We skipped the crowds for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Sakura Matsuri festival, but the cherry blossoms (at least those trees already blooming after this laggardly spring) were only slightly less mobbed last Tuesday, when the breeze was balmy and the admission was free. Hanami, the traditional contemplation of transient blooms, seemed to have undergone a profound transition this year, happening mostly through handheld screens of every size and description.
This bloomer on the Cherry Esplanade was surrounded with two kinds of buzz: pollinators, and photo-op seekers.
Young or older, no one can resist posing in front of the foamy mounds of flowers.
This lovely Instagrammer wore a chic jacket in a complementary shade of creamy raspberry.
But some folks did seem a bit preoccupied with the whole selfie thing...
...including users of the rapidly proliferating "selfie sticks."
Over in the pavilion of the Japanese Garden, it came as a relief to see someone taking a picture with a good "old-fashioned" camera...or better yet, just gazing at the beauty through a pair of young eyes.