Since I probably shouldn’t spend two columns in a row talking about TV, I guess it’s time to get serious.
Seriously excited, that is.
Spring break is only a little more than three weeks away, and I’m starting to get anxious. While all of the cool kids are in warm places like Florida, I’ll be in New York.
Now, New York is an awesome city, but it definitely is not warm in February. This will be my third spring break there, and the only constant I have to go off is that it will, no doubt, be very cold.
Last year, when spring break was actually the first week of March, my friends and I practically froze our gloveless hands off waiting at the stage door after a production of “La Cage aux Folles.” We thought it was well worth the picture we took with Harvey Fierstein, but our numb hands begged to differ.
We froze again when we saw “Mary Poppins,” and although we didn’t wait by the stage door, just the walk from the play to Restaurant Row and then back to our hotel in Times Square was enough to make us mildly regret choosing that time of year.
Normal people would just pick a different time of year to go. While we’ve half considered it, the biggest problem lies in the fact that I’m the only college student who goes on the trip. That means, me being the nerd that I am, we can’t go any time that school is in session.
There’s too much other stuff going on in the summer, plus I would rather freeze than sweat any day of my life. It is much harder to coordinate the schedules of real adults compared to college students.
We can’t go over Christmas or Easter because some of us can’t get off work during the Christmas season, and we all have to be around with our families for the holidays.
It’s a problem that will never be solved, but there are some pluses to going in the dead of winter. For one thing, while the city always is and always will be crowded, it’s tolerable in February and March. I was just there in November for Black Friday, and it was absolutely insane. No matter where I was, I could not turn around without bumping into someone.
In March, I can generally turn around and maybe even walk a few inches before a crash into an unsuspecting pedestrian.
Another plus of going in the cold is that you get to experience taxis more, because no one wants to walk more than six-ish blocks outside.
Judge me all you want, because I know deep down that I am a child, but my favorite part of this vacation is hailing the taxi.
I never understand why people find it so difficult – you just step out onto the street, raise your hand when you see a cab with its light on, and pray he decides to stop for you instead of the guy up the street. It’s all trial and error.
Then there’s the actual cab ride. Since there are always at least four people getting into the cab, one of us has to ride up front next to the cabbie. Talk about the most intense and important game of “Nose Goes” you will ever play. I’ve been stuck in the position at least one time, and it is as far from pleasant as I have ever experienced in the city.
I will say, though, that the view of the ride is quite spectacular when you’re looking out the windshield.
