A Balmy December 10th

I've posted these photos before, but on a balmy 63-degree day in December I'm compelled to wish for a snowy day. But instead of snow we're having sticky, rainy, warm weather a mere two weeks before Christmas eve! Now I know how residents of the Gulf Coast feel in winter. This could be Jacksonville - a depressing thought - or Mobile, or even New Orleans. And while those cities have their charms, once again I'm glad I don't live in the deep South. Give me four distinct seasons, with ample snow and beautiful vistas like Central Park's "Mall" pictured here. I remember snapping these early in the morning several years ago, before the snow plows had cleared the streets and the grime of the city had settled into the shockingly filthy slush that makes the days after a snowfall particularly treacherous for pedestrians.

Under a fresh blanket of snow, New York City is magical, like George Bailey's Bedford Falls in It's a Wonderful Life. Give the city a day or two, however, to trudge through the curbside snow drifts and flooded crosswalks, and one is reminded that our reality is closer to Pottersville, with plenty of Lionel Barrymores to sour the mood. In the end, I guess there are many of us who put up with the inconveniences of this city just to experience those occasional moments when New York City actually resembles the Hollywood fairytale version. At those moments it all seems worth it.

P.S. I love these old photo borders!