When snow blanketed New York City after the blizzard last month, students across the five boroughs woke up to something they hadn’t seen in years: a true day off. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s choice to declare an “old-fashioned snow day,” instead of shifting classes online, left many kids with a rare sense of excitement and nostalgia.

The decision came as a surprise. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, snowstorms no longer meant canceled classes, as the city relied on online learning to keep school running anyway. 

This time, Mamdani emphasized that students needed “a real pause,” deciding to close schools completely while sanitation crews and volunteers cleared the streets as part of his wider snow management plan.

For many New York teens, that one simple announcement brought back a wave of memories of childhood.

“Snow days felt very different during COVID,” said Aldi Blakaj. 

Ben Yasko agreed, saying “I think this one felt really different because ever since online school, we haven’t really had a snow day because it was all online. So, the chance of having one after a long time, and the question of if it would even be a big snowstorm was definitely on people’s minds.”

Aden Music said the day carried a special kind of nostalgia. “I felt a sense of nostalgia, because traditional snow days resonate with being a kid and being in elementary and middle school.”

This is especially true for seniors “…because we’re all, like, either 18 or about to turn 18.”

Even though they spent the day indoors, the trio found ways to make it memorable. “There was this game where I scored, like, a crazy finesse outside the D,” said Yasko. “That was probably the highlight of my day, where I was playing with Aden, Aldi and my other friends.”

Blakaj laughed as he said: “I would like to say probably just, like, trolling with these two and practically ragebaiting on the call.” Music added, “My favorite part was probably getting off the game because I’m so much better than all of them that it’s kind of difficult to play with them sometimes. So, getting some sleep isn’t good for you.”

While many students stayed warm indoors, others laced up their snow boots and faced the flurries. 

Kalina Madry spent part of the day walking in the snow near her home. “I just went out with my dogs and walked around in the snow, but the best part of my snow day

was being able to stay home from school,” she said. “Before COVID, I would go to this hill near my house and sled, but on the snow day I just met up with my friend and walked around.”

For Julian Avellaneda, the return of a real snow day was refreshing. 

“I went out with my friends and I made snowmen, snow angels, you know,” Avellaneda said. “I hung out with my brother too and it was really windy, so we got the full effect of the snow.”

He added that it reminded him of snow days from childhood: “I felt like when I was a little kid, these were like the normal snow days I would have. And during COVID, everything else was just bland and online.” 

The best part, he said, was “sledding, snow games and hanging out with my brother.” Later that night, Avellaneda connected with friends. “It was super fun. I called my friends and we talked at night. It was a good atmosphere and we could all just chill after being outside all day.”

Not everyone got to enjoy the snow firsthand. Hazel Foley was stuck in Chicago during the storm. “On the snow day I was actually stuck in Chicago for a layover for three days and couldn’t fly back until Wednesday,” she said.

 “So I didn’t really get to experience the actual snow day but I’m so glad there wasn’t online school because I could devote my attention to finding a flight back to the city instead of trying to complete my assignments on time on Google Classroom.”

Foley stayed in touch with friends while stranded. “I was texting my friends though, from the airport, and many of them sent sledding which seemed like a lot of fun,” she said. “When I got back to NYC and it was all snowy, my dad and I got a pretty good pizza and that was probably the best part.”

In lower Manhattan, Isla Findley found herself snowed in at a friend’s apartment. “Actually, I got snowed in at one of my friend’s houses in Tribeca, and I couldn’t leave

because the day before, I had gone on the subway to get to her house,” Findley said. “So I couldn’t leave.”

Still, Findley made the most of it. “Because of Mamdani’s shoveling plan, the snow was cleaned up pretty fast, which was great,” she said. “I did go outside once during the snow day, and it was to walk my friend’s new puppy. We also built a snowman, but then we went inside and made pasta. It was very nice, I had a great snow day.”

From gaming setups to quiet walks in paw printed snow, every student experienced Mamdani’s “old-fashioned snow day” differently- but all shared the same feeling of relief that–for once– school wasn’t a priority.