Though we probably can’t hold a frozen candle to the winters of Alaska, or the Decembers of Syracuse, ask most New Yorkers what winter in the city is like and the words “brutal, God awful, miserable” are likely to find their way into the description. Between the skyscrapers, the wind has teeth. Snow and ice turn to mud and slush quicker than the department stores can sell Hunter boots, and gloves/scarves are thin and often useless barriers against the temperature, as much as street vendors try to convince us otherwise.
All that being said, the moment we feel a hint of Spring in the air…we lose it. As soon as we can feel the sun, and the thermometer breaks 50 degrees, all bets are off. Girls are in skirts and flats (the bravest of us graduating straight to flip flops), convertible tops go down, the parks are teeming with cabin fever stricken kids and their grateful parents, and coffee goes from hot to iced. Mid-March? Whatever. As far as we’re concerned, July 4th is just around the corner.
So yes, it’s true, New Yorkers are passionate warm weather enthusiasts, and there are signs of it all throughout the island. However, there is one particular trend that truly seals the warm weather obsession, and helps to change the mood of nearly every sidewalk: outdoor dining.
The moment it is at all feasible that one might be able to enjoy a meal outside, restaurant walls disappear and rows of tables materialize from nowhere. There’s no longer a need to peer inside a large glass window, or look over a menu on the front door; the calling card becomes the diners themselves. You can stroll down 2nd Avenue and literally see what looks good. Better still, you can go from Thailand, to Italy, to France, and back home to the US for a burger without even crossing the street. However, when the cold finally starts to recede and Manhattan goes al fresco, I find that I notice less about the noodles and greens, and more about their consumers.
If there’s anything New Yorkers love more than the first sigh of Spring, it’s high quality food. Combine the two and you have a recipe for true urban bliss. No longer hidden behind hats and scarves, and forced to stare downward as we try to shield our faces from the biting wind, finally, everyone is looking up. It is the first time I have seen people truly looking at each other outside, smiling, since November. Eating outside forces us to get back in touch, as we are reminded; oh, that’s right, it’s beautiful out here. Everyone sitting at an outdoor table looks carefree and serene, people-watching and toasting happily as they enjoy the company of family and friends. Fresh food looks better when it’s being kissed by the sunshine.
So, fine, call us food snobs. Tell us we don’t really know what a “bad winter” is like, since we don’t live upstate, and that we are being dramatic when we lose our socks at 55 degrees. But the next time you happen to be in the city on a newly warmed Spring day, do a little diner watching…and I think you’ll find we’re anything but snobby.
