Spring! (Kind of...)

This week was the first signs of spring in New York City.

Sure it hasn't been above freezing for even a full week yet, and I'm still fighting that runny-nose that came with the last 12-degree late-evening walk from the subway, but I say with great confidence that New Yorkers are in full Spring mode.

In Manhattan, when spring comes, the crocuses don't bloom, the birds don't start to chirp, and I don't skip class to walk around outside. (Not that I ever did that before...especially if my family's reading this. But seriously -- I think I skipped a total of 3 classes while in high school, and one was me using the MCAS as an excuse and "finishing my essay" during the next block. The other two were after I turned 18 and it was all kosher in the eyes of the school.)

Yet as sure as smell is a three-dimensional sense, there are sure environmental indicators of Spring here.

1) The coffee truck in Union Square has been replaced by a Mr. Softee ice cream truck. (Of course, during the month of March when patrons are as confused about their tastes as they are what the weather will be when they get out of work, the coffee truck sometimes is along side Mr. Softee, or or at most a block away...)

2) The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble has set up outside, in front of Whole Foods, rather than below the street level sheltered in the subway station. And more than them just being there, people actually sit and watch for a while (without fear of freezing).

It's a nice transition. I hope it doesn't return to sub-freezing temperatures any time soon. And if it does, I hope Hypnotic goes back underground; I wouldn't want to be playing tuba in 21-degrees...