Walking Off the Big Apple

Many New Yorkers live or work near Central Park and therefore lucky enough to have the chance to observe the city of winter slowly transform into the city of springtime. The two cities feel different. Yet, it's easy to overlook the metamorphosis, the slow natural process of seasonal change.  Since the beginning of the year, I've been passing through the lower areas of Central Park on my way to and from work. I've been enchanted by many features of the landscape - the icy veneer on the Pond, the statuesque oaks, and the lampposts that light the way. The lampposts lend the scenes at dusk a mystical quality, something right out of Narnia. Walking through the park on a regular basis, though, has provided the means to appreciate a slower tempo, certainly compared to the accelerated pace of life in the urban canyons. Now that spring has fully and dramatically arrived with scores of cherry blossoms, the later pictures are missing a soundtrack of chirping birds that undersco

An updated calendar for annual spring events in New York City for 2019. Let's spring forward to blooming times in New York City, the best locations for witnessing spring's beginnings, and springtime events. While the occasional snow could blow through the city, we're just weeks now from callery pears in bloom and opening day at the ballpark. Riverside Park. Mid-April. Blooming Times •  Central Park Conservancy's website  lists blooming times within the park. During the month of March we begin to see crocus, daffodils, forsythia, snowdrops, witch-hazel, and hellebores. Species tulips will emerge in several places, but the Shakespeare Garden and Conservatory Garden are particularly good places to catch the beginning of spring blooms. Central Park near E. 72nd St., saucer magnolia, typically end of March. •  Citywide Blooming Calendar from New York City Department of Parks & Recreation April is usually the month when full blooms appear

Walking Off the Big Apple, like a bear in winter, is currently taking a long winter's nap. When the days grow warmer in the springtime, you may see increasing signs of activity. Or not. We may have reached the end of this journey. Life goes on in the city, and new adventures await. We shall see. For now, though, enjoy the past decade of WOTBA adventures, and the ones of your own creation. Update: SPRING COMETH!