Spring keeps her constant teasing of this city’s winter-weary citizens. One day is warm enough to let you believe all those winter coats can be put away in storage, all such hopes quickly upended as the next day turns out chillier and more biting, as much from the temperatures as the unexpectedness of such a change.
Fall and Spring, the two most glorious seasons here, is when the city seems dressed in its most magnificent finery.
There is nothing quite like this picture
I found myself on the Southern edge of Central Park, having a few appointments in the area. Walking along the park’s edge, past the sidewalks lined with the horse-drawn carriages, made me reminisce back to our numerous visits to the city. These trips had been fraught with tension as my husband did his best to allay my fears that moving back East was not all illusion, as I had become to believe. During these unhappy trips, we stayed a few blocks from the Southern entrance to the park, so my son and I had easy access to the greenery. I still remember the fold-up stroller that I pushed as my son and I made our way through the throngs of people to the oasis in the middle of this city. Once, feeling especially happy, he and I even taken a carriage ride around the park.
On this day Mother Nature was doing her darnedest to tease us that spring was around the proverbial corner. The city seemed more alive as people and tourists basked in the glow of the sunny day. As I made my way toward 5th Avenue, my attention was caught by the loud music coming from the square across from the Apple Store. Perhaps it was the weather, but I was feeling unusually leisurely, so much so I found myself on the crowd’s edge.
New York City’s own Beat Boys were out, their boom box blasting, their white bucket on the ready. This group is of particular interest for our family since my son was one of the few to purchase their DVD, which got watched over and over again for a year. All of this resulted in our son dropping to the ground and spinning on his back like a throwback from some Run DMC video, all a source of delight for those who happened to see, and a source of chagrin for his parents.
I found myself clapping with the other gawkers, each of us smiling, and sometimes even clapping.
It was as the music changed and each member of the troupe got an opportunity to their ‘thang’ that I finally turned my attention to those around me. There were the usual European suspects, although the numbers of Scandinavians, Germans, Irish, and English are down, all a result of the global economic downturn. There were the salespeople from the numerous high end stores on 5th, so undeniably ahead of the masses in their fashion, every bit of their outfit screaming so next season. There were the occasional men in suits, their usual single-mindedness diverted by the warm sun, the crowd, and the music. But the family that so beautifully encapsulated the idiosyncrasy, humor, and subversiveness of this city is below:
Only in this city! Only in this city!
