Every year spring feels as if it might never come, and then suddenly everything is in bloom and I know it won't be too long until the subway feels like a dog's mouth. Maybe it's because it comes and goes so quickly, but cherry blossom season always feels like magic to me. I spent Easter weekend in Ohio, and although I was only gone for four days, it felt as if the entire city bloomed while I was away. We've had some gloomy, chilly days mixed in, but it's hard not to feel a burst of energy as the city comes back to life.

On Saturday my mom and I took advantage of the free hours at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (every Saturday from 10am-Noon) to check in on the cherry esplanade. Because it's 2017, the BBG has a handy "bloom map" which is updated frequently with the trees' progress, so I knew that most of the trees had at least started to bloom. The weeping cherries around the Japanese garden are already past their peak, but the esplanade is always a bit behind.

They have an actual cherry blossom festival every year—which is this coming Saturday—but I've always shied away from the crowds and the $$$ admission price. The garden is always a popular place in the spring, and as much as I try to avoid photographing people, I do love watching them interacting with the blossoms. Selfie sticks and professional portrait sessions are quite common, and the garden becomes a destination for the people-watching as much as for the blossoms.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Summer Hours: March–October
Closed Mondays
Tuesday–Friday: 8 am–6 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10 am–6 pm (FREE 10am-noon on non-festival Saturdays)

Entrances at Eastern Parkway (2/3 trains), Flatbush Avenue (B/Q/S trains) and Washington Avenue (4/5 trains).

Cherry Blossoms