I Love Groundhogs

It's a Groundhog Day miracle! Both Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck are in agreement this year - no shadows, so bring on early spring! Halleluia! I've never wanted to kiss a groundhog so badly. Bless you, groundhogs.

Punxsutawney Phil this morning (photo from here)

Mayor Bloomberg with Staten Island Chuck today (photo from here)

Today, while much of our midwestern/northern state friends are getting pounded by yet another blizzard, we're getting rain/freezing rain/wintry mix. Wintry mix is honestly the worst kind of weather ever invented, don't you think? Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is it sleeting? Oh, it's doing ALL OF THE ABOVE AND IT'S WRETCHED. The sidewalks were literally sheets of ice this morning and the icy slush puddles at the curbs are out of control.

Now, I'm only planning to venture out into that mess today for a brief grocery store run, so I guess I can't complain too much. But, this lousy weather is really cramping my "I'm Moving Out of Manhattan Soon" style. First of all, I told myself that for our last weeks in Manhattan, I will not turn down a single opportunity to walk about the town. If there is something to do, I will go do it and I will take it all in and enjoy it. But dude, who wants to do that in this weather? That's just gross.

Also, Eric and I vowed to take in every last second of our skyline view before we leave this apartment, and take as many pictures of it as we can. (You know, because we totally haven't taken like 300 view pictures since moving in.) However, this weather also means low clouds and fog, both of which totally interfere with my view enjoyment. For example, this is how the view is looking today:

Boooo to the nasty weather view.

I can't even see the tops of the Time Warner Center towers.

It feels like most days these days, we can't even see the Empire State Building anymore.

Come back, ESB!

At night, sometimes the low clouds look cool because the city lights sort of reflect in them and shine through, but mostly, I'm unimpressed.

Eh.

But, we're still trying to take it in when we can and snap pictures when the view actually shows its full face. For example, one night the clouds cleared out a bit just long enough to get these pictures of the skyline looking kind of spooky:

Cool clouds over the city

The clouds surrounding the Empire State Building make me think of Halloween!

And there was one clear night when the sky was so, so blue, and Eric got great pictures of it:

Looking east

Wow. That is a Gator blue sky if I ever saw one!

Man, I am so going to miss this view. I just wish these clouds would clear so I can enjoy it for the next 20 days!