Wintery Wonderland
It seems to me that every time a winter storm is really hyped up, it ends up being a disappointment (see: the six-inch blizzard, hyperbolically dubbed "Hercules"). Monday we were supposed to get three inches of snow and it ended up snowing steadily all day, blanketing the city in the most gorgeous snow I've seen in the seven months I've lived here.
It's slightly warmer than it has been lately, and the heavy, wet snow covered the trees, street signs and benches, making the whole city into a real life winter wonderland. I know a lot of people are totally over winter by this point, but I would be content on having snow until spring is good and ready to begin.
As usual I tried to make the most of my time with this batch of snow, and I walked to work through Central Park on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday the sun was shining and the entire park was blindingly white. I love how fresh the air smells in the snow, and how quiet the whole world seems. I felt like I was far away from New York in a magical wintery land not unlike Narnia. Every new snowy scene I encountered was more beautiful than the last.
On Monday I took advantage of my new job's proximity to Central Park, and on my lunch break I went straight to my favorite spot: the Literary Walk, which was more beautiful than I can ever even possibly describe. The park was pretty empty because it was still snowing heavily and I was even able to get a shot of the Bethesda Fountain without a single person in it, which is always a lofty goal in heavily trafficked areas of the park.
The best part about this particular snowfall is that after weeks of near- and below-zero temperatures, anything from 20-35 degrees has felt downright balmy for my outdoor adventures. It definitely makes a difference in my enjoyment of the snowy city when I can walk around for any amount of time without my phone actually refusing to turn on because it is too damn cold, which has actually happened to me twice this year.
On one of my walks around the park, I started to think about how odd and special snow seems, and how thanks to climate change it might become virtually nonexistent in the future (at least in New York). While everyone is complaining about how snowy this winter has been, I still try to treat every snowfall like it's a special gift and I don't really have any interest in living in a world without snow.