Trip.com is an innovative planning tool that tailors recommendations for places to stay, eat and play to your specific tastes. It also allows you to share your great experiences with people who have the same interests as you; people in your “tribes.” Trip.com’s TripPicks This Week feature empowers you to discover and take advantage of great events, openings and exhibits throughout the city each week.
Here are some exciting events and sites to check out this week in Downtown New York, courtesy of Trip.com. Visit the Trip.com site or download the app for more upcoming events.
1. Hester Street Fair Opening
Hester Street Fair (Lower East Side)
Saturday, Apr. 15 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
This weekend starts Hester Street Fair’s 8th season. In addition to another year of great food and unique wares the market will host a slew of new events including a neighborhood Yard Sale, Wellness Weekends, Pet Day, Ball’s Bistro, Game Day, Girl Power Day, Ice Cream Social and so much more. FREE!
2. The Things They Carried
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons School Of Design (Union Square)
Daily from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM; Thursdays until 8:00 PM (through Monday, Apr. 17)
As the debate — or assault — on immigration rages on, State Of Exception/Estado De Excepción, an exhibition by artists Richard Barnes and Amanda Krugliak, in collaboration with anthropologist De León, puts viewers on intimate terms with the personal effects of men and women who’ve risked (and in some cases lost) their lives to cross dangerous terrain to reach the U.S. On display are backpacks, clothing, small keepsakes, interviews, recordings, video installation and documents that help paint a detailed picture of the ordeal migrants face in seeking a better future. FREE!
3. Wine 101
Astor Center (NoHo)
Thursday, Apr. 13 at 6:30 PM
Wine knowledge is not all ostentatious swirling and sniffing and sugary descriptions… For those that want to get their foot in the “wine” door, Elements of Wine is great start. This 2 hour class with Andrew Fisher, President of Astor Wines & Spirits for over 30 years, will introduce participants to the basics of enjoying, identifying and pairing wine, in layman’s terms. $79 included wine samplings and light bites.
4. Sweet Spot: SoHo
Check site for location (SoHo)
Saturday, Apr. 15 at 2:00 PM
Looking for a sweet adventure that allows you to explore a neighborhood, its nooks and crannies, and its sweet shops? Tag along on this saccharine scavenger hunt through SoHo, to all the best specialty shops to sample “tropical fruit caramels, bacon candy bars, lavender macaroons, spiced hot chocolate, cupcakes and rice pudding in more than 31 flavors.” $10 — bring cash as ticket price does not include food purchases.
5. Circus and Culinary Feast
NYU Skirball Center (Greenwich Village)
Tuesday, Apr. 11 – Sunday, Apr. 16 (check site for showtimes)
Part circus and part culinary celebration, Cuisine & Confessions, from by Montreal circus company Les 7 Doigts de la Main, is an unusual theatrical performance that combines acrobatics and everyday kitchen items to explore memories tied to our first tastes… The show is an intimate and sensual exploration of how food defines and shape our most important experiences. Tickets start at $45.
6. Easter Brunch
La Pecora Bianca (Flatiron)
Sunday, Apr. 16 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The setting is casual, but this Italian Easter brunch is definitely decadent. Choose from savory toasts (avocado, salmon or prosciutto cotto with fontina) or lavish salads like the Toscano, made with kale, roasted squash and ricotta, before moving on to the rich selection of main courses, that range from pastas, meatballs to steak and eggs and french toast. Make sure to save room for dessert. $40 — add $20 for an hour of unlimited pours of bellini or bloody mary.
7. Spring Bonnets
East Village Hats (East Village)
Tuesday-Saturday from 12:00 PM to 7:30 PM; Sunday from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
The Easter and Bonnet Festival is as good excuse as any to get a new spring hat. Head to East Village Hats — formerly Barbara Feinman’s East Village Millinery — where all hats are handmade, “expressing our distinct traditional style,” and guaranteed to turn heads.
