This past weekend I realized what the true harbinger of summer is in this fine city. No, I’m not talking about enjoying the gorgeous, sunny weather, or smelling barbecue after barbecue as you traverse the neighborhood, or watching all your neighbors re-emerge and take to their roofdecks, or fighting the crowds in the gardens behind your favorite restaurants and bars. Sure, I did all of those things over the last several days, and sure, they do suggest that summer is coming. But it only really hit me that summer is here when, walking briskly through Midtown, I looked down to find a healthy, energetic roach strutting down the sidewalk right next to me. If that’s not a sign of the season changing, I don’t know what is. Take that, Punxsutawney Phil!
May 23, 2012