A Staten Island Christmas

The 3rd Borough on our Christmas Tour this year is Staten Island.  I have fond memories of spending Christmas Eve on Staten Island, my grandmother lived here, and Christmas Eve was a must, and there were many fun times had...

This year...

The Nutcracker

The Staten Island Ballet's big, lavish take on the traditional Christmas Eve phantasmagoria. It has professional dancers, including special guest Charles Askegard, and settings, sumptuous costumes, a "magic" tree, and a contingent of irrepressible pint-sized dance students. Center For The Arts, College of Staten Island, Bldg. 1P, 2800 Victory Blvd., Willowbrook; SIBallet.org. December 15-16, 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets are $47 and $37 and can be reserved at 718-980-0500.


Beastly Breakfast With Santa

The peacocks, porcupines and pythons have been on their best behavior at this animal house, hence they've earned a visit from St. Nick. Feast on a breakfast buffet with the guest of honor before meeting some animals up close during a docent-led tour of the zoo, who will explain how they deal with winter weather. Staten Island Zoo, 614 Broadway, West Brighton, 718-442-3100; StatenIslandZoo.org. Pre-registration required at 718-442-3101 ext. 33, December 15, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Members: $20. Non-members: $24 (Santa picture included). A paying adult must accompany a paying child. Kids under 3 get in free.


A Majical Musical Winter Solstice Celebration

 Loria Ra and Karlus Trapp Productions present The Sistas of Soul Singers with special guest performers telling the story of the transformation and renewal of "Mother Earth, preceded by a crisis, which parallels the main character's transformation and renewal, also preceded by a crisis, through music, song, dance and the spoken word." Proceeds benefit The A.M.E. Food Pantry. Veterans Memorial Hall Theater, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace in Livingston, Staten Island. Call 917-971-5136 or visit Snug-Harbor.org. Dec. 21, 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 at ShowTix4U.com or call toll free 866-967-8167 (for more info call 917-971-5136). Note: Please bring a canned good(s) to the performance for the food drive.


Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol

Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre presents Charles Dickens' classic cautionary tale of redemption as seen through the eyes of Ebenezer Scrooge's long-deceased partner, the chain-rattling Jacob Marley. Playwright Tom Mula's interpretation of Scrooge's transformation is full of humor, horror and humanity and has become something of a holiday tradition for Island families during the past four years. Directed by Joseph Daly. Starring Jack Dabdoub, Charlie McLaughlin, Joseph Smith and Rina Sklar. Conference House, 7455 Hylan Blvd., 718-984-6046. December 6-7, 14-15 at 8 p.m. and December 16 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($12, students/seniors) at SISTNY.org.


The Christmas Show

The third-annual culinary and musical journey to the Old Country. Concert vocalist Jenna Esposito and her five-piece band supply the live soundtrack to the four-course dinner and wine pairing. Expect everything from classic carols to nostalgic Italian classics from this young talent, who's headlined everywhere from Feinstein's to Danny's Skylight Room. Lorenzo's Cabaret, Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South Ave., Bloomfield, 718-477-2400 ext. 5; LorenzosDining.com. December 14 the dinner begins at 7:30 p.m. and showtime at 9:30 p.m. The price is $79.99 per person. Overnight packages start at $175.



Lots of things to do this holiday season on Staten Island!!

found here.

Next week...Christmas in The Bronx.

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.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens

Editor's Note:  I have been sick all week, and did not get to go anywhere.  So the following is a revamp of an old post. My apologies!


 I have been here before, in February of 2011.  The Citi Field and the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center, are just a few things in the immediate vicinity...

 

This is the best map I could find with all of them.  Also in the area is the Queens Museum of Art, and the NY Hall of Science.

NY Hall of Science

     The Queens Zoo is also nearby, and the park is big enough that you could picnic, hang out and frisbee, or play ball.

Of course there are some amazing  views in the park as well...

The Unisphere

The unisphere is one of the leftovers from the 1964 World's Fair, along with the Observation Towers and the Pavilion, all three are seen here.

I have been to the Unisphere and the other World's Fair buildings, and also to the Queens Zoo.  I have yet to go to  the Hall of Science, or the Queens Museum of Art.  But when I do go, I cannot WAIT to see the Panorama of NYC at the Queens Museum of Art...

from here

Has anyone been up here?  Tell me your stories, I'd love to hear them!

The Unisphere and the Queens Zoo

Otherwise known as "The zoo is just up here!  I swear!"

My plan was to go to Queens to see the Unisphere, and bump around the park a little.  We ended up doing this, and so much more.  We hung out and got some really good pictures of the Unisphere:

Then, we look at a map to see what else is in the area.  There is a lot!  There is the Citi Field, the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center, the Queens Museum of Art,  and the NY Hall of Science.  This park is HUGE.

 

We did a lot of walking and got a little um lost before finding the Zoo, but that's only because I had no plans to go to the Zoo, it was a last minute addition.  As my lovely assistant (intern) said, Why not go?  It's right here!!  So we went.  After finding it, there was 2 different sections. One for domestic animals, cows, horses, sheep, llamas, bunnies, and one animal that I'm still not sure what it was.  It looked like a hybrid.

Then we went to see the undomesticated animals.  The Wild Side.  We saw pumas, and sea lions, and bears.  Oh my.  The bears were enjoying their Valentine's Day!  Let's just say they were NOT hibernating!

The puma was right next to the glass, so we got a lot of amazing pictures.

The other one was resting in the shade:

We also went into the aviary, an enclosed structure that was amazing.  It was a mini Epcot Center shape:

There were a few species, one really noisy bunch pictured here:

We also got to see the sea lions being fed.  There were three of them, all very cheeky.

 

The food area (for humans) was not that great.  It was a total of 10 (I think) vending machines.  There was one that gave hot kosher food, so points for that.  There was also one souvenir one with little stuffed animals in it, 3 for drinks, 2 for snacks and 2 for ice cream. I think that was all of them.  It is all in the circular building across from the sea lion area.

We also saw 2 coyotes, one who was hiding until it heard us:

You can see more pictures at the Unseen NYC Facebook page.  Become a fan if you aren't yet.

We had a really fun time, did a lot of walking, and I highly recommend going on a weekday, it was practically empty.  We spent $8 each for adult tickets.  More information can be found at the Queens Zoo.

Central Park Zoo

We went to the zoo last week, on Memorial Day.  I was a little worried that it was going to be too crowded, it being a holiday.  We got there a little after they opened, and wanted to make it to the Penguin Feeding.  My youngest loves the Penguins on Madagascar, and could not wait to see them.  Apparently, neither could anyone else.  They all had strollers, too.  So we hung out a bit at the penguins before heading to the polar bears.  There was one smart bear on the rocks, while the other one was in the water going back and forth, over and over, using the same ledges to push off of, and just seemed very cagey.  The day was pretty warm and I imagine there was really nothing for them to do but swim.

After the polar bears, it was on to the snow leopards.  Really pretty animals.  We got to see one really up close, because it was laying right up against the glass because that was where the shade happened to be.  There was a ledge, and a couple of smaller children were up looking at the leopard, and she (or he?) was looking back, sizing up how fast they could run, and how fast she could have them for lunch.

After the snow leopards we wound up down by the snow monkeys, and we had a break in the shade for a bit.  My kids went into the "Tropical Zone" with my husband, and my mother and I waited outside, where there was at least a nice breeze.  When they came out, they were relieved to be in the cooler climate.  Apparently, it was really hot and humid in there, glad I stayed outside!  My older daughter got some pictures, though.

We then went on to the sea lions, and they were being fed, with a huge crowd, so we decided now might be a good time to check out the penguins when everyone was at the sea lions.  As we made our way there, the sea lions were finishing, and everyone headed to ~ you guessed it ~ the penguins, so we doubled back to the sea lions.  I did not get any pictures of them, but they were really cool to watch.  We then went over to the Tisch Children's Zoo, which is outside CPZ, but you pay for admission with your zoo admission, and CPZ was smaller than I thought, and we had all afternoon.  The kids got to pet a cow, and feed some other animals, and get their hands sanitized, too.  Afterword, we went to a hot dog cart, and sat down for about 45 minutes, and ate and just watched people walk by.  A really pleasant trip, I highly recommend it.  We will be going to the Bronx Zoo sometime this summer.

The rest of my pictures can be found here.

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.