NY 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: Neighborhoods To Know And Go / New York City / New York Travel / → All Tags
Neighborhoods To Know And Go: NYC's Astoria
Of the five boroughs of New York City, Manhattan is obviously the most visited, most well-known, but whether or not tourists realize it, they actually set foot in another borough first. This is Queens, otherwise recognized as the home of both LaGuardia and JFK airports, but it's a whole area simply packed with unique neighborhoods and small, family businesses, all the things that visitors expect from Manhattan but no longer find.
We focus in particular on the Astoria section of Queens, between the East River and LaGuardia, a neighborhood that—like the typical idea of NY—flourishes with immigrant populations ranging from Greek to Arab and everything in between. In addition, it's ever so slowly becoming the new Brooklyn, as more Midtown professionals and creatives make their homes here after being priced out of both Manhattan and Brooklyn. Indeed we find ourselves coming here more and more often, in quest of the best Greek souvlaki and views of the city.
Join us in Astoria, after the jump.
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: Airport News / Airports / New York Travel / Niagara Falls / BUF / → All Tags
New Niagara Airport Has Free WiFi But No Flights
If Pam and Jim’s wedding on The Office got you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, then a new airport wants to help you experience Niagara Falls for all its worth. The Niagara Falls International Airport is almost ready to go as the finishing touches are being completed on the almost $32 million terminal. The place is more than ready for visitors to arrive as the runway and jet bridge are designed to easily accommodate a Boeing 747—too bad there’s none scheduled to land anytime soon.
The new airport has some of our favorite airport amenities, including free WiFi. However, the best thing going for it is totally free airport parking. You’re welcome to swing your vehicle right up to the front of the airport without the need for any parking ticket, but if you’ve got a big SUV, you will need to use the adjoining lot because you’re just too darn big for the prime parking spots. There’s one problem with the new airport: there won’t be too many daily flights once it officially opens on December 11.
Tags: Accidents / JFK / Delta / Airline News / → All Tags
More Airplane Shrapnel Rains Onto Long Island
Earlier this year we learned all about the potential for disaster when it comes to airplanes flying with loose screws over densely populated areas. Well we’ve got another piece of airplane shrapnel to add to the list.
Over the weekend, Delta Flight 799 was on its way to Tokyo from JFK when it lost a pretty big piece. Thankfully the Boeing 777 made it to Japan without any difficulties, and the issue was actually only discovered when it had landed. Apparently the part wasn’t essential, but we doubt that Boeing felt that way when they designed the airplane.
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.
