The cancellation of Spring has not been uncontroversial. "Plenty of
people feel that Winter is
long enough as it is," admitted East Coast
Seasons Director Derek Longley. "But the world is getting
colder. It's all to do with global warming, you see." Winter in New
York City will now last right up
the Summer Solstice. "We'll have
one day of Spring right at the end of Winter," Longley explains,
"and
then it's right to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and 100% humidity."
Longley strikes an upbeat tone as his breath
puffs into mist in the
chill morning air. "It used to be that you'd have put your winter
coats into mothballs
by now," he points out. "Not any more. With
the money you're saving on mothballs, you could easily buy
a new
pair of mittens, or a hot cup of cocoa with a stiff shot of schnapps."
