More of Us

As I wrote in Weather Means Whether, I usually feel there comes a day which undeniably heralds the start of spring. Winter coats are put away for good, even if there are a few times where they would be appropriate.
This year however, I'm not feeling it. We have had a roller coaster ride as far as temperatures go with a preponderance of colder days than normal.
Flowers are blooming and trees are budding but they feel like an empty victory over winter. A battle not really quite won and certainly not a trouncing. The problem for a place like New York City with an ill-defined spring, is that when the warm weather finally and clearly arrives for good, the pent up desires released will manifest like a siege - masses rain down on the streets and parks like starved animals, irrationally driven to just be outside at any cost.
Visitors arrive in hordes almost as reminders of the unpleasant hot, humid and crowded days of summer to come. It's not that I dislike spring or summer, it's that they often come too abruptly after teasing in fits and starts.
The other consideration with seasonal changes in the city is the lack of a full immersion experience. In many areas there are virtually no indications of season other than temperature. I have the good fortune of overlooking a park - my views are filled with trees and birds. But even so, the contrast of the seasonal experience in Manhattan with the countryside is extraordinary. The overwhelming smell of earth in the spring is one sensation missed here. A ride in the country will quickly dispel any illusions that you are having a full Spring experience.
The flowers and new green growth are wonderful of course, but they often appear to be window dressing in a man made world of concrete, asphalt, glass and steel that always appears as foreground or background. Perhaps the real problem with nature's bounty in the city is that there are more of us then them ...