Where It's Warm and Cozy

John Thain For the 15th year in a row, a storm greeted the arrival of the Winter Antiques Show gala preview. And this time around, the precipitation included plunges in the stock market. But all was well inside the show, where platters of cupcakes and smoked salmon offset booths full of expensive objects. "The core business is solid," the chief executive of Merrill Lynch, John Thain, said hours after the brokerage firm announced a $9.8 billion fourth-quarter loss and the stock had fallen more than 10%. And so the shopping for porcelains, tapestries, and chandeliers proceeded, proving once again that New Yorkers love to weather a storm. [PHOTOS HERE]