{"id":4081,"date":"2026-04-23T22:36:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wesleyschan.com\/blog\/?p=4081"},"modified":"2026-04-23T22:36:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:36:39","slug":"a-new-spring-in-nyc-my-6th-one-after-a-cold-snowy-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wesleyschan.com\/blog\/a-new-spring-in-nyc-my-6th-one-after-a-cold-snowy-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"a new spring in NYC (my 6th one) after a cold snowy winter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s spring now. I know this because the cherry blossoms are out, and because a couple Sundays ago I saw a guy in a bunny suit try to eat a whole 10-pound chocolate bunny from Costco:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The chocolate bunny was as tall as an adult torso, and the guy got 70% of the way there before barfing twice behind a tree and calling for backup. It would take another ~10 people in the audience, one by one, to finish the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I only found out about this because I was on my way to Sunny & Annie\u2019s Deli to get a giant sandwich (pho #11 with beef bulgogi on a hero). Such is the beauty of NYC and the American desire to turn anything into a competition, even if it\u2019s just a competition with yourself. Would you see the same in the Jardin du Luxembourg<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here\u2019s what NYC looked like over a month ago:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Citibike station near the Wegman\u2019s at Astor Place.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the East Village, my beloved neighborhood. I spent a good chunk of time staring outside of the window during the workday and figured that was my cue to get to stomping around.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most of my six years in NYC were spent with warm winter months. A few inches of snow here and there, temperature barely in the negatives (celsius). Still cold by San Jose standards, but nothing to complain about in front of lifelong New Yorkers or midwesterners if I don\u2019t want to look like a weenie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year hit different with actual blizzards that shut down the office \u2014 the first time since the early days of the pandemic. It forced me to work from home, which I rarely do (it\u2019s harder to listen to gossip when you\u2019re working remotely). But even when workplaces and grocery stores are all shut down, you\u2019ll still see people playing around outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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St. Mark\u2019s Place. Down below is Kenka, with cheap beer and cheap food. They used to have a cotton candy machine outside.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A friendly fellow at Washington Square Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I watched some students roll a giant snowball around Washington Square Park. And I came away relatively unscathed from snowball fights, although that probably means I could have pushed harder into the fray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

how else was winter like this year?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Snowstorms aside, this year\u2019s winter felt different for many other reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n