With This Post...

I have been posting for 3 years, and this is my 100th post... I hope to have 100 more, I love helping others take a bigger bite out of the Big Apple.  Touring Gracie Mansion tomorrow, and will be posting about that this Saturday, so keep an eye out!!

Grand Central Terminal...100 Years on February 1st

If you will be in the area, you should stop in...there will be exhibits, special offers, performances...all sponsored by Target. link

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ON THE MAIN CONCOURSE

9:30 am — 10:00 am
West Point Brass & Percussion concert and presentation of colors by West Point’s Cadet Color Guard.

10:00 am — 11:30 am
The Grand Central Key Ceremony features surprise entertainment and presentations from more than a dozen well-known names and faces wishing the Terminal a happy birthday. Ceremony includes special presentations and appearances by:
• Cynthia Nixon, Award-winning actress and NYC resident
• Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins with an original
  poem commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit
• Caroline Kennedy, Author and Preservationist, Honorary Co-Chair of the
   Grand Central Centennial Committee
• Grammy Award-winning artist, Melissa Manchester
• Key Ceremony with Vanderbilt Family
• Keith Hernandez, Member of NY Mets World Series Champion Team
• The Celia Cruz Bronx High School Choir
• Peter Stangl, Grand Central Centennial Committee Chairman
• MTA officials, elected officials, and other special guests
• A surprise “sweet” delivery to cap off the event

Noon — 12:30 pm
Terminal receives special honors from the Guinness Book of World Records, the National Park Service, the US Postal Service new stamp release, the National Railway Historical Society, and the American Society of Civil Engineers, with electric violinist Sarah Charness providing a musical opening and closing for the program. Also, stop by the Station Master’s Office to see a replica of the Terminal made of Lego® bricks created and presented by LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester.

1:00 pm — 4:00 pm
Celebrations continue in the Main Concourse with music and dance performances from:
• Dancing Classrooms, featured in the film “Mad Hot Ballroom”
• Keigwin + Company, acclaimed contemporary dance company
• The Knicks City Dancers and Kids
• The Westchester Philharmonic Brass Octet
• Cast members of the upcoming musical “Orphan Train”
• Staten Island’s Susan Wagner High School Jazz Band
• Electric violinist, Sarah Charness

7:00 pm — 9:30 pm
Music from Rhythm Collective and Grammy Award-winning big band Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks will keep Terminal visitors dancing and celebrating into the evening!


ALL DAY AROUND THE TERMINAL
Music Under New York performances

1913 PRICING FROM GRAND CENTRAL SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS
*Only available February 1, 2013
• 19¢ ea. shrimp, 13¢ ea. mussels, 13¢ ea. clams at Pescatore
• 10¢ for a side of french fries at Tri Tip Grill *From 11am-3pm
• 5¢ small drip hot coffee at Financier Patisserie *Starting at 12 pm. Limit one per customer
• 10¢ shoe shine at Leather Spa
• 10¢ nylon watch straps from Central Watch *Limited to first 500 customers. Limit one per customer
• 25¢ piece of Legendary Fudge at Li-Lac Chocolates *Limit one per customer
• 19¢ slice of cheesecake at the Oyster Bar & Restaurant *Dine-in only
• 10¢ for bambini scoop of gelato or sorbet at Ciao Bella
• $2 for 100% silk scarves (unisex) at TOTO
• 6¢ loaf of rye bread at Zaro’s Bakery * Shuttle Passage and Grand Central Market locations only. Limit one per customer
• 75¢ Adirondack cocktail at Michael Jordan’s The Steak House N.Y.C.
• 5¢ 1lb box of pasta with purchase of a Ceriello Sauce at Ceriello Fine Foods *until 4pm

SPONSORED GIVEAWAYS AT SPECIAL CENTENNIAL TABLES ON FEBRUARY 1
• Grand Central Centennial Luggage Tags
• Vintage train whistles from Target
• Granola Bars and trail mix from Archer Farms
• Mini men’s and women’s fragrance bottles from Vince Camuto
• Arrowhead studded earrings from Tia’s Place
• Spring rolls from Pescatore
• Financiers from Financier Patisserie
• Starbucks VIA Ready Brew from Starbucks
• “23” cookies from Michael Jordan’s The Steak House N.Y.C.
• Chocolate Hearts from Li-Lac Chocolates
• Package of Masala Chai blend from Café Spice
• Origins iPhone cases from Origins
• Swatch pens from Swatch
• 2 Deluxe samples and an invite to the store for a hand and arm massage from Jo Malone

100 FREE!
First 100 people to make a $50 purchase at Vince Camuto, receive a hot pink Camuto iPhone cover!

A Grand Central Terminal commemorative USPS Express Mail stamp will be available for purchase and cancellation at the Lower Concourse Information Booth from 10am until 3pm.

Main Site

Things to do on Christmas Day

See a festive show Although only a handful of Broadway shows have performances on Christmas Day (and none are that kid-friendly), you can catch the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Holiday Circus in Brooklyn, Angelina Ballerina the Very Merry Holiday Musical and The Big Apple Circus: Legendarium on December 25. You can find discounts to most of them on BroadwayBox.com.

Play tourist Times Square's Madame Tussauds, Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium and Discovery Times Square with the cool Harry Potter exhibit are all open on Christmas. Other tourist spots that have December 25 hours are The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock, which gives you a great, crowd-free view of the Rockefeller tree.

Enjoy Chinese and a movie Families of all ethnic backgrounds can experience this Jewish tradition at 92YTribeca, which is offering an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet followed by a double feature of Back to the Future Parts I and II. Best for tweens and up.

Or just see a movie Cinemas are open on Christmas Day and there are plenty of great family films playing.

Hang with the animals Although the Bronx Zoo is closed for the holiday, the Prospect Park, Queens and Central Park Zoos are all open. You can even watch the animals open their edible presents.

Take a stroll Walk up Fifth Avenue to see the stunning department store holiday windows before they're gone. Assuming it's not too chilly (or rainy or snowy), Christmas is also a great day to take a quiet stroll through one of our city's lovely green spaces. Central, Prospect, Flushing Meadows Corona and Van Cortlandt Parks are all open. Central Park is even hosting a free cross-park promenade tour at 12:30pm.

Celebrate at a Jewish museum Many of NYC's Jewish cultural institutions are open today and offering special family activities. Catch a Klez for Kids concert at the Museum at Eldridge Street and The Macaroons at The Jewish Museum; watch chef George Wong of Chopstix Restaurants carves incredible fruit sculptures at Brooklyn's Jewish Children's Museum; and enjoy a family celebration with crafts, live music and a movie at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Hit the ice 

•  Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center – Midtown East
  Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets
  212-332-7654
•  Wollman Rink – Midtown West
  Central Park, enter at Central Park South and Sixth Avenue
  212-439-6900
•  Citi Pond at Bryant Park – Midtown West
  Bryant Park, 40th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
  212-661-6640
•  Lasker Rink – Harlem
  Central Park, enter at 110th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues
  917-492-3856
•   Riverbank State Park – Harlem
  145th Street and Riverside Drive
  212-694-3642
•  The Standard Ice Rink – Meatpacking District
  848 Washington Street at 13th Street
•  Liberty View Ice Rink – Battery Park City
  Wagner Park in Battery Park City, north of Historic Battery Park off Battery Place

•  WWII Veterans War Memorial Ice Skating Rink – Staten Island
  Clove Lakes Park, Victory Boulevard west of Clove Road
  718-720-1010

•  Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink – the Bronx
  Broadway at 242nd Street
  718-760-9001

Wollman Rink in Prospect Park is closed for construction for the second year in a row. The new rinks are supposed to open next year.

More bad news for Brooklyn: The new McCarren Park Pool will not be turned into an ice-skating rink this season, according to the New York Daily News. Maybe next year.

Meanwhile, Aviator Queens Community Ice Rink, Battery Park City Ice Rink, Polar Rink at the American Museum of Natural History and Seaport Ice are all long gone.

Christmas in The Bronx

          The place to be in the Bronx this holiday season: 1605 Pelham parkway North is the site of The Christmas House, a house that has been decorated from Thanksgiving to the Epiphany in January.  Located in the Baychester neighborhood of The Bronx, the Garabedian household has been decorating since 1973, and the reason behind this long-standing family tradition is a secret no one outside the family has been able to uncover to this day.

Mr. Garabedian told the New York Times that the Christmas show was the family’s way of showing thanks for a miracle they received in 1973. “The family wants to keep it special for ourselves.”

Two events scheduled in The Bronx

 Bronx Concert Singers' 31st Annual Holiday Concert

Sunday, Dec 16 4:30p at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Bronx
Join The Bronx Concert Singers (BCS) and music director Robert René Galván on Sunday, December 16, at 4:30 pm for their 31st Annual Holiday Concert at St.

The Nutcracker from the Royal Ballet in HD

Sunday, Dec 23 2:00p at Lovinger Theatre, Lehman College, Bronx, NY

Price: $12

Phone: (718) 960-7819

Choreography by Peter Wright after Lev Ivanov | Music by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky Ballet in two acts | 130 minutes including one intermission 

A magician with secrets, an enchanted gift, a guiding angel and a visit through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets: it must be the holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. This now-classic Royal Ballet production creates the world of the 19th-century onstage, with a Christmas tree that magically grows and toy soldiers that come to life! Starring Roberta Marquez and Steven McRae.
Lehman Stages and Emerging Pictures are proud to present exclusive world class cultural programming with the Opera and Ballet in Cinema Series. This series offers an amazing schedule of incredible performances previously unseen in theaters. The Opera and Ballet in Cinema Series brings the best in dance and opera from around the world presented in crystal-clear Hi-Definition digital projection. Our fall season features amazing ground-breaking productions from The Bolshoi in Moscow, the Royal Opera House in London and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan among others.

Check back next week for another update. 

Open House New York

Open House NY is a really amazing program that lets you see buildings and beautiful architecture that you normally don't get to see, and it is a great opportunity.  One weekend a year, usually in the first 1/2 of October, is when it happens, and this year, it is this weekend.  There are many things that need reservations, and they actually stopped taking reservations this morning at 9:30 am, but there is still tons to do without reservations!  So much to see...
This is the website, and just click on weekend, then plan your weekend.


Find us on Facebook and Twitter.  There are pages up top for both links.


Also check out the Unseen NYC Tours link...fall is a beautiful time to go on a walking tour!

25 Fun Free things to do in NYC

In no particular order:

1.  Any park in NYC.  Put in your hotel address and find the closest one here. A nice break for the kids to relax.  And you too...

2.  The Staten Island Ferry.  Great views of downtown Manhattan, and the Statue of Liberty.

3.  The Bronx Zoo:  Free on Wednesdays.

4.   Brooklyn Botanic Gardens:  Free on Tuesdays.

5.  Libraries.  The main library in Manhattan is amazing, as is the Central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, seen here.

from here

6.  Parades.  From Saint Patricks Day to Thanksgiving Day and all of the ones in between.  Some even in the other boroughs...

7.  The Brooklyn Brewery.  They give free tours on the weekends.

8.  African Burial Grounds.  They are currently renovating, but are scheduled to be open October 4.  Check back here to find out the status.

9.  City Hall.  Lots of history here.

10.  Coney Island.  The boardwalk and beach are amazing.

11.  Federal Reserve Bank.  Free, but you have to make reservations.

12. Forbes Collection.  I went years ago, and should really go back soon...

13.  Grand Central Tour with Justin Ferate.  About 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and amazing.

14.  Greenwood Cemetery.  A nice afternoon's walk in Brooklyn.  Events sometimes held here also.

15.  Walking the Brooklyn Bridge.  Here is a great guide with the ins and outs.  I recommend walking across to Brooklyn and checking out the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

16.  South Street Seaport.  Yes, it's shopping and restaurants, but still just going doesn't cost.

17.  High Line.  Really cool elevated park that used to be railroad tracks.

18.  See a baseball game... Staten Island Yankees.  So close to the SI Ferry you can walk.

19.  Governor's Island.  Weekends all summer.  Free ferry, and tons of events.

20.  Winter Windows.  See the display windows of Barney's, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor, and Macy's.

Macy's 2011

 21.  TV Audience tapings.  You'll need to have advance planning here, but so worth it.  Whether it's Live with Kelly or SNL, here is a list of shows that look for audiences.

22.  Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens.  The Unisphere.  Worlds Fair 1964.  Big Park, surrounded by Queens Museum, Queens Zoo, NY Hall of Science. 

23.  MOMA.  Free from 4 to 8 on Friday's.

24.  American Museum of Natural History.  Free for the last hour (4:45 to 5:45)

25.  Brooklyn Museum.  Free every first Saturday.

Heat Wave

It has been a bit warm here in NYC.  Really warm.  I got a new Canon Rebel (new to me!) and am dying to use it, but the weather has been unbearable, so we are spending lots of time indoors.  I would like to get some shots around the neighborhood, maybe I'll post some here tomorrow.  In the meantime, is there anywhere specific you guys want me to go?  I am always willing to take your suggestions!  It should cool off to the low to mid 80's next week, fall-like weather compared to now!!  Hope everyone is staying safe, and cool!  If you are in the 5 boroughs, here is a list of all of the cooling centers in the city.

Key to the City

We got a key to the city yesterday, and it only took an hour.  We got to wait in line, talking to the people in front of us, and the people behind us, which I think is part of the point of this public art project.  Now that I have a key, it will open 24 different locks around the city, in all 5 boroughs:

• BROOKLYN
• Brooklyn Museum
• Cabinet magazine
• Coney Island Branch, Brooklyn Public Library
• Gleason's Boxing Gym, Inc.

• BRONX
• Bronx County Courthouse
• The Point Community Development Corporation
• PostNet
• PS 73
• Centro Cultural Rincon Criollo

• MANHATTAN
• Bryant Park
• The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
• Gracie Mansion
• The George Washington Bridge
• Trinity Church
• Whitney Museum of American Art
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art

• QUEENS
• Eddie's Sweet Shop
• The Louis Armstrong House Museum
• The Office of New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm, 25th District
• Tortilleria Nixtamal

• STATEN ISLAND
• Conference House Park
• Freshkills Park
• Joe Holzka Community Garden
• The Staten Island Buddhist Vihara

If you have the chance, I highly recommend getting one of these keys.  The last day the keys will be given out is tomorrow, 12 to 8pm, but the line is capped at 6pm.  I got there Friday at 2pm, when they opened, and only had a small wait, and it went quick because everyone on the line was talkative and in a good mood.

Most of the locks can be opened through Labor Day.

Woodlawn Cemetery

OK So it's a cemetery, a little creepy Tour Guide. What is so great about a bunch of dead people?? Wait until you see the rolling hills, the beautiful sculptures, and memorials made by the most accomplished artists and architects. It was established in 1863, and is over 400 acres. It is the final resting place for 300,000 people, including Irving Berlin, famous composer and lyricist, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, two of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, urban planner Robert Moses, Fiorello La Guardia, NYC mayor from 1934 to 1945. It is worth the trip, trust me!! It is next to the Van Cortlandt Park, to the east of it. Plan a day trip to the Bronx, and if cemeteries aren't your "thing", then the park is right next door. Rather than post a picture of the cemetery with the regular gravestones, I found this beautiful sculpture:



Thanks for looking,

Your Tour Guide

The Parks and their attractions

When you think of parks and main attractions in NYC, you think of Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History, the Central Park Zoo, the Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is the Delacourt Clock located between the Zoo and the Children's Zoo at 65th Street:


But most of the tourists who converge to Manhattan forget about the other 4 boroughs, and I have a few museums and attractions all in or near parks from each borough that are must sees.

Lets start off in Brooklyn. All in the Prospect Park area there is the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, the Prospect Park Zoo, and the Brooklyn Public Library. The park itself is wonderful, a playground on the west side, fun for the kids!! At the main entrance to the park is this arch:


Up in Queens, there are a few to see, too. The New York Hall of Science is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, along with the Queens Botanical Gardens, Queens Museum of Art, and the Queens Zoo.

If anyone has seen Men in Black they will recognize this. This is the Unisphere an in the background the Observation Tower of the New York State Pavillion from the World's Fair.


On to the Bronx, and the biggest park there is the Van Cortlandt Park. What it lacks in attractions around it, it makes up for in the park itself. There are hiking trails, tennis courts, four playgrounds, and the country's oldest golf course. This is one of the entrances:



Still in the Bronx, there is the Bronx Park, home to the Bronx Zoo, and the Bronx Botanical Gardens.

I have saved Staten Island for last, not because it is the worst, but it is a different kind of animal. There is more car traffic there and a lot less in the way of pedestrians, so things are a little more spread out. In St. George, across from the ferry terminal is the courthouse and Borough Hall. Behind that is the St. George Public Library and the St. George Theatre. Also in the area is The Staten Island Museum, and the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, which is home for the Staten Island Yankees. In order to get to Staten Island , you would need to take the ferry from Manhattan:


All in all, New York City is not just Manhattan, and I think it is time that the tour books take some of the focus off and start putting in more of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.