While it lasts

There is an old adage in Shanghai - "You should go outside and enjoy Spring, both weekends". Well, Spring is here in Shanghai and I'm trying to take full advantage of it. The weather is generally either hot or cold and always wet, except for a few magical weeks every year in the spring. The humidity is manageable and the sun shines and life is good. I love spring in Shanghai.

This is a sharp contrast to spring in Boston. In Boston I grumble for months on end about how much nicer it would be if summer would hurry and come; winter holds on, dumping snow well past it's expiration date while reminders of how great summer can be (baseball, sunshine, the odd warm day) only torment me as goals just out of reach. Spring is my least favorite season back home.

But in Shanghai it's lovely. I'm taking a trip next weekend to a nearby city, and this weekend I intend to go out and peruse some of the prettier parks in the city. The trees are all in bloom and the parks are bursting into a luscious green. I spent part of my Wednesday morning sitting atop the MoCA museum in the out door cafe, sipping fresh mango juice, overlooking People's Park, gazing at the sky scrappers beyond and recalling how I've only seen such a beautiful, well lit contrast of public greenery and private buildings of enterprise in only a handful of cities (New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo... and Boston), which I revere as the most fantastically wonderful cities on earth. I respect Shanghai, but that is quite noble company in my opinion.

So for now all is good. Shanghai is sunny and warm, the heat isn't oppressive, it's great. Somewhere birds are singing; Somewhere children shout.