Literally over night, Winter has finally shoved off and given way to Spring. About time, too. Was getting heartily sick of all the Facebook snaps of English woodland flowers, when we’re still trudging through slush and snow in freezing winds, passing men using hammers to break the ice on the pavement. But no longer, folks, it’s Spring. You can actually hear the sound of melting snow. Bang on time, as the clocks went back this weekend and the all the city’s ice rinks were duly dismantled and boxed up for another year.
Suddenly the playgrounds are swarming with kids again, shedding coats as they charge about letting off steam in the sunshine. Had a v amusing exchange with an lady in her 80s on the bus, as we drove past some people sitting outside Shake Shack in their shorts, sipping concretes (aka milkshakes). “Don’t they know it’s pneumonia season, the fools?” she shouted. “They acting like it’s June, sitting out there with their bare legs, but the graveyard is calling their name right now.” Ended up having a long conversation with her about the importance of wearing layers in this climate. She pointed to an elderly man getting on the bus, “He’s not stupid, he’s got all his warm clothes on.” As if scripted, the man replied, “Yep, I learnt the hard way. Got to keep warm.” It’s something I really like about New Yorkers – you can strike up a conversation on public transport and know that everyone sitting around you will join in. British public transport is strictly silent, even eye contact is unusual.
To celebrate the first day above zero degrees, B and I went for a long walk along the East River Waterfront Esplanade after dropping T off at school. One of our favourite little spots is the fairly-unknown Pier 15, with fantastic views of Brooklyn Bridge, DUMBO, Seaport’s historic ships, skyscrapers, and Wall Street’s heliport on Pier 6 . Hardly anyone was there to relish the guy unlocking the chains that have bolted down the outdoor furniture all Winter, but we enjoyed sitting on them just because we could – even if it did mean we got wet bottoms from the melting ice.
This week’s Highs & Lows:
Highs: Spring, Spring, Spring. Now I can wash our filthy winter coats. Also, B turned two! The girls helped to bake a Victoria sponge cake and we took her to the Gazillion Bubble Show just off Broadway. It was utterly brilliant and a v good choice for both young kids and parents, plus it is only an hour long…
Lows: This feels a little outdated but it truly was this week – getting to T’s school to find I’d forgotten to zip up my handbag, and it was full of snow. Was quite a nasty shock when I rummaged for my phone, to get a fist full of snow.
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It’s so true – we built an igloo in our yard this weekend and it has almost disappeared!