A pre-spring tease titillates NYC

Aside from drinking way too much at a friend's birthday party on Saturday night, this weekend (and especially its pre-spring tease) was certainly an enjoyable one.

The deepening recession, a steady stream of colds and of course the cold weather have made this winter particularly tough, but the 70 degree weather that graced the city on Saturday was a welcome sign spring is nearly here. I spent the afternoon at the Christopher Street Pier working on a story on the continued tension between LGBT youth who traditionally hang out there and people who live in the adjacent West Village. I did take some time, however, to simply stroll along the pier and even work on my tan a bit along with hundreds of other New Yorkers who certainly had the same idea.

The city literally comes alive on the first warm day of the season and people can finally leave their coats and scarves at home. I spent Friday afternoon in the Meatpacking District and Chelsea and people seemed almost gleeful when the sun poked through the clouds. The birds appeared to chirp even louder. New Yorkers dined al fresco. And I even bought myself flowers at a corner store on Eighth Avenue. What a pre-spring weekend it was!