Oh, the hidden surprises in NYC!  Join us this week as we visit the West Side Community Garden for the Tulip Festival.  (hopefully Mother Nature is cooperating with us!) Bring your brigjhtest colors and capture the splender of thousands of vibrant blooms in your sketchbooks.  AND, walk across 90th street to the Stovala Playground to see and sketch the mid-centry artists’playground installation and the miniature horses installed along 91st. 

DATE: Wednesday April 22,, 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

TRANSPORTATION: B,C train to 86th Street

HOST: Mila Genkin. 718-909-3606

NOTES: 

• Plenty of benches but a stool is always helpful

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event.  #nycurbansketchers.

Saturday 4/18/26: Roosevelt Island Promenade

The Roosevelt Island Promenade is a scenic riverwalk down the eastern and western lengths of Roosevelt Island with incredible views of Manhattan and Queens. The areas South of the tram contain many parks and open spaces where you can sketch on benches under shade trees. At the southern tip of the island is Four Freedoms Park, with views of Manhattan and Long Island City in Queens. There is also the Cornell Tech Campus, and the historic ruins of the Smallpox Hospital serving as a haunting reminder of the island’s past.

Areas north of the tram are more city like, with sights including Blackwell House, and Main Street with shops and restaurants. Further north The Octagon, opened in 1839 as the “Municipal Lunatic Asylum,” was believed to hold healing properties for the “mentally insane and physically sick”. Lighthouse Park is located at the norther tip of the island featuring a 19th century lighthouse and panoramic views of the surrounding area. 

HOST: Susan Toplitz (632) 948-3233

DATE: Saturday 4/18/26

TIME: Sketching 10am - 3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm. 

SKETCHING LOCATION: Roosevelt Island Promenade- Let’s use the area in front of the Tram as our home base.

MEETING LOCATION: There will be no official meeting to kick off the day, join your fellow sketchers and just start sketching. If you are new, look for people with sketchbooks and say hello, we are a friendly bunch. 

SHOW AND TELL LOCATION:  Meet in the area in front of the Tram and Visitor Center. There are benches on the side of the Tram building. Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location.

FOOD, DRINK, RESTROOMS, SEATING: Yes to all. There are benches, public restrooms, shops, and restaurants throughout the island. 

ABOUT NYC URBAN SKETCHING EVENTS: All are welcome, no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event.  #nycurbansketchers.

4/24 Friday NJ Sketchers at Mitsuwa

  

Sketch with us in Edgewater.

Sketch Mitsuwa Marketplace and/or the views of NYC across the Hudson River.

Time: 10:30am. Meet at the store entrance. Gather for lunch/throwdown at 12:30 in the food court.

Location: Mitsuwa Marketplace, 595 River Road, Edgewater, NJ 07020

There is plenty of free parking.  After you park your car, there is a paved pink sidewalk on your left.  Walk towards the river and you will see the entrance on your right.

If it's a good weather day, we have the option to sketch outside facing the NYC skyline. Bring a stool for river sketching.  Plan on buying coffee and/or lunch.  There are many delicious options.  We can also do some food paintings.   

RSVP to: Julia Bazaz 

jazaz7658@gmail.com

(551) 206-1273

instagram: @njurbansketchers

All welcome, no fees to attend

BONUS for People Attending Workshop: Building A Spiral of Attention with Nishant Jain - May 2nd

 

THURSDAY, April 16, 2026: WESTCHESTER SKETCHERS at Lasdon, Park, Katonah

 

Lasdon Park, Arboretum, and Veterans Memorial is a magnificent 234-acre property consisting of woodlands, open grass meadows, and formal gardens.  During this season, there is so much to inspire your sketches, including the beautiful colors of the many flowers, shrubs, and historic trees which adorn the property.

DETAILS:

HOST: Cathy Gutterman (914) 625-0766

DATE: Thursday, April 16, 2026
START TIME: 10:00 AM Meet at the Upper Parking Lot entrance.
LOCATION: Lasdon Park, Aboretum, and Veterans Memorial 2610 Amawalk Road (Route 35) Katonah, NY 10536 https://www.lasdonpark.org/

DIRECTIONS: https://www.lasdonpublicgardens.org/directions/

Transportation from NYC: Metro-North Harlem Line to Southeast - get off at the Katonah Station.

The 8:43 AM peak train from Grand Central arrives in Katonah at 9:51 AM.

Please call Marianne to arrange for pick up and ride to the garden.

LUNCH: 12:30 PM Bring your own. Meet on the patio Conservatory Plaza near the gift shop.  

SHOW and TELL: Following lunch, we'll share stories and sketches during the social part of our day.

NOTES:

- The park has free admission, free parking, and restrooms. 

- Bring water, sunscreen and bug spray.

- Bring a stool for more options.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman at westchester@nycurbansketchers.org.

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event.  #nycurbansketchers.

 Weekday Sketchers At Central Park Reservoir for Cherry Blossoms

They are back: big, puffy and pink!

What makes them so appealing? Is it the bright color, the abundance of flowers, a view of spring against the still wintery landscape, or the symbolism of a change in season?  Whatever makes them attractive really doesn't matter. It is that they are here that makes us want to get out and sketch them, paint them and capture the moment in our books.

Join us this week as we begin our journey around the city to find the beautiful spring blooms. .  This week we will gather in Central Park on the west side of the reservoir where there is a grove of trees just ready to burst open.  

For more information about the cherry trees in Central Park, click here: https://secretnyc.co/central-park-cherry-blossoms-map/

DATE: WEDNESDAY APRIL 15, 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION: CENTAL PARK

                      West side of the reservoir at approximately 88th Street     

                      See map below

TRANSPORTATION: B OR C TRAIN TO 86TH STREET

HOST:  CAROL KREIDER 949-029-2616

NOTES

• Bring a stool.
• Water and bathrooms nearby.
• No food service in this part of the park. Bring lunch or purchase it on you way.

Saturday 4/11/26: Weekend Sketchers at The Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park

 

The temperature forecast for Saturday has been climbing, but still seems to be hovering around 60 degrees, so let’s use The Cloisters as our home base, and you can venture out into Fort Tryon Park if it warms up. The Cloisters also has outdoor spaces, aka “cloisters”, so you can sketch outside until you get cold and them pop inside to warm up. An ideal location for early spring sketching. 

The Cloisters is a division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a collection of Medieval architecture, sculpture and decorative arts… this is one of NYC's gems. 

Fort Tryon Park has views of the Hudson River and GW Bridge, beautiful flower gardens, and views of The Cloisters that make it seem as if you are in the French Countryside.

Host: Helene Lacaille 202-320-2166
Date: Saturday 4/11/26
Time: Sketching 11am - 3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm. 
Location: The Cloisters, 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, New York, NY 10040

Meeting spot:  Join your fellow sketchers in the Main Hall at the top of the entrance steps at 11am. Running late? Come anyway, we will be there. 
Show and Tell location: Last time we met in Gallery 6, the Pontaut Chapter House, which had good seating, so let’s plan to meet there. Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location. 

ADMISSION FEE: General Admission is $30, $22 for seniors. NYS residents and students are pay-what-you-wish. Discounts are available for Affiliations and Community Partners, go to their website for more information.
VENUE RULES: In the museum, sketching is permitted only in pencil. Other marking materials such as paint, charcoal, and markers are not allowed. Water is allowed in a secure bottle, no food or drink. Small backpacks are allowed, no tripods.  As always, please listen to the guards, we want to be welcomed back with open arms. 

Seating:  There is some seating throughout the museum. A stool gives you more options.
Food, drink, restrooms: There are restrooms and water fountains. The website says the Cafe is opening on Saturday. 

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event.  #nycurbansketchers.