Norma's Weekly Member Snapshot:
Easter Sunday

 
Easter is around the corner on March 27th.  Whether you are celebrating the holiday or not, Easter Sunday is the ideal day to indulge in a decadent brunch and sweet treats or just enjoy a peaceful walk in the city.
 
I have highlighted a few events in this week's Special Feature, as well as ideas to keep you in the Spring spirit and to best celebrate the holiday.   
 
 
 
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GeneralGENERAL EVENTS
Spring in NYC!
March 20  First Day of Spring 
Finally, the official first day of Spring... and it's starting to feel like it! Time to shed our layers and heavy coats for light jackets.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Once the blossoms are in bloom, visit on a Wednesday and take a tour. Or on Saturdays and Sundays, take a tour of the seasonal highlights of the garden.  Then, as part of the festival, visit April 30 & May 1 for the Sakura Matsuri, 
a weekend celebrating Japanese culture.

March 20 through April 3 
Macy's Spring 2016 Flower Show   
Macy's Herald Square (151 West 34th Street)
This year's theme, America the Beautiful, celebrates our country's vast and varied landscapes and tells the story through fabulous flora indigenous to each of our nation's regions.

New York International Auto Show
March 25  New York International Auto Show
Javits Center (655 West 34th Street)
The largest auto show, I make it a point every year to attend. It's exciting to see (and sit in) upcoming releases from car companies... plus concept cars which feel like stepping into either a Science Fiction or James Bond movie! Through April 3rd.

March 27  Easter Sunday 
Visit this week's Foodie section for brunch spots and my Special Feature to best celebrate the holiday.



Through March 31   Women's History Month 
Many events are going on this month in celebration of women...check out the New York Public Library's month-long series of posts highlighting the many amazing women they've discovered.

     
 
ON THE RADAR:

April 2  NYC Craft Distillers Festival
The Bowery Hotel (335 Bowery)
Sample of 60 specially selected spirits while a 1920s style jazz band keeps the party lively.  If you really like Craft Beers, the NYC Craft Beer Festival is March 25th & 26th.


April
Cameron Diaz in
Conversation with Rachael Ray
New York Yankees Home Opener  
I always know it's spring when baseball is back on the calendar; buy tickets for the first game of the season vs the Houston Astros.
 
 
April 5  Cameron Diaz in Conversation with Rachael Ray
92Y (1395 Lexington Avenue)
Cameron Diaz discussed her new book, The Body Book... a book to educate young women about how their bodies function, empowering them to make better-informed choices about their health.

April 6 through 8  Seventh Annual Women in the World Summit
 
David H. Koch Theater (20 Lincoln Center Plaza)
This annual summit centers on live storytelling with inspiring women and men from around the world.  This year's participants include Meryl Streep, Former First Lady Laura Bush, Diane von Furstenberg, Mindy Kaling, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, and Fox News anchor and journalist Megyn Kelly.  
 
April 7 through 10   New York Antiquarian Book Fair  
Park Avenue Armory (643 Park Avenue)
Over 200 American and international dealers will exhibit, bringing a selection of rare books, maps, and manuscripts.
 
April 11 to 17   Spa Week
Various Locations 
$50 treatments at spas throughout the city; recommendations to come soon.
 
April 17  Earth Day
Union Square
Live performances, interactive displays, and events that include information on green products. Sign up for the Earth Day 5K Green Tour on April 22nd, then attend the  Green Festival
April 15th through 17th at the Javits Convention Center. 



April 17  
MORE/SHAPE Women's Half-Marathon
Central Park 
Watch as thousands of women take to the hills of Central Park - this is the largest all women's half marathon in the country.
 
CutluralCULTURAL PURSUITS
Looking for a new way to see a museum?  Check out Museum Hack, guided tours (up to 9 people) of the MET and the American Museum of Natural History. Led by experienced guides well-versed in art history, it's a way to see the works through a new lens.
                     
CLOSING THIS WEEK:
Al Held: Black and White Paintings 

CHEIM & READ (547 West 25th Street) 
Through March 26 
Captivating exhibition of black and white paintings by Al Held, known as the painter of ideas.
 
DOMINIQUE LEVY GALLERY (909 Madison Avenue)  
Through March 19
Innovation and influence in American Drawings of the Sixties. 

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Asia Week
Through March 19
Celebrate Asian Art at multiple museums and cultural institutions throughout New York City.


MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK (1220 Fifth Avenue)
Jacob A. Riis: Revealing New York's Other Half
Through March 20
Features photographs by Riis and his contemporaries, as well as his handwritten journals and personal correspondence. 

Maria Hassabi: PLASTIC
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART(11 West 53rd Street)
Through March 20
A live installation!  Dancers perform throughout the museum during opening hours.

Through March 20
The 30th anniversary features 19 artists from 14 countries.
 
Through March 20
Range of artistic responses focused on human figures.  

PIER 92 (12th Avenue at 55th Street)
Architectural Digest Design Show
Through March 20
Shop the latest in furniture, accessories, lighting, art, kitchen, and bath products.  


Dining by Design
Through March 21
Brings together internationally renowned and local talent to create dining installations to raise money for DIFFA's work fighting HIV/AIDS. 
Peter Anton: I Love You

UNIX GALLERY (532 West 24th Street)
Through March 20
Peter Anton's exhibit elaborates on the connection between art and our emotional needs  

ONGOING EXHIBITS: 
 
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY(Central Park West at 79th Street)
The Secret World Inside You 

Through August 14
The exhibit takes visitors on a tour of the human body.
   
Jean-Michel Cousteau's Secret Ocean
Ongoing
Take a breathtaking journey around the underwater world as Cousteau introduces 30 species shown for the first time on film.   

The Butterfly Conservatory
Through May 29
The butterflies are back! Enter a room filled with beautiful butterflies of many different species... great for all ages.   
View the cast of a 122-foot-long dinosaur. This species is so new that it has not yet been formally named by the paleontologists who discovered it!
 
Pixar: The Design of Story
CENTER FOR ITALIAN MODERN ART (421 Broome Street)
Giorgio Morandi
Through June 25
Dedicated to one of the best known Italian artists of the 20th century, the exhibit focuses on the his rarely seen 1930s works.
    

COOPER HEWITT  (2 East 91st Street)
Through August 7
Pixar fans will enjoy this exhibit, which traces the creation of the rarely seen sketches, paintings, and sculptures of Pixar's popular characters. 


DISCOVERY TIMES SQUARE (226 West 44th Street)
Through May 30
With all of the craze about Star Wars, it's the perfect time to see the exhibit of memorable costumes from this incredibly iconic film series.  
 
ELLIS ISLAND
Ongoing
Life-size historic photographs of Ellis Island immigrants are displayed on the south side of Ellis Island. 

Ongoing
Tells the story of immigration to America before the processing station opened. 
    
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM (1071 Fifth Avenue) 
Through March 27
Over seventy works by ten artists examining an important new development in contemporary photography.

Peter Fischli David Weiss: How to Work Better
Through April 27
A survey of sculpture, photography and video that questions everyday life with humor and sincerity

INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM   (Pier 86 - West 46th Street & 12th Avenue)
On the Line: Intrepid and the Vietnam War
Now open
A major exhibition exploring the events and impact of the Vietnam War through the lens of the Intrepid.  
Unorthodox
      
THE JEWISH MUSEUM (1109 Fifth Avenue)
Unorthodox
Through March 27
Showcases the impact of unorthodox concepts on orthodox systems.

Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History
Through August 7
The first museum survey devoted to the American designer who makes clothing, hosted a television show, and performed his own cabaret act.

MADISON SQUARE PARK
Through Winter
500 feet of sprawling sculptures made of golden canopies suspended above the park's pathway.  An eye-catching exhibit.     
 
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART (1000 Fifth Avenue)
Through May 15
Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France
This is the first retrospective of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, one of the most important of all women artists.  

THE MET BREUER (Madison Avenue & 75th Street)
Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible
March 18 through September 4
197 works from the Renaissance to the present. The exhibition examines a subject critical to artistic practice: the question of when a work of art is finished.  
 
 
MICHAEL WERNER GALLERY  (4 East 77th Street)
Marcel Broodthaers: Écriture
Through March 26
An exhibit of major post-war period.    
Wagner's Ring: Forging an Epic
MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM (225 Madison Avenue)
Wagner's Ring: Forging an Epic
Through April 17
An intimate look at the creation of Wagner's masterpiece, including original music manuscripts.

Warhol by the Book
Through May 15
A visual exploration of Warhol's lifelong career as a book artist
 



MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA (215 Centre Street)
Chinese Style: Rediscovering the Architecture of Poy Gum Lee, 1923-1968
Through March 27
Lee's modernist influence is seen in the development of NYC's Chinatown.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (11 West 53rd Street)
Through April 10
Exhibition of past three decades of 30 international artists whose works range in their approach to political, social, and cultural flux of our global landscape. 

Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey, 1934-1954
Through May 1
Previews of one of my favorite artists, Jackson Pollock
.  
 
Marcel Broodthaers: A Retrospective
Through May 15
Another exhibit about the poet turned artist.


NEUE GALERIE NEW YORK MUSEUM FOR GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN ART (1048 Fifth Avenue)
Munch and Expressionism
Through June 13
 
Exhibit focuses on Edward Munch's influence on his German colleagues.
The Discovery of King Tut 
 
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY (170 Central Park West)
Silicon City: Computer History Made in New York  
Through April 17   
There is sure to be plenty of interest in this exhibit with all of the buzz about the Steve Jobs movie. 
    
PREMIERE EXHIBITIONS 5th AVENUE (417 Fifth Avenue)
Now open
Explore the treasures of Tutankhamun dynasty.

ROOSEVELT HOUSE (47-49 East 65th Street)
Women Take the Lead
Through April 2
The newly remodeled historic Roosevelt House recently opened showcasing the first special exhibit featuring relics from women of the suffragette movement... from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Eleanor Roosevelt, Suffrage to Human Rights. 
   
SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS (128 East 63rd Street) 
Tuesdays & Thursdays
For those that have a talent for sketching, stop by Tuesday or Thursday evenings for sketch night and see the latest exhibit. While there, check out Rick Meyerowitz in the National Lampoon, through April 23rd, an archive of original artwork created by illustrator and author Rick Meyerowitz.  
   
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART (99 Gansevoort Street) 
Flatlands
Through April 17
Pairings by five artists conjuring a sense of space that is dimensionless.  
  
ON THE RADAR:
 
METROPOLITAN PAVILION (125 West 18th Street)
Affordable Art Fair
March 30 through April 3
New artists, thousands of contemporary artworks, hands-on workshops, talks, and tours with fellow art lovers. Thousands of original paintings, prints, sculptures and photographs ranging from $100-$10,000.

The AIPAD Photography Show New York 
PARK AVENUE ARMORY (643 Park Avenue) 
The AIPAD Photography Show New York
April 14 through 17
Exhibitors from more than 80 of the world's leading photography art galleries showcase their works.

PIER 94  (711 12th Avenue)
Artexpo
April 14 through 17
The largest fine art marketplace - annual expo brings the biggest publishers, galleries and collectors face to face with hundreds of established and emerging artists.
 
CurtainCURTAIN UP

FILM:
  
Crosby Street Hotel (79 Crosby Street)
For $55 per person, enjoy dinner and a movie. A 3-course meal is followed by a viewing of this Oscar nominated movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert DeNiro! 

March 20  TalkCinema
       
Through March 27  New Directors/New Films
Film Society of Lincoln Center (144 West 65th Street) & The Museum of Modern Art (11 West 53rd Street)
Dedicated to the discovery and support of emerging artists, visit the website for the schedule of films. Two iconic groups together for one night only! 
  
MUSIC & DANCE:

Mondays  Rainbow Room
Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza)
Don't miss Max Weinberg for dinner seatings on Mondays in November.  Also, I love that they are serving a special Sunday brunch and dinner & dancing on Friday nights. It's an iconic spot and a must-see!
 
Tuesdays & Wednesdays Jazz Nights
The Lambs Club (132 West 44th Street)
Live jazz from new and up and coming performers.    
  

Friday Nights  Friday Nights to Remember
The Regency Bar & Grill (Loews Regency Hotel - 540 Park Avenue)
Quincy Jones recording artist, Michael Fredo performs every Friday at 7:30pm... get the feel of old school New York jazz with a new twist.

New York Live Arts

Ongoing  New York Live Arts
New York Live Arts (219 West 19th Street)
Chelsea based programs feature the most innovative movements.
 
Winter Season   New York Philharmonic   
Avery Fisher Hall (10 Lincoln Center Plaza)   
Visit the schedule for upcoming concerts through the remainder of the season.  


 
Through March 18  Joan Osborne
Cafe Carlyle (35 East 76th Street)
An incredible performer... and don't miss Woody Allen & The Eddy David New Orleans Jazz Band Mondays through June 14th.
    
March 19  The Temptations & The Four Tops
Kings Theatre (Brooklyn) 
Two iconic groups together for one night only! 
 
Through March 19  Flamenco Festival
Carnegie Hall (881 Seventh Avenue), New York City Center (131 West 55th Street),
The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street) 
An Andalusian festival taking place in three NYC locations. 
 
Through March 20  Harkness Dance Festival
92Y (1395 Lexington Avenue)
Five weeks of choreographers and performers presenting powerful innovations of contemporary dance.
 
 
Through March 22  NYC Improv Festival
Peoples Improv Theater (123 East 24th Street)
Annual festival celebrating improvisation from all across the world. 


March 25  54 Celebrates David Bowie

Feinstein's/54 Below (254 West 54th Street)
Some of Broadway and cabaret's top talents come together to pay tribute to the icon. 

Through March 27  Bargemusic Winter Festival
Fulton Ferry Landing - Brooklyn Bridge
Bundle up to hear exceptional chamber music presented on a floating barge at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge!  



 

Through April 3  Paul Taylor's American Modern Dance
David H. Koch Theater (20 Lincoln Center Plaza)
They will perform two premieres by Paul Taylor - Sullivaniana and Dilly Dilly, plus 14 Taylor classics and (for the first time ever), a work by Martha Graham - Diversion of Angels.  
 
Lincoln Center
Various locations within Lincoln Center's venues. Outstanding artists... all in intimate settings.   
  
 
Through May  La Boheme  
The Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center Plaza)
Puccini's immortal tale of tragic young love set amidst the rooftops of bohemian Paris.  Madama Butterfly also in production through April, The Marriage of Figaro through March 26th, and Otello April 20th through May 6th. 
    
Through June 16  LIVE from the NYPL
New York Public Library (11 West 40th Street) 
Annual Spring Speaker Series... check out the calendar. 
 
THEATER:
American Psycho
March 24 through September 25
Schoenfeld Theatre
(236 West 45th Street)
American Psycho returns to Broadway as a musical... a carnal carnival of song and dance.  Previews begin March 24th, opens April 20th through September 25th.  
  
Through November 20
Palace Theater (1564 Broadway) 
American Stage debut of the story about a young artist who discovers life and love after returning from the war.    

Through October 16
Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 West 43rd Street)
This musical follows the legendary songwriter from her early days as a Brooklyn teenager to well-known hits as a top recording artist.
 
Blackbird 
Through June 12
Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street)
The star-studded cast includes Michele Williams and Jeff Daniels; they will perform one of the most powerful dramas of the century.  An uncomfortable relationship reunites between an older man and a younger woman.  

Bright Star
Through October 9

Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street)
I have followed Steve Martin's career as an actor and banjo player for many years. I'm delighted that he has expanded his talents as the songwriter of this musical (with Edie Brickell's talents at work also).  As he said in an interview, he wanted to create music that would be an anthem to optimism, writing songs that would bring joy to the audience.
Buried Child
 
Buried Child
Through April 3
The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center
(480 West 42nd Street)
Sam Shepherd's play will star Ed Harris and Amy Madigan (among other familiar faces) and is the first revival in two decades. The play focuses on the family's economic troubles as seen through the lives of an Illinois farming family.  
 
Cagney
Through July 3
Westside Theatre
(407 West 43rd Street)
How exciting - this musical follows the life of James Cagney from the streets of New York to vaudeville, then to a Hollywood tough guy. Now in previews, opens April 3rd through July 3rd. 
 
The Color Purple
Through October 2
Bernard B Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street)
Broadway revival starring Jennifer Hudson.  
 
The Crucible
Through July 17
Walter Kerr Theatre
(219 West 48th Street)
Arthur Miller's famed production of the timeless parable of morality returns to Broadway... starring Academy Award Nominee Saoirse Ronan
(Brooklyn). Now in previews, opens April 7th through July 17th.  
 
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 
Through August 28
Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street) 
A Tony Award Winning play! The lead actor, a graduate of Julliard, is brilliant. The story unfolds with a mathematically precocious adolescent with behavioral problems uncovering truths and secrets. 

Daddy Long Legs
Daddy Long Legs
Through January 8, 2017
Davenport Theatre (354 West 45th Street) 
An upbeat musical that tells the tale of an orphan and her anonymous benefactor.

Dry Powder
Through May 1
The Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street)
John Krasinski, Claire Danes, and Hank Azaria star in this funny new drama. Tickets are sold out, but they may release additional tickets.
 
 

Eclipsed
Through June 19
John Golden Theatre
(252 West 45th Street)
After a limited run at The Public Theater, this show starring Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o, hits Broadway!

The Father
March 20 through June 12
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (
261 West 47th Street)
The infamous Frank Langella stars in Florian Zeller's new play. I've always been mesmerized by him since his role as Dracula. Previews begin March 20th, opens April 14th through June 12th.
   
Fiddler on the Roof

Fid
dler on the Roof
Through September 4
Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway) 
The acclaimed show returns to Broadway, a favorite of mine.
 
 
Through December 18
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street)
The amazing story of how Peter became Pan.
     
Through October 9
Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th Street)
Performance brings the actors and audience within close proximity. Tony Award Winning play about seeing your parents through adult eyes.              
 
Hamilton
Through January 29, 2017
Richard Rodgers Theatre
(226 West 46th Street)
An inventive musical about a young immigrant who changed America... Alexander Hamilton.       
  
Hold On To Me Darling
Through April 17
Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street)
Atlantic Theater Company's outstanding new play from acclaimed playwright Kenneth Lonergan examines the cost of fame, fortune, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
 
Hughie
Through March 27
Booth Theatre
(222 West 45th Street)
Oscar winner Forest Whitaker makes his Broadway debut in Eugene O'Neil's theatrical masterpiece which investigates the themes of loneliness and redemption. 

The King and I
The King and I 
Through September 4
Lincoln Center Theater (150 West 65th Street)
The revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's play, starring Tony Award Winner Kelli O'Hara.
        
Mike Birbiglia: "Thank God for Jokes"
Through May 29
Lynn Redgrave Theater (49 Bleecker Street)
Comedian, writer, and actor, Mike Birbiglia stars in a one-man-show of modern day joke telling.




Nice Fish 
Through March 27
St. Ann's Warehouse (45 Water Street)
Three time Tony winner and now Academy Award Winner, Mark Rylance, stars in a play about two fisherman waiting for the one last catch of the season! 
Through November 20
Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway)
High-energy performance about Emilio and Gloria Estefan.        

Prodigal Son
Through March 27
New York City Center (131 West 55th Street)
Oscar nominated director John Patrick Shanley hits it out of the park once again in an explosive portrait of a young man on the verge of salvation or destruction.  
    
Ruthless

Ruthless
Through June 18
St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street)
Called "the mother of all musicals," I've seen it and can attest... it's a hilarious show starring 10-year old Tori Murray.   
     
School of Rock
Through October 2
I'm a fan of Andrew Lloyd Weber and I'm sure there will no exception to the quality of his newest musical based on the film starring Jack Black.

Shuffle Along
Through October 9
Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street)
Six-time award winner Audra McDonald returns to Broadway.  Now in previews, opens April 28th through October 9th.
Note: Audra McDonald will not appear in performances from June 19 through September 12, 2016. 

ON THE RADAR: 
    
March 27   Sondheim Unplugged
54 Below (254 West 54th Street)
Annual event features some of Broadway and cabaret's most dynamic voices, accompanied by piano only, honoring the work of Broadway's master composer.  

March 30 through April 3  1776
New York City Center (131 West 55th Street)
As part of Encores! Great American Musicals In Concert. Other shows through May 15th.




March 31  Tuck Everlasting The Musical
Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street)
If you could live forever, would you? Take a journey you'll never forget in this new musical about love, family, and living life to the fullest!  Previews begin March 31st, opens April 26th through January 1st. 
 
April 5 through 9  Paulo Szot
Feinstein's/54 Below (254 West 54th Street)
One of my top Broadway performers, Paulo Szot... Tony Award winner and former star of South Pacific sings songs from Gershwin and Lerner and Lowe. Tickets sell out; order early!

April 8  The New York Pops The Music of John Williams: From Spielberg to Star Wars
Carnegie Hall (881 Seventh Avenue)
Celebrate the career of John Williams, from his 40-year long collaboration with Steven Spielberg to the recent success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Romeo & Juliet

April 11  Mobile Unit: Romeo & Juliet
The Public Theater (425 Lafayette)
The Mobile Shakespeare Unit brings this classic tale to the stage!  The Mobile Unit presents free Shakespeare to prisons, homeless shelters, centers for the elderly, and other community venues throughout the five boroughs. They then present the show at The Public Theater, providing New York audiences with low cost tickets to world-class Shakespeare.

April 13 through 24  Tribeca Film Festival
Various locations
Ticket packages are now on sale for this always anticipated annual festival. Individual tickets go on sale March 29th. 

April 14  Jerry Seinfeld: The Homestand
The Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway)
Try to grab tickets for any of the upcoming monthly performances in 2016.

April 14 through 18  Martha Graham Dance Company
New York City Center (131 West 55th Street)
One of my favorite dance companies returns to New York City Center celebrating its 90th anniversary season.

April 18 through 21  Art of the Real
Film Society of Lincoln Center (10 Lincoln Center Plaza)
Third annual festival featuring boundary-pushing nonfiction film.
 
April 21 through 26  Tribeca Innovation Week
Various locations
Passes available for this week of discussions and festivals around technology, gaming, film, and media.

April 23  A Streetcare Named Desire
St. Ann's Warehouse (Brooklyn Bridge Park)
The iconic production stars X-Files' own Gillian Anderson! 
 
FoodFOR THE FOODIE
EASTER BRUNCH:

Easter is March 27th - if you are staying in the city with no plans to cook up your own feast, find the perfect holiday brunch to indulge with friends and family.  Below are my top picks for Brunch spots would even have the Easter Bunny's seal of approval. Make reservations and see other restaurants offering Easter brunch menus.
Claudette

Altesi Ristorante
Upper East Side: 26 East 64th Street
Italian Cuisine
3 course prix-fixe Easter menu for $59.99 per person.

Claudette
Greenwich Village: 24 5th Avenue
French Cuisine
$40 for a 3 course prix-fixe meal.

Il Principe
Tribeca: 525 Greenwich Street
Italian Cuisine
$80 3-course meal.

Lincoln Ristorante
Upper West Side: 142 West 65th Street
Italian Cuisine
3 and 4-course menus available for $70 and $90 per person respectively.
Rainbow Room

Rainbow Room
Midtown West: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
American Cuisine
Live entertainment - Fleur Seule. Reservations available between 11am and 3:30pm for $125 per person.

Gotham Bar & Grill
West Village: 12 East 12th Street
American Cuisine
3 course menu for $75 per person from 11:30am to 3pm.

 
EVENTS:
 
March 18 Sixth Annual New York International Pairing Series
City Winery (155 Varick Street)
Part of a series of dinners showcasing the wine and food of a specific region. This event focuses on Argentina.

ON THE RADAR:

April 6 
Taste of the Lower East Side
Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th Street)
Unlimited tastings and open bars from 50 of the most acclaimed NYC restaurants.


April 16 
Wine on Wheels
City Winery (155 Varick Street)
Purchase tickets for wine tasting and silent auction featuring over 200 wines served by over 60 of New York City's most esteemed sommeliers.

April 16 & 17  New York Culinary Experience
The International Culinary Center (462 Broadway)
Hands-on cooking classes and discussions with 30 renowned chefs including Amanda Freitag, Carla Hall, and Gabriel Kreuther, to name a few.



April 25  NYC Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry
225 Liberty Street
Join the city's finest chefs, sommeliers and mixologists for a night of dining in support of No Kid Hungry's work to end childhood hunger in the America.
 
FeatureSPECIAL FEATURE: EASTER SUNDAY 

WATCH:  
Easter Parade & Bonnet Festival 

Don't miss the 2016 Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in NYC... see Easter bonnets to the extreme as "paraders" walk along Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets from 10am to 4pm. Although I won't be donning a bonnet I always enjoy strolling down Fifth Avenue on Easter, without any cars in sight!   

PARTAKE:

Easter Carnival:  March 22 through 27  Full Bunny Contact
The Clemente (107 Suffolk Street)
Games, events and side attractions including a Bunny Beauty Pageant, "Wabbit Warrior Eggathon," plus DJ's, a dance floor, and food. 
 

Easter Egg Hunt: March 27  The Amazing Adult Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt
Slattery's (8 East 36th Street)
Sign up as a team or an individual... part hunt, part obstacle course. A series of clues leads you around the city performing physical and mental challenges.
 
Cupcake Decorating:  Butter Lane
123 East 7th Street
Learn the basics of cupcake decorating and take home your creations.        



INDULGE:
MarieBelle
 
Have a sweet tooth like I do? Or looking for a gift for a special someone on Easter?  Look no further than these 6 top spots for delicious chocolates and sugary treats.

    Fine & Raw
    Fika
    Jacques Torres Chocolate
    MarieBelle
    Vosges Haut-Chocolat

While you're at it, go on a Chocolate Walking Tour and visit some of the best chocolate shops.
 
DELIGHT:
 
The most beautiful flowers around! Visit last week's Snapshot for additional NYC gardens to fulfill your love of flowers...  

Orchid Show

March 20 through April 3   Macy's Spring 2016 Flower Show 
Macy's Herald Square (151 West 34th Street)
This year's theme, America the Beautiful, celebrates our country's vast and varied landscapes and tells the story through fabulous flora indigenous to each of our nation's regions.


Through April 17  The Orchid Show  
The New York Botanical Garden  
Much-anticipated annual show is now open at The New York Botanical Garden. Check out Orchid Evenings as well on March 26, April 2, 9, 16.



Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Once the blossoms are in bloom, visit on a Wednesday and take a tour. Or on Saturdays and Sundays, take a tour of the seasonal highlights of the garden.  Then, as part of the festival, visit April 30 & May 1 for the Sakura Matsuri, 
a weekend celebrating Japanese culture.