Springtime in New York

Spring took its sweet time arriving in the city this year, but the cherries are finally in full bloom and it’s supposed to be 88 here on Thursday (too soon!). Each season has its positives and negatives, but spring in the city holds a special significance for me. Six years ago, it was among the tulips in Central Park and under the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden that I mentally made the decision to move to New York.

I had lived in Ohio for all of my 26 years and wanted to be anywhere but there for most of those years. I stayed of my own volition for several reasons—some made more sense than others, especially in hindsight—but New York was never far from my mind. I didn’t have any illusions that a move would fundamentally change me, however, and I tried to have a realistic view of New York’s power to “fix” my life. But I was deeply unhappy.

Uprooting my entire life seemed overwhelming, but it became clear to me on that visit to New York that I needed a drastic change. I jokingly blame Ohio for all of my problems because it’s an easy target, but I take full responsibility for all of the choices that I made to keep me there. I don’t regret anything that I’ve done in my life (even all of those college haircuts) because it’s a monumental waste of my energy and I firmly believe in valuing all of your experiences even—or maybe especially—the challenging ones.

The purpose of that spring trip to New York was an innocuous one—my friend Trent had just completed watching every Meryl Streep movie, and he invited me to attend a Devil Wear’s Prada viewing party. We made Lemon(y Snicket’s) Bars and Hope Spring(s) Rolls and I never imagined that I would have such a personal awakening on a trip that also included me drunk texting everyone I knew and passing out earlier than everyone else in attendance (never invite me to a drinking game). But that’s how these things happen—drastic changes aren’t actually so drastic when you realize that they actually happen very slowly, and then, suddenly all at once.

My New York move was anything but sudden—I didn’t actually move until July of the following year—but every spring I’m reminded of how I felt sitting beneath the blooming cherry trees. It’s cliché to say that I felt myself coming alive again along with the city, but sometimes life really does feel like the movies. The challenges ahead of me at that time were more difficult and exhausting than I ever could have predicted, but in the end I made it through every single one of them—stronger and more grateful than I ever thought I could be.

Six years later, I recognize now that New York didn’t save my life—I did that. I made a choice to be happy, to seek out the joyful things in life, to stop apologizing for who I was and to start cultivating the life I wanted. It’s easy for me to get caught up in daily annoyances and to feel anxious when everything is going smoothly. But every spring I can’t help but be reminded that we are in charge of a large portion of our lives and that we make our own happiness—and when I'm feeling stagnant I now understand that everything eventually blooms again, but only when it's ready.

Green-Wood Cemetery: Spring

Spring has been taking its sweet time arriving this year. April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but I'm not entirely sure what April snow showers will bring. I try really hard not to get too grumpy about weather because I can't control it and I do love seasons—but at this point in the year, I'm definitely ready to shed some layers and start seeing some signs of life. 

A cemetery might not seem like a great place to search for signs of life, but we took a chilly walk at Green-Wood this weekend and spotted telltale signs that spring is indeed happening, however slowly. The flowering trees are about a month behind schedule, but they're trying their best despite the frigid temperatures and March nor'easters. 

I've spent the last five years photographing spring blooms around the city and I'm still no closer to being able to identify anything I see. I can tell a cherry blossom from a magnolia tree and thanks to David I know that forsythia is yellow, but my plant knowledge pretty much ends there. Most of the trees are still completely bare, but there are a few over-achievers scattered around Green-Wood (nothing compares to azalea season though). 

I know that spring will come, however late, followed by summer and pretty soon I'll forget what it was like to feel really cold. Some years it feels as if everything blooms overnight, blink and you might miss an entire season. Part of me is enjoying this slow rollout to spring—I just need to learn how to savor this transition time and not be impatient for the next phase.

Green-Wood Cemetery: Spring

Last Saturday it rained all day here in New York. I'm not exaggerating when I say all day—it may have even rained continuously for more than 24 hours. I love seasons and I try not to get grumpy about the weather, but rain in the city is the absolute worst. I will take extreme dog-mouth heat and below-freezing blizzard conditions over a mild spring rain any day. Part of this disdain probably comes from my inability to find a proper rain shoe, but in a city where you're forced to walk outside, rain basically ruins everything. Since I did absolutely nothing on Saturday, I was up early on Sunday, eager to get outside and do something—anything—before the rain was supposed to start up again in the afternoon.

David lives two blocks from Green-Wood Cemetery, so we headed over there to check out the spring blooms. I became enamored with the bright, beautiful azaleas at Green-Wood last spring, and I was happy to be able to catch them again this year. A few of the bushes were already past their peak, but most were spectacularly full and the contrast of the bright flowers with the dark, heavy stones and statues was so fun to photograph.

In addition to all of the beautiful flowers, Green-Wood is quite literally so green right now. The previous day's rain made everything feel so lush—I don't think that a shade of green exists that isn't currently represented in the cemetery. Ok, so maybe I just convinced myself that rain does indeed have a purpose, BUT I still contend that the perfect rain shoe does not exist.

Being surprised at the passage of time is such a boring thing to talk about, but I was trying to think of the last time I was at Green-Wood and realized that it was back in February after a big snowfall—it barely looks as if it could be the same place. That variation is one of my favorite things about seasons. I understand how people could be intolerant of long winters or humid summers, but I think I'd die of boredom in a place with consistent weather and no seasons.

While we were walking around, we noticed that there were a lot more visitors than normal, and it took me a while to realize that it was because it was Mother's Day. I actually feel really strange when I run into other people in cemeteries, and it's not uncommon for me to be (or at least feel as if I'm) totally alone. Green-Wood is a popular place for tourists (although it feels weird calling cemetery visitors "tourists"), but with so many people actively visiting graves and mourning, I often felt as if I was intruding.

I visit cemeteries so frequently, focusing on the typography, design and history of the stones that it's easy to forget that each stone represents a person or persons. Someone who lived a life—however long, short, easy, hard, complicated, virtuous, painful or joyful—and it seems unfair that they don't get to enjoy the beautiful landscape beneath which they're interred. 

Tulips

While the cherry blossoms are the main attraction this time of year at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (and throughout the city), the tulips are equally spectacular every year. I had wanted to move to New York from the moment I first visited when I was 14, but I often mention how I solidified my resolve to move during a particular visit to the BBG cherry blossoms in 2012. That trip also included an equally life-changing visit to the Conservatory Garden tulips, which I now make sure to visit every year. 

I was deeply unhappy with my life in Ohio for many reasons, and I spent hours under the cherry trees and surrounded by tulips, imagining how becoming a New Yorker would change my life. It was another year and a half before that dream finally became a reality, but each spring and its explosion of colorful blossoms will always remind me of that fateful trip. 

I hadn't expected that trip to hold such significance in my life, at least no more than every other New York trip had, but life is funny that way. Things change so very slowly and then suddenly all at once. I used to say that spring was my least favorite season—full of rain and mud and temperamental temperatures—but now, despite its flaws, I've come to appreciate it for its unique virtues. And like the best changes in life, the hard work happens almost invisibly—trees bud high above the streets and roots spread out below—and then seemingly overnight the entire city is alive again.

Cherry Blossoms

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.

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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).

Conservatory Garden: Signs of Spring

The weather in New York has been all over the place lately—in the 70s one day and snowing the next. Due to the unseasonably warm weather (hello, climate change!), plants began blooming while it was still February. While I know little to nothing about plants, I do know that it's fairly normal to see things like snow drops this time of year, but seeing cherry blossoms beginning to bloom months before their traditional appearance is just strange (or perhaps alarming).

I went to check in on one of my favorite places in Central Park—the Conservatory Garden—recently on my lunch break, and found several signs of an early spring. I first visited the Conservatory Garden in the spring, at a time when I was really solidifying my plans to finally move to New York, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. While it hasn't been a part of my daily commute for over a year, I'm lucky enough to work within walking distance and it's the perfect quiet space to spend my lunch break.

The Conservatory Garden always puts on a spectacular tulip display, some of which are already starting to make their way out of the ground. The colors usually vary from year to year, so the arrangements always feel new. There's a particular cherry blossom tree (I'm pretty sure that's what it is, although if I'm totally plant-clueless, please correct me) by the entrance to the garden that for the four years I've been here has always come to the spring party early, and it's already bursting with blooms. It's cold and windy again now and I want to go cover all of the fragile-looking buds with tiny snuggies, but I think spring will be here in full-force soon enough.

Green-Wood Cemetery: Azaleas

I've walked through Green-Wood Cemetery more times than I can count—I think it's safe to say it's my most frequented cemetery by a long shot. I've even been a member of Green-Wood for almost a year, which may seem weird but they put on some very excellent programs and I can't think of any membership that suits me more than one to a cemetery.

I've so far explored Green-Wood in summer, fall and winter but I hadn't fully experienced spring in the cemetery until recently. The cherries and other flowering trees are currently past their peak, but the azaleas are out-of-this-world beautiful. The pinks, purples, reds and oranges are so blindingly bright and colorful, it's hard to even believe that they're real.

I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to identifying plants, so I never would have imagined that there were so many azalea shrubs on the grounds. It's hard to believe that in a short time these thousands of incredible flowers will all be gone, replaced by inconspicuous green leaves. Spring blooms are so fleeting, but they make such a huge impact in such a short time and I'm trying not to take them for granted during their brief appearance.

Being able to see Green-Wood (and other places I love) in all seasons is really such a treat. It's fascinating to me how different the exact same place can look whether it's covered in snow, falling leaves, lush greenery or bright blooms. The crazy saturated colors of the azaleas perfectly contrast with the somber gray and black headstones in the best way. Now that I've officially explored Green-Wood in all seasons it's impossible to pick a favorite one—and luckily I live so close that I don't have to choose.

Conservatory Garden: Spring 2016

The weather in New York lately has been absolute garbage—rainy and chilly and too much like the gray days I thought I had left behind forever when I left Ohio. We didn't have much in the way of winter either, but I'm hoping that this damp mid-50s cloud lifts sooner rather than later. Despite the gloom, spring is indeed happening and I'll be forever sad that my daily commute no longer takes me through Central Park. I did go on my lunchbreak recently to check out the Conservatory Garden, my favorite portion in the northern section of the park, and see how my old tulip friends were faring.

This is my fourth time in five years gawking at the tulips, and they're always such a treat. I think 2012 is still my favorite year, but it could just be that it was my first year seeing them and you never forget your first. This year the timing was a bit off, with certain sections and colors blooming way before the others, so the effect was somewhat uneven. It's still a wonderful sight to see so many tulips so beautifully organized in a spectacular, circular space and I can't blame them for being confused with this crazypants weather.

The cherry blossoms were also in bloom along Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue and in the garden. I never made it

back to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

to check on the cherry esplanade before this weekend's rain washed away most of the blossoms, but thankfully the Upper East Side is no slouch when it comes to cherries.

The tulips elsewhere in the garden were also starting to bloom, and the daffodils were still hanging on. I know I say this every year, but the large variety of flowers always thrills me, especially when they're all hanging out next to each other creating a wonderful mix of textures and colors. I suppose I should be grateful that at least it looks like spring in the city, even if the weather hasn't yet received the memo.

The Northgate Ruins

When we went on our hike through the Hudson Highlands upstate in Cold Spring, New York, it was mentioned that there were ruins scattered throughout the trails. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but as soon as we came upon the site of Northgate (aka the Cornish Estate) I was entirely delighted.

A fire destroyed most of the mansion that stood on the site in 1956 and the property later became a part of the park in the 1960s. Although a majority of the house is gone, you can still get a feel for how it used to look—there are fireplaces, doorways, windows, tiles, a porch and a few outbuildings including what looks like it used to be a greenhouse. It's especially creepy seeing so many fireplaces, knowing that the place eventually burned down, and it's disorienting to see them stacked on one another without discernible floors in between.

After a few more miles, we came across the Dairy—also part of the Cornish Estate—which includes a few buildings that used to house prize-winning Jersey cows. Now the buildings are crumbling, with trees growing through things that trees don't normally grow through. There's a rusty fence, some old pipe and an iron gate, all in various stages of being swallowed up by tree trunks.

We saw a particularly busted raccoon shuffling around the ruins which only added to the creep factor, and some NSFW graffiti. There was an old wood-paneled silo, some rusted antique farm machinery, a milk bucket and a lot of unidentifiable rusty pieces of metal strewn about.

It was fascinating to walk through the open, arched doorways and to squint and imagine the dairy in operation. The hike was pretty long and strenuous, but there were enough things along the way to keep me interested and looking for more. I love how open and accessible the ruins are and I would love to go back and explore them even more.

BBG: Tulips 2015

When I went to check on the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden recently, I was surprised by the incredible tulips that were in bloom all around the garden. I had seen them last year, but this year's seemed even more spectacular and numerous.

They were planted in long rows, mimicking the stripey effect of a mini-flower field. There were classic colors and shapes along with some strikingly somber colors and tulips with sharp-looking jagged edges. Like in the Conservatory Garden, there were a ton of varieties that I had never seen before and it would be hard to pick a favorite.

It's been on my dream list for a while now to visit a legitimate flower field, although I've heard that they are notoriously hard to catch at peak bloom. Until I manage to pull that off, however, I'm so grateful that I get to experience spring in all parts of the city. I'm outside so much more in New York than I ever was when I lived in Ohio, so even small changes to the weather or landscape make a huge difference.

I actually tried to order these photos by color, but I kind of failed. I did realize just now that there weren't any blue or green tulips, which I know are kind of rare colors to see in flowers but if orchids and hydrangeas have it figured out, tulips should be able to get on board.

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BBG: Cherry Blossoms 2015

This is my third time being in the city for the blooming of the cherry blossoms and I still can't get enough. Although I'm a member of the New York Botanical Gardens, I've never really seen their cherry blossoms. By now I already feel as if I have a nostalgic attachment to Brooklyn's cherry grove—it was under these trees that I really cemented my resolve to become a New York resident—and now I can't imagine a spring without them.

I also haven't ever actually been to the Sakura Cherry Blossom festival, but I seem to be able to catch the blooms at their peak without paying the $25 ticket price. The garden is free on Saturday mornings, and is never as crowded as I think it should be—especially when the weather is as perfect as it was last Saturday.

No matter how many times I see the cherry blossoms, I still marvel at their insane beauty and intricate blooms. They seem completely unreal and as perfect as if they were crafted from tissue paper. The only downside to cherry blossoms, if you can call it that, is that they don't have a scent. It's almost disorienting to see such beautiful blooms and have zero fragrance attached to the visual, but no scent is definitely preferable to those white cat-piss-scented trees that sneak up on me every year.

Cold Spring Cemetery

The weather has finally been appropriately spring-like and warm, so we've been trying to get outside every chance we can get. Two weekends ago my dude and I decided to go 1.5 hrs. upstate to Cold Spring, NY for a hike. Of course when I did a little bit of research, I found a cemetery about a mile from the Metro North station, so we added it to the itinerary.

Cold Spring is an adorable town on the Hudson River, with a Main Street containing a few antique stores, a bar, a deli, and a coffee shop. The cemetery was established in 1862—it wasn't as historical or as crumbling as I prefer my cemeteries to be, but there were a few highlights that made it definitely worth seeking out if you're ever in the area.

My favorite section of the cemetery was a seemingly-abandoned portion set off from the main area. The majority of the cemetery was very well-maintained, but there was a mausoleum and a handful of graves up a hill that looked strangely out of place. The first thing I noticed was the mausoleum because the door was wide open. This isn't something I'm used to seeing so I was super excited to check it out. Disappointingly there wasn't anything inside of the mausoleum, but it was still super creepy with its rusty door inexplicably propped open by a rock.

The oddly-placed graves were covered in leaves and mostly belonged to the Young family. Some of their headstones were quite intriguing, with my favorites being "Annie Weir Young, Student and Mystic," and "J. Henry Weir Young, Asst. Physician Bellevue Hospital, Died of Disease Contracted in the Discharge of Duty."

Another feature of the cemetery was a row of elaborate mausoleums (and an excellent receiving tomb), which I'm not really used to seeing in more rural, smaller cemeteries like Cold Spring. I noticed that while none of them were completely open like the one on the hill, a few of them had gates instead of full, solid doors. It was mentioned that it might have something to do with the fact that we weren't in the city anymore, so security was less of a concern, but whatever the reason it made spying inside that much easier, which I always appreciate.

I really started to notice some great typography towards the end of our walk, which is always one of my favorite parts of any cemetery visit. There is a remarkable amount of variation from stone to stone in style, technique and materials which I find endlessly fascinating. I love sneaking cemetery visits into my trip itineraries—in East Hampton or Philadelphia or Sleepy Hollow—and I'm so grateful to have found someone who is game for a creepy little detour every now and then.

Conservatory Garden

The Conservatory Garden in Central Park is one of my very favorite places. Three years ago, the tulips there changed my life and it's been awing me in every season since. The flowers and trees around the city have been struggling a bit this year, however, with the cold weather lingering on ... and on and on.

I thought it was about time to check out what was blooming in the Conservatory Garden a few days ago during my lunch break, and I wasn't disappointed. The main circle of tulips—usually packed with multi-color flowers—was mostly filled with white daffodils. Daffodils aren't my favorite flowers, but en masse they really were beautiful.

The southern half of the garden is much more colorful and filled with tulips of all different colors currently in full bloom. I think I must have a sort of flower amnesia because every spring I'm amazed by the varieties and feel like it's my first time ever seeing most of them. I'm usually drawn to the darker, more somber colors but this time I couldn't get enough of the pale peach and yellow tulips.

The lilac trees (my favorite) are just barely beginning to bloom but they still smell incredible. The cherry blossoms are also a few weeks from peak bloom, but the pink magnolia trees are spectacular. I've already forgotten what it's like to feel desperately cold while dodging piles of frozen trash that covered the city this winter, which is certainly no small feat.

Dachshund Fest 2015

Sometime last week the Lord planted a photo in Francesca's Instagram feed that mentioned the upcoming Dachshund Spring Fiesta in Washington Square Park. She showed it to me, we immediately made plans to go and on Saturday we met up prepared to see more wiener dogs in hot dog costumes than we could handle. Unfortunately we ended up seeing exactly zerodachshunds in buns—we squealed with joy upon thinking we had finally found one only to realize it was an impostor (chihuahua).

Other than the bun fiasco, however, the two-hour event was a complete and total delight. I kept repeating over and over "my mouth hurts from smiling so much," and there isn't a better way to describe how the gathering of so many dachshunds in one place made me feel.

I was surprised by the variety of colors and sizes on display, although I will always prefer my dachshunds miniature and short-haired. We did see some really unique color combinations, including the new-to-me "Isabella" (hi Big Al!) and a few all-black dachshunds that were really beautiful.

The weather was really beautiful on Saturday, and since the event started at noon the direct sunlight was causing the most amazing shadows. I became slightly obsessed with capturing the perfect wiener dog shadow—is there anything better than the classic shape of a dachshund?

Although not as perfect as buns, there were some pretty wonderful outfits—a Pope, a skunk, a reindeer, a three-headed, three-eyed dog, a motorcycle dude in a Harley jacket and jeans, and a variety of really adorable sweaters/sweatshirts.

I have always heard that dachshunds tend to be mean, but that wasn't our experience at all. Every dog we met was extremely friendly, happy and maybe just a bit overwhelmed by all the new friends in the park—which also does a good job of further explaining how Francesca and I felt when we left.

Scarborough Renaissance Festival: Part One

When I visited my sister in Texas recently, we decided to go to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, which is about an hour away from where she lives. Neither of us had ever been to a Renaissance fair(e) before, nor are we the type of people that would be particularly interested in participating in such events, but we were super excited to go.

We went mainly for the cultural observation of it all—and maybe partly so we could walk around gnawing on a turkey leg, day-drinking, yelling out things like "Huzzah!" and adding an extra "e" onto any word we felt like. We ended up doing all of those things and so much more—the fair covered 35 acres and even though we stayed until it closed for the night we still didn't see everything.

We missed the turtle races, the live chess and a few other shows because we never did cave and buy a map (by the end of the day we agreed that it probably would have been worth the $2.95), but we did see a joust, met some mermaids, watched half of a falconry show, rode an elephant (Hi Jean!), ate lunch and dinner (and dessert), drank some mead and still found ourselves surprised when it was closing time.

Magic wands, flower crowns, velvet-and-leather-everything, horns, furs, jewelry, pewter figurines and pretty much anything else you can think of was available at the fair. We didn't buy much but we could have browsed for days, imagining ourselves in chain mail, lace-up-boots and floor-length sleeves.

The turkey leg was everything we wanted it to be and more, and by the end of the night I was still carrying it around, photographing it in front of various Renaissance Fair staples—"Here's my turkey leg in front of the sign that says turkey legs!"—so very much worth the price of admission.

NYBG: Orchid Show 2015

Sunday was the last day for the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Gardens and I had been meaning to go for some time. I renewed my NYBG membership last Christmas and I try not to miss an opportunity to go. This was my third consecutive year seeing the Orchid Show, which is—in my opinion—their best show.

This year's show was set up a bit differently than the past two. The theme was "Chandeliers" and a lot of the orchids were arranged in large baskets dangling from the conservatory ceilings. It was also organized differently and took you through the entire conservatory space clockwise instead of counter-clockwise.

I was initially disappointed by the sparse and kind of shriveled up orchids, and I was afraid that waiting until closing day had been a mistake. But the reverse layout meant that they saved the best for last and it wasn't until the end of the show that I was as wowed as I had been the previous two years.

The orchid show is my favorite because it's a spectacular show, but also because after such long and brutal winters in the city, it is a very welcome jolt of color and a great way to shake off any residual winter blues. Very suddenly the entire city seems to be in bloom and I couldn't be happier that it's finally starting to look and feel like spring.

2013 Orchid Show / 2014 Orchid Show

Easter Parade, Part Two: Dogs

As much as I enjoyed the elaborate bonnets at the Easter parade, my favorite participants were by far the dogs. I've always considered myself a cat person, but I have to admit that lately New York has turned me more and more over to the dog side of things.

The main appeal of dogs is definitely the ability to dress them up—rain coats, boots, hoodies, hats, backpacks—New York dogs are way more fashionable than I'll ever be. That is especially true of the dogs that came out on Sunday decked in their Easter finest and I could have spent days photographing and trying not to smoosh all of their adorable faces into my face.

I tried to be respectful and ask the names of most of the dogs I was photographing and I had the pleasure of meeting Chloe, Charro, Fred, Pink Dog Frankie and Puccini. I like my dogs small and smooth/short-haired, so of course the pugs and chihuahuas were my favorite. I was disappointed that I didn't see at least one dachshund, which made me want one even more than I already do (to dress as an Easter ham perhaps?).

The tiny top hats, bonnets, pearls, boas, sunglasses and bunny ears just about killed me and it seemed like I was spotting a new dog every few minutes that would make me squeal with delight. Although I don't know how nice it is to dye your dog completely pink, most of them were pretty chill and didn't seem to mind all of the attention or the ridiculous outfits.

Although I still adore Mozart, I don't foresee her being cool with me strapping an Easter bonnet on her next year and pushing her down Fifth Avenue in a stroller—but if anyone has a dachshund they're not using, let me know.

Easter Parade, Part One: Bonnets

Easter Parade, Part One: Bonnets

On Sunday JMP and I went to check out the Easter "parade" on 5th Avenue. I put parade in quotes because it's not really a traditional parade, but more of a huge street party. It was actually a little more chaotic than I was expecting with spectators out-numbering participants by a large margin, but once we embraced the craziness of it all it was really fun.

As with any costume-based event, there were some real stand-out bonnets, a lot of pretty good ones and some that made you wonder why the person even tried at all. I actually wish there were even more bonnets than the ones we managed to see but there's a good chance we missed some great ones in the crowd.

The whole scene was really a photographer's dream—with everyone posing constantly for photos—and it was really fun to feel zero shame sticking my camera wherever I felt like to get the shots I wanted. There were even moments when I thought it might be fun to go all out and make my own bonnet next year, but I don't think I could deal with the pushy crowds and all of the attention for very long.

Of course as with every public New York event, there were people who were dressed up in costumes that had little—if anything at all—to do with Easter. The cat-on-head guy is usually charging for photos in Times Square and you have to try pretty hard with your craft supplies to top a live animal bonnet. I heard someone ask the guy with the spiked cap how long it took him to make his elaborate costume and he replied "Oh, this? I just had it."