Springtime in New York

As the weather is getting warmer, many of us look for exciting things to do outside. New Yorkers are similar to the French in this way: once they see the sun, they hit the streets!

Here is a list of fun spring and summer activities that New Yorkers and tourists can both enjoy, including some of my favorites.

Central Park:The most famous park in NYC, thousands of people visit it every day even when the weather is cold, but it is even lovelier in the spring. Many people come with blankets or towels to picnic or sunbathe (se bronzer).

Animal lovers can go to the Central Park Zoo and see animals from around the world, from tigers to polar bears. If you’re lucky, you can watch them feed the seals (phoques)!

One Central Park tradition when the weather is nice is to sail tiny boats on one of the ponds. This is a favorite activity of children, but many adults like it too!

Statue of Liberty:The Statue of Liberty is located on a small island (called Liberty Island) near the island of Manhattan, and to visit it you must take a ferry, but on a sunny day, the boat ride is part of the fun! Once you arrive at the Statue of Liberty, you can enter the statue and climb the stairs inside it, or just walk around the island and admire the park the surrounds it.

High Line Park:New York loves its parks! This particular park is unique because it was built on an former elevated railway (voie élevée). Because of this, the park is very modern. Visitors can enjoy the greenery (verdure) while getting a nice view of the city as well.

Chinatown:One of my personal favorite activities, visiting New York City’s Chinatown, a neighborhood of Chinese immigrants, is fun at any time of year. In the spring, however,

the warm weather makes walking narrow streets more enjoyable. Many stores have fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, and fish on display on the side of the road, and visitors drink bubble tea, an iced tea drink with tapioca “bubbles” – it’s delicious!

Farmer’s Markets:Like the marchés in France, New York City also has many outdoor markets during the spring and summer. Food trucks, which are restaurants where the food is cooked and sold from a truck (camion), are very popular at these events. Visitors can also buy products like cheese, bread, and vegetables, and sometimes farmer’s markets have items like jewelry and crafts.

Frozen Yogurt:This last item is a fad (engouement) all across the United States – its nickname is “froyo.” While most New Yorkers still love ice cream, frozen yogurt, which is not as sweet, is also incredibly popular. It comes in many different flavors, and most people add many

different toppings (garnitures) – strawberries, blueberries, cookies, chocolate, muesli…there are many, many choices! Because it’s cold, it is a refreshing snack (gouter) on a warm day…I like to get mine with raspberries, gummy bears, and chocolate chips!