Best things to do in New York City this March

This month, hope swells in the heart of every New Yorker: spring is on the way! It’s a false hope, though, as aside from the springing forward of the clocks on 8th March, there’s little other evidence of a change in seasons. However, while the weather remains chilly and gray, the city shifts to more giddy pursuits: new plays and films, eye-popping art, vigorous public drinking  has a mid-size rink in the center, but the best bet in Manhattan is still the roomy Wollman Rink, in Central Park.  at Prospect Park and the renovated McCarren Rink, in Williamsburg.
When: all rinks open until mid-Mar

New Directors/New Films festival

This excellent annual festival, curated by and screened at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, has a particularly strong international slant, giving many films from other countries their debut in the United States. Directors are often on hand to talk at screenings as well. The lineup mixes documentary, comedy and drama. This year look out for, among many others, a Ukrainian film about deaf-mute high-school students; a portrait of Christmas tree vendors in New York City; and the acclaimed Theeb, which tells the story of WWI in the Middle East – well known from Lawrence of Arabia – from the Jordanian perspective.
When: Mar 18–29
More info: newdirectors.org

Fun with flowers

While spring takes its sweet time arriving, head north to the Bronx to warm up in the New York Botanical Garden's enormous glass conservatory, for its annual Orchid Show. This year’s theme: chandeliers. Near the end of the month, get your spring fix at the Flower Show at Macy’s, when the department store fills its ground floor with creative floral installations.
When: Orchid Show: until Apr 19; Flower Show: Mar 22–Apr 4

Affordable Art Fair

This sensibly named annual expo is a nice counterpoint to the hifalutin’ Armory Show earlier in the month. If you don’t care quite so much about art-world hobnobbing and just want to buy something neat for your living room (a pretty good souvenir of your NYC trip, right?), this is one of the better places to look. You can browse thousands of works, more than half of which are priced under $5000. Even the admission price is a relatively reasonable $18 (online).
When: March 25–29
Where: Metropolitan Pavilion (125 W 18^th St)
More info: affordableartfair.com

Musical nostalgia

Take your pick of throwbacks this month. Neil Diamond plays the Barclays Center, performing songs from his new album, which returns to the smooth-pop sound that made him famous. Meanwhile, masters of quirk-rock They Might Be Giants play the third of four monthly retrospective shows at the Music Hall of Williamsburg; this one will focus on their 1990 album, Flood.
When: Neil Diamond: Mar 26; They Might Be Giants: Mar 29