New York
Where to Enjoy New York City’s Cherry Blossoms
After months of dreary climate and naked branches, it’s lastly cherry blossom season in New York Metropolis.
Which means that greater than 40,000 decorative cherry timber across the metropolis can be bursting with white and pink petals for the subsequent month, drawing 1000’s of individuals outdoors to get pleasure from them.
Right here’s an summary of what sort of cherry blossoms you could find in New York Metropolis, once they’ll be in bloom and the place you could find them.
When is peak cherry blossom season?
As soon as a tree begins blooming, it’ll maintain its blossoms for about 10 days. However when, precisely, every tree begins to flower relies on a mixture of daylight and temperature, which is difficult to foretell. Most of New York’s cherry timber are in bloom by mid-April, although sure varieties bud a bit earlier or later.
Elizabeth Peters, the director of digital media on the Brooklyn Botanic Backyard, mentioned that her crew updates its CherryWatch tracker by checking every cherry tree within the morning to find out whether or not it’s in prebloom, first bloom (when about 10 p.c of its flowers are open), peak bloom (when about half of its flowers are open) or post-peak bloom (when about 10 p.c of the blooms are left).
“Each time a buddy asks me about CherryWatch, like, ‘Oh, when is peak bloom,’ I don’t like that query,” she mentioned. “It’s not like we’re ready for that second the place the most important variety of timber are blooming, as a result of every second is particular.”
The earliest timber normally begin blooming when there’s a stretch of 60-degree days, Ms. Peters mentioned, however having a little bit of chilly climate after first bloom could make the flowers last more.
“If a tree blooms after which now we have one thing like we’re having now, the place the climate goes again to cooler climate, it sort of refrigerates the timber and preserves the blossoms for folks to get pleasure from for longer,” Ms. Peters mentioned.
“We’ve had years the place we instantly have a warmth wave and the timber can go into full blossom just about in a single day, after which 5 days later they’re dropping their petals,” she added.
What sorts of cherry timber may be present in New York?
There are 26 sorts of flowering cherry timber on the Brooklyn Botanic Backyard alone, however the New York Metropolis Parks Division mentioned that throughout town, the three commonest varieties are the Okame, Yoshino and Kwanzan.
The pink-flowered Okame normally begins blooming in late March, however the Yoshino (which has white flowers) and the Kwanzan (which is pink and might produce as much as 28 petals on every blossom) should still have flowers in late April or early Could.
Jennifer Greenfeld, an assistant commissioner for the Parks Division, mentioned that it takes care of 1000’s of decorative cherry timber.
“They’re actually nice timber, as a result of they don’t get tremendous excessive and you’ll plant them underneath utility strains,” Ms. Greenfeld mentioned. “We even have these long run contracts with nurseries that develop these timber specifically for us in New York Metropolis.”
Although the branches of cherry timber naturally dangle low, which wouldn’t be appropriate for metropolis streets, sure nurseries prepare the timber’ branches to develop greater.
The place are the most effective locations to see cherry blossoms in New York Metropolis?
By filtering for “‘Cultivar’ Japanese Flowering Cherry” on the Parks Division’s New York Metropolis Road Tree Map, you’ll be able to see the precise areas of 1000’s of cherry timber.
Sakura Park, within the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, has greater than 2,000 cherry timber, making it one of many largest collections within the metropolis. Close by, the Riverside Park Cherry Stroll has cherry timber that run alongside the trail from a hundredth Road to a hundred and twenty fifth Road, and Marcus Garvey Park, in Harlem, has a smaller walkway of cherry timber close to the doorway on fifth Avenue and 124th Road.
Many of the cherry timber in Central Park are discovered between 72nd Road and 96th Road. There are 35 Yoshino timber on the East Facet of the Central Park Reservoir (and loads of pink cherry timber on the West Facet), and the park has a lot of different in style spots — together with Cherry Hill, Pilgrim Hill, the Nice Garden and Cedar Hill — listed on its web site.
Downtown, there are normally late blooming Kwanzan timber in Union Sq. and Madison Sq. Park (the place you may as well spot one Yoshino tree alongside fifth Avenue), and several other Yoshino timber that bloom in Washington Sq. Park.
Within the Bronx, the New York Botanical Backyard has greater than 200 cherry timber on its grounds, together with a row of the pink weeping selection close to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The backyard’s Spring Bloom Tracker reveals the present standing of cherry blossoms, magnolias, daffodils, azaleas, peonies, lilacs and roses. Pelham Bay Park additionally has Yoshino cherry timber close to the Metropolis Island Bridge.
Randalls Island is having a Cherry Blossom Competition on Could 1, however the timber can be in bloom earlier than then close to the island’s City Farm and Fields 62 and 63. Roosevelt Island, between Manhattan and Queens, has its personal assortment of cherry timber that may be seen alongside the island’s West Promenade.
The Queens Botanical Backyard has decorative timber in its Cherry Circle, and Astoria’s Rainey Park has its personal assortment of Okame and Kwanzan cherry blossoms by the East River.
In Brooklyn, Inexperienced-Wooden Cemetery has a set of 172 cherry timber, and can be having its Hanami Competition (which interprets to “flower viewing”) on April 20. Smaller spectacles can be present in Prospect Park (close to the Grand Military Plaza entrance), Bushwick’s Maria Hernandez Park and Sundown Park.
The Brooklyn Botanic Backyard has greater than 200 cherry timber, 76 of which may be discovered lining its well-known Cherry Esplanade. Although its annual Sakura Matsuri competition — which used to attract as much as 50,000 folks over the course of a weekend — has been canceled for a 3rd straight yr due to the pandemic, the backyard has prolonged hours and has unfold cherry blossom-related programming over three weekends. (Elizabeth Reina-Longoria, the director of selling and communications for the backyard, mentioned there can be free group tickets out there to the general public all through cherry blossom season.)
Staten Island has timber unfold out all through Convention Home Park and Clove Lakes Park. There are additionally timber on the northern aspect of the lake in Silver Lake Park and alongside Cottage Row on the Comfortable Harbor Cultural Middle & Botanical Backyard. (You should use the Parks Division’s Staten Island Bloom Information to search out out when a few of these timber can be blossoming.)
And when you’re up for a visit to New Jersey, the Essex County Cherry Blossom Competition is going on at Department Brook Park in Newark, N.J., from April 2 to 10. There, folks can see 5,000 cherry timber — one of many largest collections in america.
With this all mentioned, when you miss some (or all) of the blossoms, don’t sweat it. Ms. Peters, from the Brooklyn Botanic Backyard, mentioned that cherry blossoms are solely the beginning of a powerful season.
“Folks love the cherries as a result of it provides us all one thing to have fun,” she mentioned. “However this yr specifically, we’re attempting to showcase our many different blooms, as a result of there’s much more to like about spring than simply the cherries.”
New York
Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter
ROBERT MENENDEZ
NEW JERSEY
COMMITTEES:
BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN
AFFAIRS
FINANCE
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Honorable Phil Murphy
Governor of New Jersey
Office of the Governor
Trenton, N.J. 08625
Dear Governor Murphy,
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-3005
July 23, 2024
528 SENATE HART OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
210 HUDSON STREET
HARBORSIDE 3, SUITE #1000
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07311
(973) 645-3030
208 WHITE HORSE PIKE
SUITE 18-19
BARRINGTON, NJ 08007
(856) 757-5353
This is to advise you that I will be resigning from my office as the United States Senator from
New Jersey, effective on the close of business on August 20, 2024.
This will give time for my staff to transition to other possibilities, transfer constituent files that
are pending, allow for an orderly process to choose an interim replacement, and for me to close
out my Senate affairs.
While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court,
I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important
work. Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters
before the ethics committee are not privileged. This is evidenced by the Committee’s Staff
Director and Chief Counsel being called to testify at my trial.
I am proud of the many accomplishments I’ve had on behalf of New Jersey, such as leading the
federal effort for Superstorm Sandy recovery, preserving and funding Gateway and leading the
federal efforts to help save our hospitals, State and municipalities, as well as New Jersey families
through a once in a century COVID pandemic. These successes led you, Governor, to call me the
“Indispensable Senator.”
I thank the citizens of New Jersey for the extraordinary privilege of representing them in the
United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Pabet Menang.
Robert Menendez
United States Senator
New Jersey
cc: The Honorable Kamala Harris, President of the Senate
The Honorable Ann Berry, Secretary of the Senate
New York
How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?
A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz celebrates Brooklyn and novels set around the bustling borough. To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. Links to the books will be listed at the end of the quiz if you’d like to do further reading.
New York
See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing
After Gov. Kathy Hochul halted New York City’s congestion pricing program last month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut $16.5 billion worth of planned upgrades to the city’s vast transit network, mostly to account for the loss of funding that was tied to revenue from the toll.
Projects were cut from each part of New York City’s transit system, which is the largest in North America and is used by millions of people every day. The projects included elevator and ramp installations that would make subway stations accessible for people with disabilities, structural repairs to aging infrastructure and upgrades to 1930s-era signals that regularly cause delays.
Here are some of the subway projects the authority says it has shelved:
The cuts announced by the M.T.A. — the state agency that runs the subway, bus and commuter rail lines — will also affect transit outside the subway system. The authority has postponed the purchase of more than 250 electric buses and charging infrastructure at bus depots, as well as upgrades to regional rails and a ramp reconstruction on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
The $12 billion remaining in the M.T.A.’s capital funds will be spent on projects the authority considers the most urgent, like track replacements and repairs to power substations. It will also replace some of the “least reliable” subway and railway cars, the authority said in a report.
All told, there are 92 subway stations that will not get planned improvements, including 22 stations that will not get new elevators or ramps; 10 that will not get upgrades like structural repairs, platform replacements and new barriers between platforms and tracks; and 71 that will not get upgrades to their public announcement systems.
Below is a list of the subway stations where upgrades have been put on hold, based on what the M.T.A. has detailed so far:
Projects on hold at 41 stations in Brooklyn:
Union St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
4 Av-9 St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
36 St D N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
59 St N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bergen St F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
15 St-Prospect Park F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Church Av F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue X F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neptune Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
- platform or waiting area replacement
Jay St-MetroTech A C F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts A C G
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Franklin Av C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Nostrand Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Utica Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Euclid Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
7 Av B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue U Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neck Rd Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sheepshead Bay B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Brighton Beach B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ocean Pkwy Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
W 8 St-NY Aquarium F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jefferson St L
- elevator or ramp installation
Nevins St 2 3 4 5
- platform or waiting area replacement
Crescent St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Norwood Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Cleveland St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Van Siclen Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Alabama Av J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chauncey St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Halsey St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Gates Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kosciuszko St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Myrtle Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Flushing Av J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lorimer St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hewes St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Marcy Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy N
- elevator or ramp installation
18 Av D
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 9 stations in the Bronx:
Norwood-205 St D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bedford Park Blvd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kingsbridge Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Fordham Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Tremont Av B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
161 St-Yankee Stadium B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Wakefield-241 St 2
- elevator or ramp installation
Brook Av 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
3 Av-138 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Projects on hold at 27 stations in Manhattan:
Roosevelt Island F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/63 St F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
42 St-Bryant Pk B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
34 St-Herald Sq B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broadway-Lafayette St B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
2 Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Delancey St-Essex St F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
East Broadway F
- upgrade to public announcement system
190 St A
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
145 St A C B D
- elevator or ramp installation
W 4 St-Wash Sq A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Canal St A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
World Trade Center E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/59 St N R W
- elevator or ramp installation
168 St 1
- elevator or ramp installation
3 Av L
- new fencing between platform and track
5 Av 7
- elevator or ramp installation
Times Sq-42 St 7
- new fencing between platform and track
Delancey St-Essex St J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Canal St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Broad St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
110 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
59 St 4 5 6
- elevator or ramp installation
7 Av B D E
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 14 stations in Queens:
21 St-Queensbridge F
- upgrade to public announcement system
111 St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
75 St-Elderts Ln J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport E J Z
- new fencing between platform and track
Jamaica-Van Wyck E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Parsons Blvd F
- elevator or ramp installation
Sutphin Blvd F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Briarwood E F
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Howard Beach-JFK Airport A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broad Channel A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Far Rockaway-Mott Av A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Rockaway Park-Beach 116 St A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Projects on hold at 1 station in Staten Island:
Clifton SIR
- elevator or ramp installation
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