#FiveBoroughBucketList #24: 2018 Macy's Flower Show

When the weather gets warmer (usually. I don't know what's going on this year) and spring arrives in New York City, it brings with it a bunch of opportunities to celebrate the season. The annual Macy's Flower Show is one of those opportunities. I got to check it out last year, so it was only natural that I went back to see this year's show.

Macy's Flower Show is the retail giant's annual celebration of springtime. This year's theme, "Once Upon a Springtime," puts visitors right in the heart of a fantasyland. 

Now in its 44th year in New York, the Macy's Flower Show was first launched in San Francisco in 1946. The first show was nothing more than a few potted plants and orchids. Over the years, the show has grown into a must-visit experience at Macy's in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Francisco.

Some of the show's previous themes include "Art in Bloom" and "America the Beautiful." This year Macy's put on "Once Upon a Springtime," complete with fantasy-inspired scenes straight out of a storybook. Featuring about a million flowers, the show is home to everything from trees and castles to gardens and a dragon. 

Macy's Flower Show is put on by the same people who plan the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This means you can expect plenty of detail and spectacle.

As you walk through Macy's, you can follow along with the different storytelling cards set up. I personally loved reading through all of the cards, since they felt timely given the freezing cold weather we still have outside​.

I stopped in to check out the show during my lunch break at work one day. It was a little crowded (Macy's is a pretty big tourist attraction after all), but I still got to experience the majority of this year's displays. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed with the springtime setup for this year. Don't get me wrong! It was really pretty, and I loved the theme they chose, but nothing really blew my mind. I think a big part of it is how much I enjoyed last year's carnival theme, so it was going to be hard to top it. Still, the Macy's Flower Show is a cool little feature that I'll be checking out every year. Now I'm just hoping for some warmer weather so we can enjoy some beautiful flowers outside​.