When Ice Melts, the UWS Unmasks a Month of Detritus

As melting ice from last month’s storm collapses along the Upper West Side, four weeks of curbside detritus— wrappers, bottles, takeout, and even dog mess—are revealed, turning once-majestic mounds into a grimy map of urban life. The piece also meanders through Central Park’s glacial past, highlighting rock scars and park features shaped by the Wisconsin glaciation, from Belvedere Castle to Summit Rock, and closes with a meditation on what winter hides about us and what we might shed as spring returns.