Author: Site Adminstrator

Nothing says springtime like when the cherry blossoms speckle the city with beautiful shades of pink and white. And according to the Observer, New York City is one of the world’s top destinations for viewing cherry blossoms when they’re in season!

This year, cherry blossoms were first spotted flowering around Queens by early March. Typically, NYC experiences a bloom period halfway through April, so the flowers were quite early indeed. Since we’re now currently in mid-April, tons of areas across the city are in full bloom, including Central Park!

Besides Central Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens is another notorious location to see these beautiful blooms in the city.  Whether you stroll along Cherry Esplanade or visit the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, the vibrant views will surely mesmerize. And though the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival will not be returning this year, the garden will host a new event series titled “Weekends in Bloom.”

To no surprise, most of the other locations on the Observer‘s list were in Japan (the country most commonly associated with the spectacular trees) including: Maruyama Park in Kyoto, Ueno Park in Tokyo, Matsumae Park in Hokkaido, Nara Park in Nara, Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival in Aomori and Himeji Castle in Hyogo.

Washington D.C. was another U.S. destination to make it on the list, in addition to Amsterdam and Vancouver.

Insider tip: for some of the best views in NYC, be sure to head to Ladurée’s outdoor garden in SoHo right now because the cherry blossoms are finally in full bloom. It’ll only be a week or two until they begin to fall so head over asap!

data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrBOXhbuFlN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Secret NYC (@secret_nyc)

For more magical views of the cherry blossoms around NYC, you’ll want to check out our guide on the best spots around town to catch the gorgeous blooms.

The post NYC Is One Of The World’s Top Destinations For Cherry Blossoms appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

As New York City blossoms into spring and thaws out from the winter, it’s coming alive with new restaurants, must-see shows on Broadway and Off, immersive exhibits and so much more.

NYC is busier than ever so it’s hard to know what’s worth your time. That’s why we have completely overhauled our 100 Best Things to Do list with the newest, best things to do in NYC so that you can easily mark your calendars and make your plans.

RECOMMENDED: The 100 best things to do in NYC right now

Our editors are constantly going out to discover the best of the best. Their expertise is what we base our 100 Best Things to Do list on and we’re over the moon about new offerings, such as:

• The Museum of Modern Art landmark Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit
• Sweeney Todd and Fat Ham on Broadway
• Japanfes returning this weekend for the season
• The new House of Cannabis museum
• The massive pickleball installation in Central Park
• An immersive NASA-approved space show at Hall des Lumières

Plus, a whole host of new restaurants have cropped up. And that’s just the tip of this iceberg that is our best-of list.

We’ve gone on long enough. Go ahead and make your way over to the list and start planning!

* This article was originally published here