Vocabulary Word of the Week: Nor'easter

On Thursday I overheard some of my classmates talking about how a huge nor'easter was heading our way this weekend. When I asked what they were talking about they laughed. After a few moments they realized I was serious, so they explained that it was a kind of major storm that occurs on the east coast. Since I had already been laughed at once, I refrained from my follow up questions which were: What exactly is the word you are saying? Are you trying to say "north eastern"? If so, why aren't you just saying that? Is there a deeper issue here?

When got home I googled my best guess as to what that world actually was, and much to my surprise "nor'easter" is an actual thing. Like, you can use in in a sentence and everything.

So then I got kind of excited. I'm going to experience a nor'easter like a real north easterner! I am battling a cold, so I stocked up on groceries and dreamed of a snowed-in weekend curled up on the couch with the cats and a box of kleenex. But the nor'easter (perhaps insulted by my west coast enthusiasm?), decided to head out to sea once its business was done with Washington D.C.. We got a sprinkling of snow, but not enough to make me feel justified for staying indoors all weekend. So I went out and took a couple of pictures.

Prospect Park

A view of my apartment building from Prospect Park