Tulips at The Plaza.
I doubt I’m alone in saying I’ve been counting the hours, the minutes, the seconds to the arrival of spring.
By Siberian standards — but New York isn’t Irkutsk. And when you rack up the days that failed to break 30 degrees, couple them with more than 56 inches of snow and throw in a Polar Vortex or two, Winter 2013-14 was brutal.
Even if the snow doesn’t cease on March 20, we’ve crossed the seasonal divide.
Expectations can go up, along with – fingers crossed – temperatures.
To celebrate the official start of spring, I visited several midtown hotels known for their flowers, camera in hand.
Looks like yellow is the color of spring this year.
Open less than six months, The Quin quickly established itself as a go-to hotel to see spectacular blooms.
If this doesn’t look sufficiently springy, there’s an identical display on the other side of The Peninsula’s central staircase.
Not everything on this table in front of the Palm Court at The Plaza is in bloom — but hey, spring’s just getting started.
Yellow’s not the only color in town — at least, not at The Pierre.
On the first day of spring the trees shading the Garden restaurant at The Four Seasons look extra springy, even if they’re on view year round.
Want more? The annual Macy’s Flower Show at Macy’s Herald Square runs March 23 through April 6 this year.