Brooklyn
Cherry Blossoms in Bloom
Apr 29th
Now is the time to visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. This weekend also marks the beginning of Hanami, the ancient Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing. If you’re not in Japan, Brooklyn is the next-best place to celebrate this traditional rite of spring.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden holds the most diverse collection of cherry blossoms anywhere outside of Japan, with 42 different species blooming on display. Each species blooms on a different time schedule, and each bloom lasts no more than 10 days.
Sakura Matsuri, a traditional Japanese cultural weekend with more than 60 events and performances including taiko drumming, flower arranging, tea ceremonies and workshops, will take place beginning this Saturday at 10 a.m. through Sunday until 7 p.m. It is the nation’s largest event held in a public garden.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden website features this time-lapse video of more than 3,000 digital photos taken every three minutes from April 18 to April 26, 2008. It is one way to view the beauty of the cherry trees in a New York minute!
– Courtney Centeno, account executive
She Loved New York
Mar 14th
My well-traveled daughter, Jenny, was back in Chicago for just five days after her Europe sojourn before she and her good friend Emily took off for their final spring break trip. The two seniors gave themselves a graduation gift (with a generous kick-in from Mom and Dad) of a five-day trip to New York City. It was a first-time trip to the Big Apple for both, and they were extremely excited to experience as much of the city as they could. Her trip triggered memories of my own college graduation trip to New York with my roommate Diane, 30 years ago.
Jenny believes one of the best parts of the trip was their accomodations at the Duane Street Hotel in the TriBeCa neighborhood. She had had her fill of youth hostels and the YMCA after her two months overseas, and she and Emily spent plenty of time researching to find a nice place that could accomodate their budgets. Located conveniently not far from Wall Street and the financial district and in a trendy area with great restaurants and shopping, the Duane Street Hotel sounds like it would meet the needs of both business and leisure travelers. The girls appreciated the fact that they could hop on the subway just two blocks from the hotel and get to the myriad sites on their extensive list of “to-sees.” With only 45 guestrooms, this was a good choice for them, and they found the staff friendly and very helpful with tips and directions. They also appreciated the property-wide free Wi-Fi, warm cookies available 24/7, plush bathrobes in the room and a spacious, well-appointed bathroom.
I got a kick out of Jenny’s Facebook posting on her first morning in New York: “You know you’re in NYC when: they are filming Law & Order right outside your hotel.” Another New York moment (on the other end of the thrill scale) was spotting rats on the subway platform, but it seems everything else was pretty much a thumbs-up. Both girls were moved to tears at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (just blocks from their hotel) but were glad to have experienced it. They also visited MOMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, took the ferry to Liberty and Ellis islands, stopped in at a jazz club on the Upper West Side and saw The Lion King on Broadway. They wandered around Little Italy, compared New York pizza with the Chicago variety they know well and, of course, enjoyed the shopping (“Mom, no sales tax on clothes!!!”). One disappointment: They weren’t picked up by Cash Cab.
Arriving back in Chicago late Friday night, Jenny now looks ahead to her final months of school. She will graduate not only with her formal degree but also some great real-world experiences gained on her travels. Best of all, she’s grown in confidence in herself and her ability to navigate a big new city (even if she mistakenly ends up in Brooklyn at some point!) and has gained a grand appreciation for the world and its peoples.Â
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
The Death Bear
Mar 4th
Last night I encountered one of the many reasons why I love living in New York. Around 9 p.m., I made my way to the nearby 24-hour grocery store (yet another reason why I love living here). As I was rounding the corner, I passed a giant black bear standing just under the stop sign. Not a single passerby took a second look.
No, this wasn’t a real black bear that had escaped from the Prospect Park Zoo. It was a seven-foot-tall man dressed in black and wearing a giant plastic black bear head. Popularly known in Brooklyn as “Death Bear,” this performance artist will help you part ways with any painful reminders of an ex-lover or friend.
Too heartbroken to give your ex-boyfriend his favorite t-shirt back? Can’t bear (pun intended) the sight of your deceased cat’s toys lying around the apartment? Call Death Bear and he’ll come to your door to take it off your hands. The whole concept might sound a bit creepy or morbid at first, but if you think about our need for closure in such instances, it makes sense. I am interested to know what sorts of goodies Death Bear has collected. I do, however, hope that I won’t need to call him any time soon.
– Courtney Centeno, account executive
