Cherry Blossoms
Throughout April, cherry blossoms bloom across the city. Top spots include Central Park’s Cherry Hill, Riverside Park’s Cherry Walk, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Cherry Esplanade, which provides regular bloom updates to help plan your visit.
Sunset Tours!
Sunset tours are back on my schedule. Look for 6 pm start times to experience the awe of the sun setting behind the Manhattan skyline and the towers of NYC lighting up like a birthday cake. Click to reserve now through September!
Earth Day events
Times Square will host free outdoor performances featuring James Wesley (Stars in the House), Tony Award winner Shaina Taub (Suffs), Tony nominee Stark Sands (Kinky Boots) and Grammy nominee Merle Dandridge (Hadestown), among others
Saturday, April 26 from 11am–3pm, More info here.
Dragon Fest!
This mouth-watering annual celebration of Chinese culture and cuisine kicks off April 13 and runs through October!
Take me out to the ballpark
Baseball season is on. Avoid taking sides in the eternal Yankees vs. Nets war by taking in minor league MLB team Brooklyn Cyclones (more affordable too!). Afterward take a ride on the beloved wooden rollercoaster which the team is named and try one of Nathan’s famous hot dogs, or my favorite, a fried clam roll.
Smorgasburg returns!
Experience what The New York Times called Smorgasburg “the Woodstock of Eating.” This beloved open-air food market returns in April to serve up some must-devour treats from some of the Big Apple’s local favorite vendors. Smorgasburg (a mash-up of “smorgasbord” and “Williamsburg”) has locations at the Oculus at World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn, and at Breeze Hill in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The last location pairs conveniently with a visit to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to see the Cherry Blossoms.
"To Love-To Die; To Fight. To Live." Exhibition
Held at the School of Visual Arts, this exhibition commemorates art and activism during the AIDS crisis, featuring films, archival posters, contemporary art, and quilt-making workshops.
Brooklyn Half-Marathon
Scheduled for April 27, the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Experience Half Marathon takes runners on a scenic tour through North Brooklyn, along the waterfront, and finishing in Prospect Park. Spectators can join in the festivities along the route. n
Easter Parade
St. Patrick’s Cathedral as its central gathering point for the New York City Easter Parade. This beloved tradition takes place every Easter Sunday (April 20, 2025) along Fifth Avenue, from 49th to 57th Street. Participants don dxtravagant fashions and elaborately decorated hats for almost 200 years now.
One-day itineraries of things to do in NYC, organized by neighborhood
There are so many great things to do in NYC it can be overwhelming. A big impediment is getting from point A to point B. My experience is here many people have no idea how to manage distance. This is perfectly understandable. It’s hard to comprehend how enormous NYC is; it has over 339 total neighborhoods spread over 469 square miles. There are so many things to do in NYC, but you can’t go to the Bronx Zoo and Coney Island on the same day. I mean, you could, if you wanted to spend most of the day traveling. But you have better things to do in NYC than sit on a train or spend all your money on an Uber.
But I want you to be smart and efficient. I want you to maximize fun and adventure and minimize hassle and time and money spent on travel. My one-day agendas are designed to give you an adventure exploring a few neighborhoods, in bite size chunks. I’ve tried to minimize travel time, saving time and money that can be better spent exploring–and eating and drinking! Mix and match multiple things to do in NYC agendas as you wish.