We love New York in the fall. It is a season of exciting new events, exhibits, and of course, Halloween decor. These September happenings will liven up the transition from summer to fall. You might even learn something new.
Bloom
Soak up the last month of summer at BLOOM, where you can discover one of New York’s secrets. The Rockefeller Center sprawling 13,000-sq-ft immersive experience pays tribute to America’s first botanical display, the Elgin Garden. With the help of the geniuses at MATTE Projects, the event space Hero, created BLOOM in order to provide relaxation and education about all things fungi and plants. In the first decade of the 1800s, the garden housed plant and fungi species from all over the world. The garden’s visionary founder, Dr. David Hosack, collected more than 2,000 unique species, placing them in a midtown conservatory that we know today as Rockefeller Center. Needless to say, this part of the city looked a lot different.
The experience of walking through the exhibit explains Elgin Garden history through storytelling, engages your senses, and helps you leave your worries at the door. How you choose to spend your time here is completely up to you. We were captivated by the history, creative installations and meditative sounds. During our visit, we saw families celebrating birthdays and couples enjoying cocktails. There is a place to play, take workshops and even a place to have a cocktail. The eclectic eden is a colorful way to spend your day. The beautifully executed bar design feels like a vacation. We enjoyed a pretty Chandon cocktail and a Hibiscus tea by The Alchemist’s Kitchen. Alchemist’s Kitchen helps guests connect to the healing power of plants, which makes them the ideal partner at BLOOM. The highlight of our stay was learning how to make a flower crown.
This month, on the 18th at 6pm, BLOOM will be hosting a free event with Victoria Johnson and Greg Young. Johnson is a Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at CUNY’s Hunter College and National Book Award Finalist author of “American Eden, and Young is Co-Host of the Webby Awards-honored “Bowery Boys” podcast. They will be discussing Victoria’s book and the concept surrounding “American Eden.” For more happenings, visit the event page.
The bar and exhibit can be found at the Rink Level. While BLOOM ends at the end of September, the enjoyment of new installations does not. HERO will transition to a Halloween-inspired exhibit for the fall and a holiday experience during the winter months. Make sure to come and celebrate the changing seasons.
BLOOM at Hero, 610 5th Avenue Rink Level, Rockefeller Center
The Great Elephant Migration
For a free way to explore the city this fall, stroll the sidewalks looking for public art installations. Undoubtedly, the buzziest art on display right now is in the Meatpacking District. When you approach 9th Avenue you cannot miss the spectacular herd of 100 elephants of all sizes. Walk among the herd while learning all about the reason for their creation. The Great Elephant Migration is known for traveling throughout the world, calling attention to environmental issues.
The Great Elephant Migration partnered up with Elephant Family USA, an international organization dedicated to helping humans coexist with wildlife. This expansive installation was made by The Coexistence Collective, a community of 200 indigenous artisans. They are the perfect life sized replicas of elephants in TamilNadu. The elephants are made from lantana camara, one of the world’s top invasive weeds. The plant pushes animals out of the forest and into urban areas, at times leading to a human-wildlife conflict.
The display can be found on 9th Avenue, between Gansevort and 15th Street in the Meatpacking District. If you find them adorable you might like to know that the elephants are for sale. Money from sales will help fund projects that will allow humans and elephants to coexist. Stop by and see the exhibit until October 20th.
Feast of San Gennaro
No NYC food fair is more iconic than the Feast of San Gennaro. The little Italy feast honors the bishop and saint protector of Naples, Saint Gennaro of Benevento, Italy. Started by Italian immigrants who moved to the Lower East Side in the early 20th century, the feast is in its 98th year. Every year Mulberry Street is especially famous for featuring traditional food vendors, processions and live entertainment. Our favorite foods to get are the Margarita pizza and cannolis, but many come here for delicious pastas, grilled sausage sandwiches, and sfogliatelle. While the feast does get crowded, Italian food lovers should not miss out on trying all the delicious offerings.
The feast begins on Thursday September 14th, and kicks off with Anne Burrell as the grand marshal of festivities. Burell is an upstate New York native and host of Food Network’s hit show Worst Cooks in America. The procession will have marching bands, floats, revelers and, most importantly – the statue of San Gennaro.
The Feast of San Gennaro is located along Mulberry Street between Canal and Houston Streets and ends on September 24. Go sample some of the best Italian cuisine in New York.
Museum of the City of New York
Take in some history at the Museum of the City of New York through their upcoming exhibit, Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection. The exhibit allows you to get a glimpse into an era during which the city made history by becoming a global beacon of culture and modernity. There will be over 250 postcards from the 1920s to the 1940s, a display of vintage fashion treasures and education on how postcards played a key role in spreading the message about New York’s grandeur. The images on the postcard, depicting landmarks like the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center, proved to the world that New York is the international capital.
Come for the art, the history and the education on how something as simple as a postcard can make a big impact. The exhibit will be running through February 17, 2025.
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 5th Ave (at 103rd St) Upper East Side
