With an extremely cold winter weather advisory issued for this week in New York City, could we see a freezing of the East River like we did in 1871? This vintage illustration shows the "East River ice bridge" which allowed New Yorkers to cross between Manhattan and Brooklyn by foot a decade before the Brooklyn Bridge opened. Check out the specimen page on the New York Public Library's Digital Collections for more info on the illustration.

O'Tacos is a popular French chain of tacos and Mexican Food that opened up a Brooklyn location in Crown Heights earlier this year. Their "tacos" are not exactly what you are used to, rather they are more like stuffed burritos grilled in a panini-press to make them flat and a little crispy on the outside. Inside, they are stuffed with meats, cheese, french fries and other yummy ingredients. One special item on the menu is the Gigataco, a 5-pound beast that you can win for free if you eat an entire one by yourself in one sitting. Learn more about it in this short video from our friends at Insider.

Meet the Gigatacos, a 5-pound French taco bursting with meat, cheese, and french fries.

Another arctic chill is upon this week in New York City, prompting the New York City Office of Emergency Management to issue a winter weather advisory for the next 7 days.

The New York City Emergency Management Department today urged New Yorkers to prepare for bitterly cold temperatures and wind chills through the rest of the week. According to the National Weather Service forecast, temperatures will stay below freezing this week with an average forecast temperature of 19 degrees for the next seven days. […] Throughout the week, daytime temperatures will generally reach into the teens to mid-20s, while lows will drop into the single digits and teens. Single digit wind chills are expected during the overnight hours through the weekend.

Check out the full advisory for tips on how to stay safe and warm. Also check out this funnyish PSA video from the City about winter weather.