Posts Tagged ‘rose’

Where to See New York City’s Cherry Blossoms

Put Your Passport Away. You Don’t Need to Leave the Big Apple to See the Glorious Trees.

Many of the city’s cherry trees were gifts from Japan, some coming from the original batch that was given to Washington, DC and adorns their Tidal Basin. The sakura come in a variety of colors from white to pale pink and vivid fuchsia. They stand tall, they spread wide or they droop like weeping willows. For just a few months through the end of May, the varieties of cherry blossom trees bloom on varying schedules, with timing dependent on the weather. Now is the time to see the trees at their most brilliant – like the daffodils and tulips adorning the gardens, the petals will soon be lining the streets.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Esplanade © Micheal Stewart

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The queen of private gardens when it comes to hanami, the Japanese tradition of celebrating the transient beauty of flowers, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden takes the guesswork out of when the cherries are blooming with their Cherry Watch. The schedule is updated frequently so you can see which trees are blooming in which areas, especially helpful if you prefer pink Kanzan ones to whitish Yoshinos, or an allee of trees where you can sit, paint or just meditate.

Japanese-Hill-and-Pond Garden Courtesy Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The two main draws are the aforementioned Cherry Esplanade and the Japanese-Hill-and-Pond Garden. It’s easy to envision yourself swept away to Japan when you look at the lovely trees and a beautiful vermillion torii set against the pond. Adding to the Japanese-inspired setting, the waters are filled with koi as you might see in the Imperial Palace gardens in Tokyo. Through May 9, weekends are enhanced with outdoor pop-up music and dance performances in lieu of the Garden’s traditional Sakura Matsuri (cherry blossom festival) postponed this year due to COVID-19.

Courtesy New York Botanical Garden

New York Botanical Garden

More than 200 cherry trees are scattered throughout the expansive New York Botanical Garden beginning with the entry walkway leading to the first of many colorful sculptures by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, “I Want to Fly to the Universe.” The mix of Japanese art and Japanese cherries creates a transportive effect as you roam the grounds.

Courtesy New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden’s Cherries Tracker will help guide your visit so you’ll know where and when to focus your time. Stop to admire the weeping cherries trees and the “Dancing Pumpkin” sculpture in front of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory before meandering along the path in the Cherry Collection. Daffodil Gardens is a beautiful area to admire the season’s varied yellow and white flowers along with the pinks of the cherries.

Central Park Cherry Hill Courtesy centralparknyc.org

Central Park

Central Park has an area called Cherry Hill on 72nd Street but that’s not the only place you’ll find the white-to-pink Yoshino and bright-pink Kwanzan sakura in the elegant park. A map of the cherry trees will help you as you search out your favorites. Central Park’s Yoshino cherries are also a gift from the government of Japan and can be found in abundance on the east side of the Reservoir and behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art as you head towards the Great Lawn. The area is perfect for picnicking with lawn areas and plenty of benches and you’ll see a parade of camera buffs posing against the showy pink and white blossoms.

Visit frequently as the intensity of the petals changes from week to week. For a shaded, dramatic walk, the bridle path from East 84th Street up to Engineer’s Gate flanks you on both sides with lush blooms.

Riverside Park Cherry Walk Courtesy nycgovparks.org

Riverside Park

Notable gifts from Japan to the US in 1912 and later from the Committee of Japanese Residents of New York have created Riverside Park’s gorgeous Cherry Walk. Finally re-opened this winter after a massive reconstruction project, the stretch of the park from 100th to 125th streets is named for the Prunuc cherry trees that line it and is again filled with cyclists and strollers. Reflections off the Hudson River make this an exceptionally beautiful area to spend time and contemplate how lucky you are to be in New York City during this glorious season.

Courtesy Tastings NYC

A Pink Pause

Create a moment to celebrate the trees with food and drink – pink, of course.

Tastings NYC is the master of the portable picnic. To celebrate this beautiful time of the year, the Manhattan hospitality specialists have created the “Cherry Blossom Picnic,” a pretty-in-pink box of cherry blossom-influenced treats. Setting the stage are spring quinoa and roasted chicken, both with touches of pink. The final act is an adorable bag of mini strawberry pound cakes along with a pink beverage, your choice of  a rosé Champagne or a rosé wine.

Courtesy Croteaux

For a touch of pink romance and some virtual hanami, pour a bottle of rosé from New York’s rosé-only vineyard Croteaux. Born on the North Fork of Long Island, Croteaux is perfect for a cherry blossom toast. If you’re not near the North Fork, you can order their varietals online. Then grab a corkscrew and sit back to watch the sunset under the pink petals.

Celebrate Bastille Day at the French Institute Alliance Francaise in New York City

The Fourth of July is over, but not the celebration.  On Sunday, July 14, Bastille Day will be commemorated  in the US with as much pomp and joie de vivre as ever.  It’s a wonderful time to bring out those red, white and blue colors again and add a French twist. https://fiaf.org/event/2019-07-14-bastille-day

In New York City, the celebration takes center stage at FIAF, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) with entertainment, food and drink, and kids’ programs.

Some of the wonderful events that day include a screening at 5:30pm in FIAF Florence Gould Hall of thedelightful French comedy C’est la vie!, written and directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the duo behind the award-winning film The Intouchables. The story involves a wedding planner/caterer who must pull off a magnificent wedding in a 17th-century French château while the celebration and his personal life descend into chaos. It’s a hoot, French-style. (In French with English subtitles).

Tickets are a mere $13.

Another entertainment favorite, renowned French singer Gérard Chambre, with Eric Breton at the piano, will perform French songs made memorable by singers like Charles Trenet, Edith Piaf, Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour and my two personal favorites, Jacques Brel and Johnny Hallyday, whose voices have left their mark on France and the world.  The “Si on chantait l’Amour” program takes place at 3pm in FIAF Florence Gould Hall as well.  And heureusement, it’s free!

If you don’t feel like sitting indoors, there will be entertainment all day long outside, and it’s all free, too.

Taking place from 12:35pm until 5pm, there is a line-up of performers sure to please everyone in your group.

On the Main Stage, at East 60th Street and Park Avenue, the music and dance are non-stop:

12:35pm – Can-Can: Joanna Wronska

12:40pm – Music: Chloé Perrier & French Heart Jazz Band

1:10pm – Music: The Love Show

1:25pm – Feather Dance: Joanna Wronska

1:30pm – Music: The Blue Dahlia

2:15pm – Music: The Love Show

2:30pm – Music: Les P’tites Ouvreuses

3:15pm – Music: The Love Show

3:30pm – Music: Rodeo Joe

4:15pm – Zouk Dance Lesson: Franck Muhel

On 60th Street, you’ll find a range from mime to marching bands:

12:50–4:20pm – Mime with Catherine Gasta

12:50–4:20pm – Live Art with COCOVAN

12:55–5pm – Citroën Car Show

3pm – Hungry March Band

Kids won’t be ignored either. If music and dance isn’t their thing, take them to the “Fly Away with Books Workshops for Kids” from 1-4pm in the FIAF Library Booth in front of FIAF. Here, French illustrators and authors will lead three playful and imaginative workshops designed especially for kids. Starting at 1pm, and appropriate for the youngest in your group (ages 4 and up),  there are three age-appropriate sessions with card games and art.

If you, like me , think France…. and Champagne, rosé and macarons immediately come to mind, you’ll be très contente as well with two indoor food and beverage fêtes.

A Champagne, cocktail and jazz party takes place in two sessions in the afternoon in the FIAF Skyroom, with Champagne from Besserat de Bellefon, Delamotte, Laurent-Perrier, Michel Gonet, and Pol Roger; cocktails from Gioffard; and treats from Jacques Torres Chocolate, Ladurée, and Maman. All this is set to music by The Avalon Jazz Band.  1:30pm-3pm and 3:30pm-5pm

Straddling this event is a “Summer in Provence Tasting”, proving that French rosés are equally as wonderful as those from the North Fork.  Accompanied by a tasting of cheese from Président, charcuterie from Trois Petits Cochons, beer from Kronenbourg, and cocktails by Ricard, you’ll sample wines from Château d’Esclans, Château La Gordonne and Château Miraval.  12-4:30pm in the FIAF Tinker Auditorium.

For the shoppers among you, you’ll love the “Côte d’Azur France Village” marketplace on East 60th Street from Fifth Avenue to Lexington Avenue.  Along these three blocks, you’ll find more than 40 booths with all sorts of French food, culture, travel and other items.  “The French Garden” showcases premium French fashion, accessories, food and travel brands as well as treats from Strasbourg.

Captivated by all the wonders of France?  You can sign up for FIAF membership and French classes while you’re there, too, at a special price. And don’t miss your chance to win a trip to Cannes. You can purchase tickets in advance here, and you don’t have to be present to win.

Planning a trip to NYC?