Seasonal smells of New York

Every season has its own distinct odor. It's a much more accurate way of gauging the changing weather than those silly calendars that tell you that Fall has come. How would they know anyway? It's a much better policy to plan your life around the smells in the city.

Summer - Festering garbage in the big piles on the sidewalk. Tells you to make sure to wear light, airy clothes particularly summer dresses and try to stay in as many air conditioned spaces as possible. At this point, the humidity could kill you.

Fall - The beginning of fall is indicated by the smell of a fresh breeze and the sounds of everyone around you blowing their nose and sneezing over their hot tea. Time to wrap up and buy boots and scarves. Make sure to wear sweaters, but skirts and shorts are still acceptable. Once the leaves start falling, building up into piles that start smelling like rotting flesh, it's time to pull out the wool coats.

Winter - Now that all the existing nature is dead, it is absolutely necessary to check weather.com religiously. Plan your day around precipitation. Refuse to leave home if a rain/sleet/snowstorm is on the radar, no matter what. Do carry an umbrella if its snowing although you will look ridiculous. No odors exist anymore, not even the homeless B.O. because everything is frozen.

Spring - Weeks of anticipation lead up to approximately 3 and a half weeks of actual nice weather that is plagued by pollen. And the first delicious smells of fish. I don't know why this is, but whenever spring rolls around the entire city smells to me like Chinatown, and I have yet to come up with an explanation.

Luckily for me, smell is the weakest of all my senses.