ny Travel Guide
7/03/2008 at 2:05 PM
Tags: Upstate-NY-Travel-Map, Wine, Wine Travel, Finger Lakes, Alcohol (all tags)
Earlier this summer, we went wine tasting in New York's Finger Lakes region. Not all the wine we had was worth drinking, but these places deserve a stop.
Make sure to step over the cat when you walk into Chateau LaFayette Reneau. This winery, on the east side of Seneca Lake, keeps things rustic with its tasting room in a converted barn and its famous-for-Upstate feline mascot.
Like many vineyards in the area, Reneau levies a tasting fee of $4, but you'll get to keep the glass--and you get to try up to 12 wines. (Or more! On our recent stop, they let us sample all 20 offerings.)
After your epic flight of Rieslings and Chardonnays, stake out a spot on the back porch and unroll your picnic supplies. If you'd like to linger longer, there's also an inn on the property.
Related Stories:
· Chateau LaFayette Reneau [Official Site]
· Upstate New York Travel Map [Jaunted]
[Photo: FLWR]
by pbb
7/03/2008 at 11:00 AM
Tags: Travel Snapshots, Flickr, Public Art, Art, Tourist Attractions (all tags)
We spotted this painted lady outside the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. In the tradition of the Cows on Parade, the Zurich public-art project featuring hand-painted statues of cows, Major League Baseball has planted several Statues of Liberty with new paint jobs throughout New York.
Eventually there will be 42 miniature replicas of New York Harbor's grand madame around town. (Find them yourself or download the MLB-provided map.) You can also buy wee versions of the ladies Liberty, but where's the fun in that?
Related Stories
· Statues on Parade [Official Site]
· Map of the Statues of Liberty on Parade [Official PDF]
· Travel Snapshots coverage [Jaunted]
· Jaunted Photo Pool [Flickr]
by egw
7/03/2008 at 9:10 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Alex Rodriguez, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna (all tags)
In the implosion of Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez's marriage there are no winners, except at the strip clubs where his alleged new girlfriend works. A-Rod was a regular at the generically named VIP Club in Chelsea where he would seek out a dancer named Monique; when she moved from that club, atop a rifle range, to the Hustler Club (641 W. 51st St.), he adjusted his patronage likewise.
Meanwhile, soon-to-be-ex-wife Cynthia Rodriguez, who lives year-round in Miami with the couple's two children, was spotted in Paris this week with Lenny Kravitz, with whom her husband shares an agent.
And of course rumors are circulating that A-Rod has been visiting Madonna's Upper West Side pad, which may be a factor in her own supposedly rocky marriage.
Related Stories:
· 2007: Rodriguez Says His Antics Won't Be "a Distraction" [NYDN]
· 2008: Rodriguez, Wife Separated [NYDN]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: FoxNews.com]
by egw
7/02/2008 at 4:30 PM
Tags: Upstate-NY-Travel-Map, Wine, Wine Travel, Finger Lakes, Alcohol (all tags)
Earlier this summer, we went wine tasting in New York's Finger Lakes region. Not all the wine we had was worth drinking, but these places deserve a stop.
No real trek through the Upstate wine country is complete without a stop at Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars. It's a bit of a drive to get there, but if it weren't for Dr. Frank, there might not be Finger Lakes wine.
Growing up in the Ukraine, the doctor studied methods to grow high-quality vinifera grapes (think Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Riesling) in colder climates. When he later moved to the Finger Lakes, his winery, started in 1962, was the first to grow these European varieties in the area--and the first to prove it could be done.
After Dr. Frank passed away in 1985, his family took over, continuing the production of top quality wines. You'll also find some more esoteric stuff here, like Rkatsiteli (a white), Fleur de Pinot Noir (a non-vintage red) and a Blanc de Blancs (a Champagne-style bubbly).
Related Stories:
· Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars [Official Site]
· Upstate New York Travel Map [Jaunted]
[Photo: Dr. Frank's]
by pbb
7/02/2008 at 9:45 AM
Tags: New New York Restaurants, Restaurants (all tags)
This week's about comfort food: things like tomato braised pork meatballs with grilled bread, burgers with English cheddar, ham and Gruyere bread pudding. Take a break from the light salads and cold soups of summer and head to The General Greene, a new "farmhouse-meets-diner" in the buzzing Fort Green neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The General Greene's a step up from your corner spot, with homemade food, local brews and an owner who was the former pastry chef at Daniel. Prices are very reasonable; the burger is $11. And don't forget dessert: classics like warm chocolate chip cookies, lemon vanilla cheesecake and chocolate pudding are all here.
Hurry up and get there before it becomes everyone's regular Saturday spot.
Related Stories:
· The General Greene [StrongBuzz]
· New New York Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Eater]
by sedona
7/01/2008 at 4:15 PM
Tags: Upstate-NY-Travel-Map, Wine, Wine Travel, Finger Lakes, Alcohol (all tags)
Earlier this summer, we went wine tasting in New York's Finger Lakes region. Not all the wine we had was worth drinking, but these places deserve a stop.
Despite the name, not all the wineries in this region actually overlook lakes, and the best of that bunch is undoubtedly Six Mile Creek. Just a 7-minute drive from downtown Ithaca, the winery is almost urban in its setting at the south end of Cayuga Lake.
Owners Nancy and Roger Battistella opened their vineyard in 1987, focusing on small yields and the local microclimate. Unlike many of the other wineries north of Six Mile Creek, where the deep lake provides a moderating influence, the growing season is particularly short in Ithaca. Because of that only white wine grapes are grown on-site.
That said, all the vinification and bottling happens here, and thanks to the Battistella's use of grapes from other regions, the reds are some of the best made in the Finger Lakes. Particularly interesting is Quintessence, a blend that varies in composition from vintage to vintage. Also distinctive is Six Mile Creek's grappa--though it's not for the faint of heart!
Related Stories:
· Six Mile Creek [Official Site]
· Upstate New York Travel Map [Jaunted]
[Photo: doctor paradox]
by pbb
7/01/2008 at 12:00 PM
Tags: Kayaking, Boats, Active Travel, Summer Travel, Outdoor Travel (all tags)
If you read our post about kayaking in Manhattan and thought, I'd like that, but with a greater chance of falling in the Hudson, then kayak polo is for you.
The sport is just what it sounds like--a take on water polo where players paddle around on boats instead of swimming. You can use your paddles to take a hold of the ball, and while bumper car-style attacks are frowned upon, there are plenty of grade-A crashes. It's popular throughout much of Europe, but is only just taking off in the United States.
On July 2 and 8, New York Kayak Polo is offering introductory classes to the sport, held at the Pier 66 Boathouse at the Hudson River and 26th Street. Classes are free, but there's a $5 insurance fee.
Related Stories:
· New York Kayak Polo [Official Site]
· Kayaking Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: ethanlindsey]
by BS
7/01/2008 at 9:45 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Madonna, Guy Ritchie (all tags)
Amid the swirl of rumors that Madonna is looking for a way to ditch her director husband, the husband in question came to New York this week to do... well, nothing in particular.
Guy Ritchie's just a regular guy coming to the Big Apple--although staying in a posh Upper West Side co-op isn't the way most people see the town. He'd better not see any bad movies in case paparazzi catch him flinching on the way out.
Madonna has been spotted at the Kabbalah Center, possibly getting some last-minute devotion time in before her world tour kicks off in August. Guy, should he still be around, will probably return to London to keep working on his upcoming flick "RocknRolla" and (say the yea-sayers) plan the Material Girl's blowout 50th birthday party in September. Move along gossips, nothing to see here... except Britain's next high-profile divorce case.
Related Stories:
· Guy Ritchie's Mom Calls Divorce Rumors "Tosh" [MSNBC]
· Madonna Takes the Fam to the Maldives [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Celebritique] by egw
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