By Tracy Zwick
Celebrate Easter, Earth Day, and spring springing everywhere you look on the UWS.
Let’s Weekend!
April 18th to 24th, 2025
Celebrate Easter: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday take place over the next few days with religious services at houses of worship and celebrations all over
One of the best Easters my kids and I had involved hiding eggs and picnicking with friends amongst the cherry blossoms in Riverside Park. My point is, you don’t need to get fancy to make it fun. The forecast looks spring perfect and the UWS’s ornamental cherry trees and just about everything else should be coming into bloom. If you’d rather stay indoors, Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) on West 83rd Street is hosting an Easter “egg-stravaganza” involving a museum-wide egg hunt, basket-weaving, egg painting, puppets, and more. Easter brunch options abound, including an “Easter Bunny Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt” at Harry’s Table by Cipriani on Freedom Place near West 61st Street and at Sarabeth’s on Amsterdam Avenue near West 80th Street.
Visit the Met Cloisters Annual Plant Sale: Saturday, April 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Fort Tryon Park, Cloisters Lawn; Free
It’s a little north of the neighborhood (take the A train to 190 Street), but this upper-uptown branch of the Metropolitan Museum, which houses much of the Met’s medieval collection, is well worth a visit for the plant sale, the tapestries, the grounds, and so much more. In addition to the plant sale, this Saturday there’s an Earth Day talk at 2:00 p.m. in Gallery 2, the Fuentiduena Chapel. (Free, but RSVP using this link.) Admission to the Met is always pay-what-you-wish for New York residents, and your ticket to one branch gets you in to both the Met Fifth Ave. and the Met Cloisters.
Women in the Art Collection of St. John the Divine, Tuesday, April 22nd from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., 1047 Amsterdam Ave. at West 112th Street; Free
Art has always had a place in churches. This exhibition, featuring female artists in the collection of St. John the Divine, will officially open Tuesday with a wine and cheese reception starting at 6:00 p.m. The Cathedral has an extensive art collection that includes objects already on view throughout its grand spaces. This show will highlight women artists addressing social issues and spiritual themes in work spanning the early 20th century to the present day.
Looking Ahead:
We don’t often look ahead in this column, but I’ve got my eye on two things next week that don’t fit into our usual “weekend” rubric. I’m interested in a scholarly talk about The Master Building that’ll take place virtually Thursday, April 24th at 6:30. Stephanie Azzarone, author and local historian, will discuss the history and design of this NYC landmark on Riverside Drive and West 103rd Street that’s thought by many to be one of the finest Art Deco high-rises in town. It’s housed some intriguing residents and been the scene of a headline-making murder or two. (Free)
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
The Met Cloisters is so easy to get to and it’s gorgeous. Everyone should go!