New york Travel Guide
Tags: Barack Obama / History Travel / Political Travel / Walking Tours / → All Tags
Discover President Obama's Lost Years on a Tour of His New York Haunts
President Obama is most closely associated with the city of Chicago, but he spent five years in New York as a student and community organizer, and a local actor has created a walking tour that shines a light on what he calls Obama's "lost years" here. The AP introduces us to Jeremiah Miller, whose two-hour "Obama's New York" tour takes visitors to some of the places the 44th president spent time during his 1981-1985 stint in the city.
Tags: Pedicabs / Manhattan Pedicab / Taxis / → All Tags
New York Pedicabs Go Legit, Lose Outlaw Status
I've never taken a pedicab in my life, but it seems I'm in the minority, as the number of the pedal-powered bicycle taxis has risen dramatically since their introduction to New York in 1995. Pedicabs have become so popular, in fact, that they're now regulated by the city, which requires vehicles to be insured, inspected, and fitted with seat belts, headlights, and hydraulic brakes. A story in The New York Times explains that the new regulations legitimize an industry that began as something of a fringe group, attracting actors, artists, and various downtown weirdos to a unique profession that could net them up to $1,000 a week and help them stay skinny and hot.
Tags: New York City / Southwest Airlines / Beer Travel / Winter Travel / Bryant Park / → All Tags
Slankets, Sliders and Southwest Ale at NYC's Bryant Park
Almost six months ago, Southwest Airlines gave New Yorkers an outright gift: the Southwest Porch, a relaxing, open-air venue in the middle of the city at Bryant Park. During the day, workers from offices in Midtown would sit in the adirondack chairs and on the cushioned lounges to eat their packed lunches, and at night, they can return for a drink and snacks when the bar opens.
The Porch is a pleasant surprise for its lack of pretension and excess of good food choices (being from Top Chef Tom Colicchio' s 'wichcraft chain). We expected it to close down for the winter when the leaves began to fall, but instead the Porch has re-inaugurated itself via a winter menu and introduction of fire pits and slankets, the slankets in celebration of Southwest's recent SkyMall cover.
Tags: Restaurant Week / Restaurant Travel / New York City / Food Travel / New York Restaurants / → All Tags
NYC's Winter Restaurant Week Returns In 2010; Better Get Booking
The bass restaurant week entree at NYC's Asiate restaurant
Foodies, unite! Book your trips to New York City now for the end of January or beginning of February, since the dates for Winter Restaurant Week were just announced. Some of the best and most famous restaurants in the Big Apple will be offering up prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus from January 25 to February 7.
And although restaurant week has been around in NYC since 1992, the prices haven't changed for the menus since 2006, meaning that 3-course lunches are a set $24.07 and 3 or 4-course dinners are $35.
Of course they're breaking out the prix fixe menus during the low period before Valentine's Day, but that's just means more foodie fun to brighten up dreary winter days. We're already plotting our reservations, and although you won't be able to book tables until probably sometime around New Year's, it's the right time to plan an indulgent trip to the city. Put our the airfare alerts now!
Related Stories:
· NY Restaurant Week Is Up For A Second Helping Through Labor Day [Jaunted]
· Restaurant Weeks coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Jaunted]
Tags: How To Get Tickets To / Christmas Travel / New York City / Holiday Travel / → All Tags
How To Get Tickets To See The Rockettes' Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Native New Yorker or one-time tourist, everyone should see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes once—preferably while you're either old enough or young enough to appreciate the spectacle. The velvet seats in NYC's Radio City Music Hall, the elaborate costume changes, the ridiculous souvenirs—well, those you can enjoy as well at home, but the point stands.
Performances of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular start Friday, November 13 (yes, really, Scrooge) with most days holding at least four performances. Picking a non-peak performance (every day till Nov. 26, then weekdays till Dec. 18) will save you money—$7 off the third mezzanine up to $60-$160 on premium seats—so if you can convince your guests to go on a weekday during the Christmas season, much better. For our money's worth, you can see just fine from the 3rd mezzanine, but some people like being front and center, and we admit, it is awesome to be close enough to hear the dance steps as they land.
Tags: Rental Cars / Cars / Budget Travel / Cheap Travel / Bargains / → All Tags
While Every Other Travel Thing is Cheaper, Rental Cars are Still Super Expensive
Airfares and hotel room prices have fallen markedly in response to the global economic meltdown, but rental car rates are as high as ever, prompting the penny-pinchers over at Budget Travel to offer up a few tips on keeping the costs down on your next trip. In an AP item, the magazine's editor-in-chief said that car rental companies are unique in that they can trim their supply of cars very easily, maintaining a tight market for rentals. Thus, your best bet for a bargain is to book in advance, look for a discount code on a site like best-car-rental-tips.com, or use a bidding site like Priceline.
Tags: Baseball Travel / Nightclubs / Drinking Travel / New York City / → All Tags
The Yankees Just Won The World Series, And This Is Where They Went...
That sonic boom you heard emanating from the tri-state area was the sound of millions of Yankees fans, having been cruelly denied a World Series title, finally ending a 9-year drought last night with a 7-3 victory in Game 6. After the game, third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his girlfriend Kate Hudson hit the Meatpacking District, partying at 1Oak with his mom and sister and shortstop Derek Jeter and his girlfriend ("Friday Night Lights"' Minka Kelly).
Even the revelation that Rodriguez has a painting of himself as a centaur in his bedroom failed to slow the Yankees in the rush to their 27th title. Other celebrity Yankees fans include Alec Baldwin, who was spotted in the stands during Game 1, and Jay-Z who performed "Empire State Of Mind" at Yankee Stadium before Game 2. Game 6's celeb ticket holders included Will Forte, Spike Lee and Regis Philbin. (None of them were at 1Oak to the best of our knowledge, though.) On the other hand, it might be appropriate to buy a drink for Will Smith, Tina Fey and Vice President Joe Biden, all Phillies fans.
Tags: Halloween / Halloween Travel / Parades / Scary Travel / Freaks / New York City Marathon / Marathons / Active Travel / → All Tags
A Hell of a Halloween Weekend in New York
Halloween is always a party in New York, but this year several forces combined to make it even wilder than usual. First of all, it happened to fall on a Saturday this year, drawing that many more people out of their apartments and into the night. Second, the Yankees played the Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series - and won! - giving the barroom crowds a grand reason to order a few ill-advised rounds of shots. And third, the New York City Marathon took place the very next morning, giving the Halloween revelers some great human drama to wake up and soothe their hangovers to. Add to that the extra hour of weekend we got because of the end of Daylight Savings Time and you've got a city with every reason to cut loose.
Tags: Halloween / Halloween Travel / Parades / Scary Travel / Freaks / → All Tags
It's Halloween, Do You Have Your Silver Shamrock Mask Yet?
Happy Halloween 2009, everybody! I've always loved Halloween, because it's one of those all-fun, no baggage holidays where you're pretty much required to party and be ridiculous. As the Geto Boys point out, this year Halloween falls on a weekend, ramping up the crazy factor in cities around the world. I'm fortunate to live in New York, home of the legendary Village Halloween Parade, and even luckier to have a friend who lives along the parade route, so we'll be watching from above the fray. It's fun to stand along the sidewalk too, but be prepared for a crush of bodies akin to Times Square on New Years Eve.
Tags: Top Chef / Top Chef Travel / New York City / California / Food / Food Travel / Restaurant Travel / → All Tags
Ash Fulk Cooks Up Friendly Swiss Fare at Trestle on Tenth, But Maybe Not For Padma
Northern California native Ash Fulk didn't have it easy during his run on Top Chef. He didn't win one challenge on the show, and was eventually asked to pack his knives and head back to New York City, where he serves as a Sous Chef at Trestle on Tenth. The Swiss-French-American restaurant is a neighborhood-y locale open for breakfast, brunch (on weekends), lunch and dinner, making it a go-to spot for Chelsea diners looking for elevated comfort food. And schnitzel.
Trestle's menus aren't intimidating in the way that many contemporary, haute cuisine restaurants tend to be. Here you'll find familiar dishes with a Swiss-French influence that makes them just different enough to be memorable, without being too perplexing or stomach-turning. We're still wondering why fellow TC contestant Hector would dare include Tofu Ceviche on his menu. No, Trestle is where you'll find a Signature House Burger, Cobb Salad, Roasted Chicken with Seasonal Vegetables in Consommč, and Coriander Hanger Steak.
Tags: Televison Travel / Mall Travel / Glee / Los Angeles / New York / New Jersey / → All Tags
Fans Of 'Glee' Will Flee To NYC And LA For The Upcoming Mall Tour
The cute cast, catchy tunes and biting one-liners of Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) are making Glee a runaway hit. The show is about Will (Matthew Morrison), a Spanish teacher hoping to bring back the glory of the school's glee club as we follow the drama of the kids in his club and, of course, of his arch nemesis, Sue.
Fanatics of the new Fox comedy, or "Gleeks" as they are known, are finally going to get the chance to not only buy the first volume of music from the show, but also see the cast live at mall appearances in New York, New Jersey and California.
Where to get your Glee on, after the jump.
Tags: Baseball Travel / Baseball / Sports / Sports Travel / Yankees / World Series / → All Tags
What's Going On For Yankees Fans During The World Series
After several years out of the big game spotlight, the New York Yankees have returned to the World Series. This year is even a bigger deal since they’re proud to debut their new home. Whether you like the Yankees or the Phillies we wanted to give you the run down on what to expect at each stadium before, during, and after the game. Of course, feel free to ignore all this advice below if you'd rather just watch the game. After all, that's what you paid for.
· Before The Game
We’ve already told Big Apple natives the best way to reach the new Yankee Stadium, but we realize that loads of fans are coming in from the suburbs. Fans that are located within the Metro North service area will be happy to know that extra trains will be running directly to the stadium each night the game is in town. Just follow the schedule that’s most convenient to your neighborhood—there’s usually no need to connect through Grand Central. However, those stuck with NJ Transit will probably need to change trains.
Now that you’ve arrived you’ll need something to do, but forget about bringing your own pregame beverage—the city’s finest will be out in full force. So just head around the corner and down a few with your fellow fans at Stan’s Sports Bar. You’re not going for the service, but the atmosphere will certainly prepare you for a night of cheering. After you’ve entered the stadium, but before taking your seat, swing by Monument Park. Pay your respects to Yankee legends, but please, don’t get emotional, it’s just a game.
