Spring To-Do Wish List in NYC

Nothing is better than New York in the Springtime (well besides the Pacific Northwest in the summer….). The trees bloom, flowers blossom, birds chirp, people shed off their layers, and the energy is vibrant. There is magic in the air and in the streets and you don’t seem to notice the cars honking, the pollution, the garbage, or the negative people; everything just seems to glisten and glow. This Spring, I have a lot to accomplish on my to-do list of activities, because before you know it, mid-May will be here, and I will have a little Baby Girl in one arm, a Toddler Boy in the other, and it will be nearly impossible to move off the couch. So even though I am a waddling whale, I want to take advantage of the city in the spring and knock off some of my wish list activities STAT. Here are some of them:

High Line Kids Earth Day

highline

This Earth Day, Sunday, April 22nd between 2 – 4 pm, the High Line will celebrate with live music, a giant communal mural, face painting, wildflower seed balls you can grow at home, and the Children’s Workyard Kit. Families will be able to dance, draw on a 15-foot mural, and partake in planting wildflower seeds in a garden. Kids will also be able to build vehicles, forts, creatures, structures, and machines from custom-designed wood planks, nuts, and bolts by Cas Holman. What seems better than that? I know that the past two summers, I have thoroughly enjoyed taking the little boy down to the High Line, playing and splashing barefoot in the water, eating popsicles, and being a part of a New York City moment. So for Earth day, 2012, I am so excited about heading down there and being a part of this celebration.

highline

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

brooklyn bridge

Yeah, I know, totally cliche and touristy. AND I have done it a bazillion times, but I love it regardless. Whenever I am in Brooklyn and I look out over the East River and see Manhattan, I feel like Carrie Bradshaw. Pure Love for my city of Manhattan (and it is really only then when I look out with that glitter in my eye that I end up calling Manhattan a person…) Walking across the bridge on a perfect day, blue sky, some clouds in the distance, and an unbelievable view of the city, just makes me sigh. LE SIGH. And what is better than walking over, looking at all the boats, and ending up at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory for a big-fat-ice-cream-cone. Awesome, right?

bk ice cream factory

Annual Tulip Festival

tulip

To me, nothing looks more like Spring than tulips and daffodils. The bright colors remind me of my childhood where it was the only color on the streets due to the gray and bleak Oregon weather….So I am looking forward to going to see a blaze of 15,000 tulips on display Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 from 1 – 4 pm at the West Side Community Garden, West 89th between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues. Even if it is nothing more than taking family photos in front of massive amounts of tulips….

Make Popsicles

popsicleIt is the little things in life that make me happy. And making my own popsicles is one of them. I am excited to try out a lot of different homemade recipes too — last year on the High Line, I fell in love with the People’s Pops truck, but this year, I am going to rock it even BETTER. (For those of you who also love People’s Pops, they are re-opening on the High Line on April 17th!! SPRING IS HERE!)

Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival

cherry blossoms

I am a sucker for the color PINK, flowers, nature, and sweet smells. So, put them all together and you have Cherry Blossoms! Come celebrate at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, on Saturday and Sunday April 28 – 29  between 10am–6pm (900 Washington Ave). This Hanami annual  celebration of cherry blossoms allows the visitors to dabble in different sides of Japanese culture such as anime, traditional dishes and J-pop. FUN FUN FUN! And lots of Family Photo ops there too!

pink

Brooklyn Flea Market

The indie market returns to Fort Greene and the Williamsburg waterfront on the first Saturday of April.  There are 30 plus vendors to browse through for old typewriters, hip jewelry, obscene shirts, vintage finds, and the most-ah-mazing-food-in-the-city (who goes to the Brooklyn Flea for anything BUT the food?) Last year when we visited, we were all confused on what exactly to eat because everything looked delicious….this April, I want to have a better-plan-of-attack and really do it up this time. That means, being patient and not minding the long lines.

brooklyn flea

Le Pain in CP

My two favorite things combined! What could be better than that? Le Pain AND Central Park? Sure is an obvious winner for me! Located on the West Side mid-Park at 69th Street, right near Sheep Meadow, Le Pain now serves boulangerie fare, handmade bread and organic beverages. Very kid and dog friendly, there are 30-seats inside and 100 seats outside to eat and people watch. And afterwards, you can take the kids to run off steam and soak up some rays in Sheep’s Meadow. DONE AND DONE.

Steve's Key Lime Pie

If you are a boring old married couple with kids, then you might spend your weekends going to grocery stores and driving through the various boroughs pretending you live in the ‘burbs. That is what we do, at least. And I love it. One of our best finds was Steve’s Key Lime Pie located in Red Hook, right nearby the awesome Fairway. You can go in to the Key Lime Pie shop, pick up dessert for the night (because chances are, you are staying in at home that night) and feel local and green. Oh and it sure is some mind blowing pie.


Relax, rejuvinate and rest

Ah yeah, HOLY CRAP! So much to do before this Baby Girl arrives! Gotta go attack this now.

Anika Yael Natori, aka The Josie Girl.

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4 Comments

  1. Great ideas! Although not a big Shakespeare fan, this Summer I want to go to Shakespeare in the Park. It’s the experience that counts!

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