Flowering Cherry Tree Map at BBG

This is just insanely fun. It's a little embarrassing that I had to go to gothamist.com to find this map, but I'm glad it's on my radar now. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden actually has a map that shows the level of bloom for each of the cherry trees in the Garden. How cool is that? It's called the "CherryWatch Blossom Status Map," and it's updated every couple of days. Another fun section of the website is the month-by-month "What's in Bloom" page. It will be helpful in getting to the BBG while the Bluebell Wood is in bloom. I always seem to miss it. In fact, the last time I saw it in bloom was in the Dave Matthews Band video with Julia Roberts rolling around in the flowers. I'd rather see it in person. Entrance is $8 for Adults (children under 12 are free), and membership is actually a good deal if you plan on going often; it's $40 for an individual. The Garden is Open to the Public and FREE on Tuesdays and on most Saturdays from 10 - 12 AM. Getting there from Sunset is a bit of a tangle, but it's worth it. By subway, take the Manhattan bound R/N/D to Atlantic/Pacific, and get on the New Lots Avenue 3 (or 2). Get off at Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum. There is an entrance right by the Museum. The troublesome part is the transfer; you have to walk across the entire station and up and down and up stairs. There are elevators, however, so it's not impossible with a stroller. By bus, take the B63 to the B71 at Union Street. It stops right on the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Washington. You can either walk to the main entrance on Washington, or go back to the right-hand side of the Museum to enter. Again, it's not complicated, but waiting for the B71 can give anyone a knitted brow.