These are signs that summer was coming, which I have witnessed over the last 2 weeks. Starting with the photo on the left, we have gardening on Washington Square North. It is surprising how much gardening goes on in NYC, much of it out of view behind buildings. In the top photo, we have a day that was a real steam bath. The humidity was so heavy, you could easily see it as this afternoon haze – it looked like the deep South. At the far right, we have two lovebirds in a PDA, but this time in the fountain (click here for last summer’s frolic in the fountain). Kind of fun if you don’t mind getting your clothes soaking wet. At the bottom, we have a young woman sleeping – she was out cold. But not inebriated (the beverage was soda, not beer).

Today is the solstice and first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (and the first day of winter in the Southern Hemisphere). This is the day where the sun is furthest north, or at highest point in the sky, and takes the most time to cross the sky. This means it’s the longest day of the year. The days actually start getting shorter from here, so please enjoy your summer…

Here, we have the Park Avenue Malls, a central 2.5 mile-long median (broken by cross streets) extending from 46th Street (at the Helmsley Building, 230 Park Avenue) to 96th Street, where the Metro-North railroad tracks surface to run above ground (they run under Park Avenue from Grand Central to 96th Street). The Fund for Park Avenue, a private organization, is responsible for the plantings and maintenance of the Park Avenue Malls. In the spring, tulips are planted – these flower along with the cherry trees. In the summer, when the tulips have faded, wax begonias are planted. According to Margaret Ternes, chairman of the Fund for Park Avenue, wax begonias are chosen for their hardiness. Their waxy leaves retard pollution, and begonias can stand the hot sun – they do not require the type of watering many flowers do, such as impatiens (there is no automatic watering system for the Malls).

I was surprised to see a homeless person on the Mall, a rather uncommon and unexpected occurrence. More surprising was to see him cleaning his nails. Many aspire to live on the highly coveted Park Avenue. Some find unconventional ways of getting there, like Joe Ades, gentleman peeler. But there are necessary conditions for living here, such as wealth and many personal habits which would be highly recommended if one were to associate with high society. I would guess that good grooming is one of them…

This is the West Side Community Garden, which spans between 89th and 90th Streets between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and is one of the largest public gardens in the city. Click here for more photos. These blocks are home to an array of institutions: Ballet Hispanico, Stephen Gaynor School, Claremont Riding Stables (recently closed), and St. Gregory the Great School.

During the 1970s, half the block facing Columbus Avenue was razed for new buildings. Inadequate funds led to an abandoned plot. By the time real estate developers were ready to build, the space had been transformed into a garden by local residents (many community gardens in the city have started this way). The community was aided in saving this space by Community Board 7, the Trust for Public Land, private fundraising, and developer Jerome Kretchmer, who included the garden in his development plan. “How could a green open space not be a good amenity?” Kretchmer asks. “I get my money’s worth a hundred times a year.”

The garden officially opened to the public in 1988. There is a vegetable garden area with over 100 individual, private plots where vegetables can be grown and harvested. As would be expected for such a privilege in the city, there is a waiting list for vacant plots. Of course, the primary focus is flowers; each spring, the garden is home to over 300 varieties of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and roses. Students of St. Gregory the Great School are responsible for the planting and maintaining of two plots. Gardens and parks are not only beautiful in their own rights but also in juxtaposition to urban structures, providing necessary respite and sanctuary…

Until recently, we have had a very sunny early spring, albeit colder than usual. However, this is the northeast, and in its typically unpredictable way, spring has now brought us rain in the form of a nor’easter, with brisk winds, flooding, transportation delays, power outages, leaking roofs, snapping trees, and other havoc. Some areas in upstate NY and northern New England with colder climates are experiencing snow storms. The photo was taken of Washington Square Park (click here for night shot).

A nor’easter (contraction for northeaster) gets its name from its strong north east winds blowing in from the ocean, causing high seas and coastal damage. The coast of Massachusetts along with Cape Cod and Nantucket have historically been particularly brutalized by nor’easters. Tragically, today is the Boston Marathon, and apparently they are still running…

It’s true – today we get our first snow for the winter in NYC. Click here for more photos of Washington Square with this morning’s new fallen snow. For quite some time, we have been deluded into believing we would never see winter again – that El Nino, along with global warming as a contributing factor, was turning New York into a subtropical zone. After all, two weeks ago, we were sitting in parks with T-shirts in 72-degree weather.

2006 has been the warmest year ever recorded in USA history. And NYC broke a 129-year record for the latest date for the first snowfall. Places outside the US, such as Sweden and Russia, have not yet seen snow. But as I write this in the early morning, the snow has already stopped and the sun is shining – spring is just around the corner…