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Escaping Winter in New York

We have been through so much in this seemingly unending and often brutal winter.

Spring officially starts in 15 days, but even the thought of warm weather may not be enough to help get us through what is left of the cold.

Have you forgotten what warm, sunny weather feels like? You are certainly not alone.

Here is a look at a few places that other New Yorkers have turned to for an escape from winter.

Photographs by Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

The Spa Castle offers New Yorkers a chance to warm up and relax. “Winter has sucked,” said Rafael Salazar, who was celebrating a friend’s birthday, “but we’re making the best of it. In here, it’s like Miami if you close your eyes.”

Near the outdoor mineral pools, guests shared ice cream and smoothies. Vivian Arevalo, 28, said that while winter has been too long, when she visits the Spa Castle, “you’re in the pool and everything is like summer â€" for a short time.”

Spa Castle
131-10 11th Avenue
College Point, Queens
(718) 939-6300
Cost: All-day access for $40 on weekdays; $50 on weekends. Extra for massages, food and other special treatments, like body scrubs and reflexology.

Luke’s Lobster offers lobster, crab and shrimp rolls, chowders, crab claws and, for the winter, a lobster grilled cheese.

Sharla Hamilton, who was dining at Luke’s Lobster on Monday because she wanted to eat somewhere that reminded her of summer, said she had put up a sign in her office that read “Keep Calm Spring Is Almost Here.”

Luke’s Lobster
Multiple locations in the city.
Cost: Depends on what you order. [Menu]

Visitors to the New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show shed their jackets as they wandered through the show this week. Hayley Witt attended the show in the Bronx with her husband and son “to escape the city and the cold,” she said. A four-year-old, Milo Christ, sat on the ground as he sketched cacti, and Miroslav Vrzala, of Monroe, N.Y., was photographing flowers at the show. “Winter is too long, too cold,” Mr. Vrzala said. “I just wanted to get out and shoot.”

The show will be on display until April 21.

New York Botanical Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard
Bronx, N.Y.
(718) 817-8700
Cost: $20 on weekdays; $25 on weekends. [Tickets]

On Mondays, the Taj Lounge offers salsa lessons, followed by dancing late into the night. Classes start at 6:30 p.m. and are hosted by Talia Castro-Pozo. “It’s summer here when it’s winter outside,” she said.

No dance partners required as the Monday night events often draw about 50 students, according to Taj Lounge.

Taj Lounge
48 West 21st Street
New York, N.Y.
(212) 620-3033
Cost: $8 cover before 7 p.m.; $12 after.

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Where else in the city can you escape the cold and dreary winter? Tell us in the comments.