Spring is in the Air--And Especially, at Macy's

Spring has officially been around for a week now, but even though you may not be able to tell by the temperature outside, all you have to do is wander by Macy's on Herald Square (151 West 34th Street; 212 695-4400) for the annual flower show, which runs through April 11.
Kicking off today, the main branch of the famous department store will play host to 30,000 varieties of trees, flowers and plants from around the globe.
Although not quite as famous as the store's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it’s a traditional harbinger of spring in the city, and a must-see for garden fans.
The theme, “Spring is in the Air,” honors both city gardens as well as tropical locales, and free 20-minutes guided tours will be offered every half hour between 11 am and 4 pm for those who wish more of an up-close experience.
Keep your eyes on the skies (or at least the ceiling) when you’re at the show—hot air balloons holding floral displays, biplanes (a traditional sign of spring?), and kites will waft through the air. The show features 10 different garden areas, including topiary and palm sections. You can also check out designer areas inspired by gardens and flowers, such as “tablescapes" (the rest of us may know them as place settings), and even the Colonial Williamsburg Pleasure Garden in The Cellar, which features gardening tools and herbs used in the 18th century.
Storytelling, seminars, and lectures are among the events offered in conjunction with the show, such as today’s floral arrangement presentation at 1 pm.
Flower shows are also taking place at other Macy’s around the country, including ones in Philadelphia, Minneapolis (face it: they need it even more than we do) Chicago, and San Francisco.

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus--But He's Gone High-Tech

It had to happen: New York’s famous holiday windows have gone high-tech. Department stores have caught up with the digital age, no longer content to feature mere winter wonderlands or smiling Santas. Here, a look at the must sees:
Over at Bloomingdale’s (59th and Lexington Avenue), happy famous couples fill the windows, from Batman and Robin to Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Check out the Smile-O-Matic, in which passersby can see themselves on a screen surrounded by digitally remastered versions of famous art work, such as Botticelli’s “Venus.”
The perennially hip Barney’s (Madison Avenue and 61st Street) has bypassed holiday themes altogether in favor of the 35th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live.” You’ll find The Coneheads, Wayne’s World, even The Church Lady, in a bizarre blizzard of paper mache ornaments.
The children’s story ”Twinkle, Twinkle Little Flake” gets a digital boost with the help of 20 video monitors that animate scenes from the book at Saks Fifth Avenue. (Yes, Windows 7 powers the windows…) Shoppers can even tweet their wish list and have it appear in the yes, windows (It's at 611 Fifth Avenue.)
Over at Bergdorf Goodman, it’s not space age as much as it is surreal, with a nod, perhaps, to Tim Burton’s upcoming film "Alice in Wonderland”: watch for the receding staircase and the edgy guests dressed in fashionable Alexander McQueen.
Macy’s (34th Street and Herald Square) also goes interactive by letting shoppers assemble letters to Santa with ready-made phrases that pop up on touch screens.
And even the goody-goody Lord & Taylor (424 Fifth Avenue at 38th Street) has recognized the computer age this year. Nothing too risqué, of course, but the Victorian skaters in the windows move on a screen, while pelted by a digital snowstorm.