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New Yorkers Bundle Up For Cold, Though Some Kids Don't Want To

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- In single-digit or negative-range cold, bundling up is crucial.

But as CBS 2's Sonia Moghe reported Tuesday, some kids and even teens can often overlook that fact.

Dennis Gonzalez, a high school freshman, was spotted in New Rochelle wearing a hoodie, a shirt with long sleeves, jeans and shoes. That was all. He was not wearing a hat, gloves, a scarf or even a coat.

"I left it home, on purpose, just to improve (sic) chicks," Gonzalez said.

But Gonzalez's mission involved walking around in 9 degrees in New Rochelle, with a wind chill that made it feel like well below zero.

In a warmer location, pediatrician Dr. Glenn Kaplan shared why parents should keep pushing their kids of all ages to dress warmly.

"I've had youngsters who have had frostbite, and really did suffer for weeks and months until their circulation came back to normal," Kaplan said.

One of Kaplan's patients, 7-month-old Alexandra, does not yet understand what the cold is. So it was up to her mother to keep her comfortable.

"You always have to be wary about if she's covered enough and have the proper stuff," her mother said.

While getting young kids to keep their coats, hats and gloves on is a challenge, Alexandra's mother said she thinks about it constantly.

"At the beginning it's not difficult at all. The problem is to maintain it," she said. "That's the key."

The father of an 11-year-old boy said getting his pre-teen to dress for the cold is a challenge.

"It's really hard. They enjoy being free of movement," he said.

The boy ended up going outside without gloves.

Meanwhile Tuesday, CBS 2's Emily Smith was checking out how grown-up New Yorkers were surviving the chilling temperatures. They tended to agree that protection and practicality outweighed fashion.

"I have on two hats, a scarf, and I have on tights underneath," one woman said.

Another woman had a scarf right up to her nose.

"I put my glasses over it, and I am very warm," she said.

One little boy was hiding under a protective wind cover in his stroller. When asked when he was cold, the answer was yes.

And one woman carrying a small dog had put a lovely green sweater over the dog's own fur coat.

But while most took the day just to forget fashion, CBS 2 found some holdouts – including a woman in a leopard-print jacket.

And most people did what was suggested and stayed inside. With temperatures at 9 degrees, Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen was all but deserted.

CHECK: Radar | Forecast & Alerts | Airport Delays & Cancellations | School Closings & Delays | Cold Weather Safety Tips

The temperature at Central Park Tuesday hit 4 degrees — a new record low for this date. It snapped a 118-year-old record low of 6.

THE SCIENCE OF THE COLD

The cold can have its "up" side.

Scientists and students were having a blast Tuesday doing outdoor experiments, made possible by the bitter chill, CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan reported.

Blowing soap bubbles is impossible in wind chill temperatures measured hovering below zero.

At Stony Brook University, renowned physics professor Dr. Laszlo Mihaly, his assistants and students had some fun with outdoor science

In weather like we experienced Tuesday – temperatures in the single digits and wind chills in the minus double digits, soda can become a Slurpee in less than three minutes.

Anything touched to water quickly turned to ice -- from a delicate tissue to a heated towel, 10 minutes later.

After not too long a piece of fruit, like a banana, could be used as a hammer. And to conquer an apple as solid as a bowling ball, you need a hammer.

"Physics is about experiments. In order to understand how things work around us, in this cold weather we learn things that we could not normally," Mihaly said.

In one final experiment McLogan allowed the hair on one side of her head to be turned into icicles.

It took all of 43 seconds.

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