Cure your Cold in New York City
1. Spicy Hot Chocolate from Chocolate Bar
This is by far the best spicy hot chocolate I have ever had. When I recommend it people often say that they have never heard of making a hot chocolate spicy, but once you taste this - even with your nostrils all clogged- you will understand that hot chocolate was always meant to be spicy.
2. The Russian Sauna at Wall Street Bath & Spa
It's only $36 for a day's admission to all of the facilities at the Wall Street Bath & Spa - which include a cold plunge pool, so you can get your sauna treatment with the proper follow-up.
3. Miles of Books at The Strand
What better way to spend your sick days than in bed with a book? Perhaps you need a new one, though - so it's best to head over to The Strand, where you are likely to find a discounted used copy of whatever it is you seek.
4. Go to the gym - might I suggest Crunch?
Don't think you should workout when you have a cold? The New York Times disagrees (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/health/nutrition/25best.html?_r=1), and frankly so do I. Head over to Crunch and you can workout, enjoy some the fantastic scenery supplied by your fellow clientele, and follow your workout with a stay in the locker room sauna. Enjoy various locations throughout Manhattan.
5. Soul Food at Mama's Food Shop
Though your sinuses may be a bit clogged, the memory of what fried chicken tastes like will guide you through this experience. Mama's Food Shop in the East Village has great food, but the service has gotten a bit of a reputation. No matter - just take your cold out on the staff if they don't deliver.
16 Comments
Oh, I love hot chocolate on a cold day. It warms me up inside. I hate anything spicy so I may not ask for that type.
About that Russian sauna--have you been and is it clean? I mean really clean? I'm in search of decent saunas in the city but have a horror of finding dirt and stuff in the corners.
By the way, I generally find that saunas and colds don't mix, but they definitely belong on your list as a preventive. Saunas do good things to the circulation and I've had fewer colds since I made them a regular part of winter. Probably different views on the health benefits, but I reckon millions of Europeans can't be wrong on this practice.
Sauna? Health benefits. Who would have guessed. I didn't realize it was good for the circulation. I think I will give it a try.
@Uraniumfish I haven't been in recent weeks, but I can't say that I ever noticed any dirt in the corners. To be fair, on Yelp that place gets mixed reviews: most are really good, but a few complain of, well, dirt. I joined a gym that has a sauna so I no longer have to go out of my way to use one.
I have never felt like I shouldn't go into the sauna if I have a cold - in fact most of the time when I have one I skip my workout but head for the sauna anyway. I just bring a bottle of water in there. Although I will admit that I love the dry heat and smell of wood more than most people seem to. It's actually difficult to drag myself away. Usually if I feel a cold coming on I ward if off with a trip to the sauna. Maybe it's all in my mind, but most of the time it works.
I was just at the Equinox steam room after a long time of no sauna at all and it was marvelous, though I admit I'm usually a dry sauna person too. I love the feeling afterward of walking outside in the cold but being warm inside your own bones. In Europe after the really hot saunas, you can just walk outside in the snow barefoot and naked.
The steam room is probably far better for a cold; it will relieve congestion like a humidifier does, at any rate.
I still love the sauna more - especially during weather like this.
Oh the thought of spicy hot chocolate cheers me up ..if I remember correctly Vosges in Soho does a dark hot chocolate with chipotle chillies.
I usually kill a cold with a blast of 1000g of Vitamin C ..I am almost always armed with my huge bottle of Vitamin C tablets from Duane Reade.. oh Duane Reade where would we New Yorkers be without you:)?
Antihistamines for the dripping and clogging, and echinacea and vitamin C for the immune boost.
When I get a cold, I usually just triple the dosage of vitamin C, drink plenty of fluids, and get much needed rest.
I havent suffered much this winter but my husband cant seem to shake off his cold and a friend on New Year's day suggested that he try a neti pot to clear his sinuses..the neti pot is an ancient Indian yogic apparatus -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation which has been used for ages to clear the nasal cavities. The neti pot seems to be gaining popularity for stores like Bed Bath and Beyond, CVS and such now carry a whole range of modified neti pots which are easy to use.. we are currently using one made by a company called Neil Med and the pot here resembles a squeeze bottle rather than a tea pot.
I have a neti pot. It really works. When my sinuses are really clogged I use it and finds it clears my sinuses.
I have to say I made this list as sort of a novelty - and just to share the things I do (specific to the city) during a miserable cold. But I'm actually pretty happy/amused that it became an actual list of cold cures!
@uptowngirl I'm intrigued, though also a bit put off by that picture on Wikipedia. What kind of results did your husband see?
@BroadwayBk try the squeeze bottle if you have to its seems much easier my husband says it provides him relief and does unclog his sinuses but though his cold continues to linger
I saw the picture on Wikipedia.com. Thankfully, they don't show actually what comes out, if you know what I mean, especially if the sinuses are pretty clogged. Yuk!
That photo made me laugh out loud, uptowngirl.
I haven't had a cold for several years now and I'm glad I don't have to do anything that yucky to my nose.
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