Why is everyone in New York this week French?

French people on the 1 train headed uptown, French people on Rector street reading a map, French people in Union Square commenting on how the Empire State building was lit up like the "tricolore" (no, fools, it's Presidents' Day), French people entering the bar where I was playing pool (I mean putting on a clinic) in Tribeca, French people in line in front of us for the Abyssinian Baptist Church, wanting me to translate for them what people were yelling at us, and some guy outside of the record store who actually just started hitting on me in French.

guy: [bla]
me: "What?"
guy: "Ça va?"
me: "Euh, oui ça va. Et toi?"
guy: "Bien. Quel est ton nom?"

etc.