Travel the world without leaving NYC. The Japan Parade is today. And have you heard about the Flatiron’s Portal to Dublin? It’s very cool. And our roving photographer is roving in Sicily!   Exciting news about our upcoming Renewal Summit…we are now offering half day tickets.  The Kips Bay Decorator Show House is back. There’s an extravaganza “Wonderland” opening at the New York Botanical Gardens. And our 3T fitness guru, Joan Pagano, is launching a 4-week online strength training course. PS…Joan will be moderating a panel at the Renewal Summit.

Can’t Attend the Entire Day?

You really don’t want to miss a single moment of our all day Renewal Summit, but for those who can’t attend the entire day, we now have a half-day ticket offering. It includes our 3 afternoon panels, our special guest, and the presentation of the Woman of Purpose Award…and… our wine reception. GET YOUR TICKETS.

Today. Japan Parade

Now in its third year, this parade celebrates the friendship between NYC and Japan with a thank you from the Japanese community. The parade starts at 1pm along Central Park West. And their street fair is from 11am to 5pm on 72^nd street between Central Park W & Columbus Ave.) Get more details.

Now to May 28. Kips Bay Decorator Show House

You definitely want to head to this year’s decorator show house, where twenty-four celebrated designers and architects have used their talent and design expertise to completely transform a townhouse at 125 East 65th Street in the Upper East Side. And you will help a good cause too… the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Thanks to Ellen Easton for sharing her photos from the preview event.

The Show House attracts 15,000 visitors each year and all proceeds benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. The Clubs offer innovative programs to more than 10,000 young people between the ages of 6 and 18 at nine locations throughout the Bronx, with essential afterschool programs aimed to help them recognize their potential for growth and success. The esteemed Show Houses have raised over $30 million to date.

For more information, please visit www.kipsbaydecoratorshowhouse.org.

Starting May 15. 4 Week Online Osteoporosis Strength Training Class

In celebration of May, Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, our 3T fitness guru, Joan Pagano invites you to a new 4-week live online Osteoporosis Strength Training class. Hosted by her good friend and colleague Margie Bissinger, these innovative classes are all personally designed by Joan to meet American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines with bone safe exercises. Each online session is 45 minutes, once a week. If you miss a session, you can watch the replay. Cost for all 4 sessions is just $48. Sign up now.

• Week 1– Gretting Stronger: The Major Muscle Groups
• Week 2– Improving Posture: Focus on Back, Shoulders, and Core
• Week 3– Bands and Loops for Better Bones
• Week 4– Strength Training Plus Cardio Intervals

Roving in Sicily

Nicole Freezer Rubens shares her recent trip to Sicily.

There is a first time for everything and I recently returned from my first trip to Sicily. The most fascinating feature of discovering this ancient Italian island, was the mix of what it has to offer. Ancient Greek and Roman ruins are so common that the locals often pass them in their every day routines as many times as I pass a CVS. The same is true for the abundance of old churches and theaters that dapple the towns and remain in use.

The scenery is diverse. Palermo is as nitty gritty as a city gets, in stark contrast to breathtaking Taormina, a glamorous beach town nestled into the hillside of the Ionian Sea, and the historically significant city of Siracusa. Nature dominates with the bluest water, endless mountain ranges engulfing the island and of course Mount Etna, that can be viewed from far and wide, with steam often dramatically rising from its chimney. The region’s rich soil produces delectable ingredients making Sicily known for its citrus, nuts, olives and wine. I loved the variety of sites and differing personalities of the cities I was able to see.

Lastly on my way home I spent one night in Naples and finally crossed eating authentic doughy pizza from the source, off my bucket list. Of course I had locally grown pistacho gelato almost daily. Ciao Sicily. Thanks for the memories and the Aperol spritzes.

~Nicole Freezer Rubens is the author of “The Long Pause and the Short Breath”

May 18-Oct. 27. Wonderland: Curious Nature

It’s unbelievable, it’s unfamiliar, it’s NYBG like never before! Head down the rabbit hole as Wonderland: Curious Nature transforms our 250 acres through the sights, settings, and scents of the classic story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—and step into a botanical experience that grows curiouser and curiouser as you set off on your immersive journey. Choose your own adventure with mind-bending horticultural displays fit for a queen, unusual and outsized art installations, fantastical tea parties, and all of the wonderfully weird beauty of Alice’s world of imagination, made real with thousands of technicolor flowers. Peer a little closer and you might even spot the Cheshire Cat’s wandering grin! GET THE DETAILS.

Say Hello to Dublin through the Portal

We are definitely heading to Flatiron South Public Plaza at Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street, next to the Flatiron Building to check out “The Portal”, a groundbreaking public technology sculpture known that forms a visual bridge between New York City and Dublin, Ireland. It offers 24/7 real-time, visual live streams that connect New Yorkers and Dubliners.

In Dublin, the Portal faces the capital’s main street, O’Connell Street and will capture the iconic vista of both Dublin’s famous GPO building and the Spire together.

Founded by Lithuanian artist and entrepreneur Benediktas Gylys, Portals are an invitation to meet fellow humans above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is – united and one. The livestream of Portals provides a window between distant locations, allowing people to meet outside of their social circles and cultures.