New York Diary

The Impossible Forest

New Yorkers are finally (finally!) tossing out their Christmas trees here in the city. This rather unremarkable seasonal phenomenon has had, of late, a rather unlikely and impressively strong influence on me, however.

Walking to work (well, to the subway to work) takes me through the residential neighborhoods that characterize the Upper East Side. Cross streets are rarely flecked with restaurants or stores: the population density of our blocks must be stunningly high. This translates, this time of year, into an enormous number of Christmas trees in front of every apartment building.

And that, in turn, translate itself into a pervasive smell of fir trees. Between this week's particularly crisp outdoor chill the ever-identifiable odor of fir and pine trees (fun fact: a douglas fir is actually a kind of pine!), one could be forgiven for mistaking January on 84th street for the wintertime of the countryside.

It's really a nice feeling. I love the city: so much is happening, so much is available, and there's a kind of elegance in a brick-walled upper-east-side apartment with clean lines and suave furniture. But closing my eyes and walking down 84th reminds me how much I'd hate to live here all my life.

posted by Skay @ 5:40 PM