It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday, so let’s celebrate Mom, UWS style, this weekend! If you aren’t busy gift shopping on Saturday, keep in mind that it’s the 4th Annual Japan Parade and Street Fair (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on West 72nd Street and Central Park West; parade begins at 1 p.m.), and the Hispanic Society Museum and Library’s Spring Tardeada (3741 Broadway between 155th and 156th streets), with all the museum’s exhibitions on view, plus music, a ceramics workshop and a show of high schoolers’ work. Admission is free!
If you have time for reading at any point, there’s a provocative, Upper West Side-y work of fiction in the latest issue of The New Yorker. It’s about a Columbia undergrad’s involvement with one of her professors, and it’s written by former Barnard student Lillian Fishman. “Travesty” is sharp, absorbing and short enough to read over a weekend coffee.
May 9th to 11th, 2025
Celebrate Mom on Mother’s Day
Gifts: Homemade gifts are always a win with this mom, but if time or inspiration are in short supply, you can’t go wrong with flowers, sweets or breakfast in bed. I’ve loved receiving flowers and plants from Plant Shed over the years: timeless, lovely, and low-stress. For a mom with a sweet tooth, Mondel Chocolates are perfect for the occasion, or consider a box of cookies from Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods. Planning breakfast in bed? Super Nice on West 108th Street will make it super nice and super easy too. Swing by the walk-up window for French pastries, donuts, biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, coffees, and teas that’d do nicely on a pretty tray, delivered with a kiss. I’m also always happy to get a book, especially one that my kids have read and enjoyed.
Local favorite shops like Strand, Book Culture and Shakespeare & Co. on Broadway near West 70th Street provide plenty of options. For those feeling especially generous: Book Culture on Broadway is right next door to Mondel, between West 113th and 114th streets – making a two-stop gifting spree as easy as one-two-three.
Outings: Your time’s the nicest thing you can give to Mom. I’ll be spending some with my family Sunday at Citi Field as our beloved Chicago Cubs take on the Mets. (There’s a Mother’s Day-themed “Clutch Purse Giveaway” for the first 15,000 fans.) Take Mom to the recently re-opened Frick, which we’ve discussed previously, or the new John Singer Sargent show at the Met, “Sargent and Paris.” New York City Ballet is performing an All-Balanchine program at 3 p.m. Sunday (tickets start at $54). Also at Lincoln Center is the New York African Film Festival, which screens “The Fisherman” on Mother’s Day at 1 p.m. It’s a “heartwarming tale of family, resilience and the enduring spirit of a true fisherman” set in Ghana, and it’ll be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Zoey Martinson.
Meals: If Mom’s up before you or isn’t a breakfast-in-bed type, how about lunch or dinner someplace you can walk to on the UWS? I had a cozy dinner last week at Friend of a Farmer on West 71st Street, where the emphasis is on fresh, local ingredients. The Mo Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental at Columbus Circle is an elegant option, as is Essential by Christophe, the Michelin-starred French restaurant on West 77th Street. My family’s partial to Pisticci, a vibrant Italian place on LaSalle Street, between Broadway and Claremont Avenue. a block north of West 123rd Street. They offer a homey vibe, super brunch options, excellent salads, and pastas that always seem to please every member of our party.
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It’s beautiful weather and SO much to do in and around the UWS! Thanks Tracy for all of these sensational things to do – over the weekend and during the week. Happy Mother’s Day, and GO CUBS from this former Chicagoan.
Yes, the very best gift for me on Mother’s Day is my daughter’s time. That is everything.