Baby, it's cold outside!!
Why oh why must the thermometer bottom out overnight in this wonderland we call Manhattan? Seasons come and go so quickly here!
Does anyone else remember a time when Mother Nature would give us at least a few moments of warning? A hint of a cold snap in the air, a few leaves on the ground, the heat gradually getting stronger and stronger on the buses and subway cars...those dog days are over. I woke up this morning, and it was winter.
In an earlier post (you know...like...two years ago...the last time I wrote in this....being a teacher keeps you really busy these days...), I waxed poetic about the delights of the cold weather giving way to springtime, outdoor dining, flip flops, etc. But what about the reverse? I am the first person to start counting down the days until Spring, but... what about when it's time to break out the Uggs and the black Northface, cast your eyes downward while you shield your face from the teeth of the wind...is there anything remotely sweet-core-ish about that?
There has to be, I told myself. Just because I've been away from this blog for two years doesn't mean I have lost one speck of love for my city, and I am hellbent on finding something sweet and valuable in a New York City winter.
And then, it dawns on me. In a city where people are paying over half of their earnings for just a few more square feet of closet space, where we do our best to find a little breathing room as the MTA barks at us to STEP ALL THE WAY IN FOLKS ALL THE WAY IN, and where finding a seat at Starbucks is an accomplishment comparable to getting a promotion, winter is the one time when we are actually trying to get closer to each other, to the heater, to the train, anything- and eliminate the spaces that lets in the extra icy air.
Let's be honest- space is power in New York. Whether it's the size of your bedroom (you have a bedroom?!), the amount of elbow room on the subway, or the entire bench you managed to snag at the park, having enough room to actually maneuver around in can be a rare and desirable thing. We spend huge amounts of time fighting each other for space. Running to get the application in for the apartment before the next guy. Slipping past that girl for a coveted seat at the bar on a Saturday night. Whatever and wherever, New Yorkers know that the extra square foot can make all the difference in the world.
Except, that is, during a true New York City cold front. On those chill-you-to-the-bone kind of nights, this city dweller suggests you take advantage of that rare moment where you, my dear fellow New Yorkers, actually desire closeness because it is just so f*cking cold. Whether it's a closeness from a blanket, a mug of peppermint tea, a glass (or 2...) of red wine, or another person, grab him, her, or it and hunker down until the warmth sinks in and melts the ice beneath your skin. It is so, so unusual in this city to want to eliminate what little personal space Manhattan is allowing you, and that you have fought and paid so dearly for. Drink up those moments because in a city this crowded, they simply don't last.
Take advantage of the freeze. Get up close and personal with someone or something you love, and say thank you to New York for giving you a hot (cold) second to come a little closer.
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