March, but breathtaking.

Ottawa/Rideau Canal/Montreal, Canada

By: BoscosMom

BoscosMom — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:34:31 -0800

I haven't been here but I think it sounds amazing. They have some interesting "adventures" too.
The Ice Hotel

By: BoscosMom

BoscosMom — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:39:03 -0800

Here's the link to their ice driving course. Where else can you do that?

By: General Malaise

General Malaise — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:40:19 -0800

The northern U.S. will be pretty unpredictable in March/April — sometimes it's really cold, sometimes it's pretty warm. Your best bet would be Canada (Toronto/Montreal/Quebec City) or even somewhere in Scandinavia to assure that it will be good and chilly when you make your trip.

By: lunasol

lunasol — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 12:37:01 -0800

Seconding Lake Superior. Gorgeous at any time of the year - you could meet up with your friend in Mpls (a fun town), then head for Duluth, and up the North Shore of Superior to Two Harbors and Grand Marais.

Temps can vary widely in March - Mpls is likely to be in the 30s-40s, Duluth a bit colder, and Two Harbors/Grand Marais a bit colder than that. However, it could be significantly colder or warmer. April will be more spring-like, but still chilly if you're coming from Singapore.

By: lunasol

lunasol — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 12:37:44 -0800

Sorry, mpls=Minneapolis.

By: lia

lia — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:12:28 -0800

New York will be cold then, but not so cold that you will want to die coming straight off a plane from Singapore, which might not be the case for places further north. And let's be honest, there is no place like the Big Apple. C'mere!

By: The Shiny Thing

The Shiny Thing — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:37:38 -0800

There are some awesome suggestions here - keep 'em coming!

Fairbanks might be a bit hardcore, but I've always wanted to go to Alaska - I'll have to keep it in mind for next time.

It seems like there's stacks of votes for the northeastern USA and adjacent bits of Canada - I love NYC, and Saffry and LobsterMitten might be on to something with the Ottawa-and-Rideau-Canal idea. Hmm. Flights to Ottawa...

By: benign

benign — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 16:56:06 -0800

Since Ottawa has been mentioned, I just want to point out that it has a lot of museums, some of which are pretty geeky. Nature, Aviation, and Science & Tech are all pretty science-geeky places.