New York City

This morning I arrived in at Newark, bright and early at 6 am.
Of course, I ended up spending most of the day readjusting to the fact that I was deplaning at 6 am. I did manage to leave the house for food: lunch with a friend and a rather expensive but delicious meal in Alphabet City with my brother.
As I was walking to the subway station at West 4th, I noticed that it had started snowing. This was easily the best moment of the day.

Ever since I moved from NY to the dry and tasteless city of LA, I have been in dire need of snow. I grew up here and my body is used to the concept of four seasons, one of which being the bone-chillingly cold winters. And with those winters comes snow. Before tonight it had been over 2 years since I'd seen snow fall. Sure last year I came to visit and there was still snow on the ground from the previous week's snowfall, but actually seeing the snow gently fall in large white flakes...that I had not seen.

Whenever I talk to friends and colleagues in NY after it has just snowed, I always lament not being around for it. No one seems to understand though. Everyone tells me how crazy I am and how I'm more than welcome to the snow if I want it so badly. And I always give a little chuckle. No one gets it.

To me, snow if part of the quintessential NY experience. I vividly remember that in January 2003, a couple of weeks before I moved, there was a great snow. Later that day, at dusk, I bundled up and decided to go for a walk through Central Park. The snow was up to my knees and as the sun set, it appeared to be the same sort of dusky blue as the sky. I wandered for a couple of hours till I had no clue where I was. There were only a few other people out in the park, the other intrepid souls wanting to brave the cold for the beauty of the freshly fallen snow. I was so deep into the park that all the traffic sounds from the street were muffled to non-existence. It was pretty much me, the snow, and the silence.

So tonight when I was able to pause for a minute and watch the flakes settle on my jacket sleeves, I was reminded of all the reasons I want to move back to this city. Though, it's not like I really need it.