Spring is here! It's time for ballparks, cherry blossoms, and getting outside again after a long winter hibernation. Below, find our guide to what's going on around the region this season, along with some destination recommendations (all reachable by mass transit, of course).
It's the perfect season to explore the many gardens in our region. Wave Hill in the Bronx, Snug Harbor on Staten Island; The Queens Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and The New York Botanical Garden (which has a stellar Orchid Show going on through April 21st) all offer nature-filled landscapes to immerse yourself in. And don't forget all those community gardens tucked away in the East Village.
Save it for a rainy day: Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature is running at the Morgan Library & Museum through June 9th, and features artwork, books, manuscripts, and other artifacts that "trace how Potter’s innovative blend of scientific observation and imaginative storytelling shaped some of the world’s most popular children’s books." And given Potter's nature-driven fiction, it's all got a nice spring vibe to it.
Hop on Metro-North at Grand Central and in about an hour you can be surrounded by beautiful mid-century architecture at the Glass House in New Canaan. They reopen for the year on April 15th (and will remain open through December 15th).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism through July 28th. The groundbreaking exhibit features around 160 works of painting, sculpture, photography, film, and ephemera which explores "the comprehensive and far-reaching ways in which Black artists portrayed everyday modern life in the new Black cities that took shape in the 1920s–40s."
The Met's roof garden will also reopen with a new commission. This year, expect a grand display from artist Petrit Halilaj to be unveiled upon opening on April 30th (the installation will be open through October 27th).
The cherry blossoms will be poppin' all over. Some of the best spots to view these in the region? Roosevelt Island, Central Park, Prospect Park, Green-Wood Cemetery are all-time showstoppers, but anywhere you can find nature you should be able to find these pink blossoms. Here's a guide to help you out.
It's baseball season! We'll have our annual Citi Field and Yankee Stadium food guides coming soon, and will update here with links. In the meantime, check out the Mets' promotional calendar to see what bobblehead you want this year.
Before it gets too humid out there, head over to Van Cortlandt Park at the end of the 1 line! You'll find 13 large stone pillars in the park (just about a 10-minute walk from the Van Cortlandt Park-242 St Station); they were placed there in 1905 by New York Central Railroad, each a sample sent by a quarry to help determine which material would be used to build a new Beaux-Arts train station in Manhattan: Grand Central Terminal.
Bring springtime indoors, and fill your apartment with greenery! Check out our guide to plant shops around NYC, all reachable by subway.
Did you know that off the Beacon stop on Metro-North there's an island with a castle that you can visit? Bannerman's Castle on Pollepol Island is a gem of the Hudson, and you can't go wrong with a day-trip there. Check out our guide, and you may also want to buy tickets in advance for their movie nights kicking off in June.
Go for a stroll on the High Line and take in all the art and dining options. The Old Tree (pictured above) by artist Pamela Rosenkranz will be up through Fall of 2024, so be sure to bask in its pink splendor before it's gone.
There are a lot of art fairs coming to NYC this spring, and Hyperallergic has a guide to help you navigate them all.
The Whitney Biennial (titled: Even Better Than The Real Thing) will open on March 20th and run through August 11th. This year is the 81st edition of this longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States!
Keep it on the DL but spring is the best season to enjoy Montauk, which gets jam-packed during the summer. Get there before the rush and enjoy cooler, emptier beaches and zero humidity!
This year, we're rolling out our "Have You Been?" series, and our first stop of South Norwalk, CT is a great springtime destination, with plenty to do indoors and out.
What are you planning for spring? Tag @MTAaway in your photos on Instagram!
