New York in the Spring

New York does not ease into spring. It arrives all at once, some week in April when the magnolias and the cherries detonate in the parks, the cafe tables land on the sidewalks, and the entire city moves outdoors with the relief of a population released. The six weeks that follow, mid-April through May, are the city at its most generous, and the returning visitor books them deliberately. Everything below assumes two or three nights.

Stay downtown or along the park, depending on the trip's temperament. The hotels of the Village and Soho put the best walking city in America at the door, while the ones flanking Central Park put the season's main event at the door instead. Spring is high season and prices like it, so book well ahead and take a weekday pair over a weekend when the calendar allows.

Central Park in blossom is the headline, and the correct method is early, entering at the southeast corner by eight and walking north through the Mall to the reservoir before the crowds fill in. But the connoisseur's spring is distributed, the cherry esplanade at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in late April, the magnolias in the small squares of the Village, and the High Line greening over Chelsea. One park per day, taken slowly, is the ration.

Spring is the season the city was built for on foot, cool mornings, long evenings, everything in bloom between destinations. The classic downtown line runs from Washington Square through the Village and Soho to the bridge promenade, and the classic uptown one runs the museums along the park's east flank. The correct pace allows for stopping, since half the theater is the sidewalks themselves.

The restaurants throw open their fronts in spring and the sidewalk tables become the city's dining room. Book the two serious dinners ahead, as ever, but leave the lunches unplanned and outdoors, taken wherever the walk has landed you. The spring markets, Union Square on its market days above all, supply the picnic, and the park lawns supply the table.

Aim for the last two weeks of April into early May and accept that the blossoms keep their own schedule. Pack for both seasons, since April can serve winter and summer in one afternoon. Book theater for one night, since spring is when the new season's plays arrive, and leave one evening entirely unassigned for the long light.

On the last evening, walk into whichever park is nearest at seven and stay until the lamps come on. The city spends its whole spring showing off exactly like this, and it would be rude not to watch.