Cherry Blossom Season

All month long

Though their presence in the city is often fleeting, the advent of cherry blossoms throughout the five boroughs always generates a haze of spring fever. Head to Riverside Park’s Cherry Walk, where you can stroll among the fragrant trees planted from 100th to 125th street, or follow this map of Central Park to see where flowers can be found. Across the river, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Cherry Esplanade is on “cherry watch,” with regular bloom updates to help plan your visit and tours available to learn about the season’s highlights. In the Bronx, avid fans can track trees’ flowering status using the New York Botanical Garden’s cherry tracker. In Queens, Flushing Meadows Corona Park will be in bloom near the Unisphere, and Queens Botanical Garden boasts its own Cherry Circle. Not to be outdone, Staten Island’s Silver Lake Park and Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanic Garden have bright blooms to admire as well. At Snug Harbor, visitors can also experience the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden, one of only two authentic outdoor Chinese gardens in the United States.

Barry Manilow at Radio City Music Hall

April 17-21

Calling all Fanilows: It’s time to flock to Radio City Music Hall. Barry Manilow’s long and iconic career has included 39 previous performances at the NYC venue, most recently during the summer of 2023, when he crooned to a sold-out crowd. Now, the 80-year-old singer is back with a five-night mini-residency, which will surely have him performing his many chart-topping hits, including “Copacabana (At the Copa),” and “Looks Like We Made It.” After New York, Manilow will kick off “The Last Concerts Tour,” visiting eight other U.S. cities for what he says will be his final time. If this all makes you feel a little too nostalgic, plan a pre- or post-show dinner at Rockefeller Center for some comfort food. May we suggest Smith & Mills’ tagliatelle, roasted chicken, or pastrami short rib reuben?

Brooklyn Half Marathon

April 28

Thousands of runners take to the Brooklyn streets for this now-iconic race. The NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon takes participants on a blood-pumping greatest hits tour of the borough. Starting off in North Brooklyn, runners continue along the waterfront for views of the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges. Then, they soar down the Fulton Street and Flatbush Avenue concourses and carry on toward Grand Army Plaza before ending in Prospect Park. This is not just a day for the runners among us; spectators are just as important and can participate in myriad ways all along the route. And like any good New York activity, the run will end with bagels and schmear. Carbs are a runner’s best friend, after all.