I arrived at my old Manhattan apartment building on West 82nd Street a bit after 1 am this morning.   Surprisingly, the harsh chill that I had expected from a NYC winter, that often lingers long into April, was absent.  Instead, I arrived to temperatures in the 50's and a week that promises to be temperate and mostly sunny.  

It is strange.  Often times when I return to NYC in the winter (especially after having been in a warm Southern California climate) there is such a feel of hardened hurry that is reflected in the landscape around me --- brown walls of old snow, a leafless Central Park, and a mob of people running from taxis and subways to get out of the cold as soon as possible.  Not this time.  This time there was another feeling in place.  I felt strangely warm and welcomed and not rushed in the least.  On the contrary, my cab ride was smooth and pleasant, and at this moment, I don't feel that wall of push that says, "go, go, go."  All of this beggars the question, "Did New York change while I was away, or did I?"  This next week will be very telling.  In the meantime, I'm very glad to be back and looking forward to the adventures still to come in this beloved City that feels as if it is about to burst with Spring.