Posts Tagged ‘nyc’

Each year I post some ideas about what is fun to do in NYC around the holidays. The usual cliche events are often included (tree lighting, ice skating, holiday windows, Rockettes, etc) and shouldn’t be missed, but if you’ve seen and done all of that (although seeing that tree never gets old) here are some holiday type things to do THIS year.

1. Go cheer up employees at Old Navy at 34th & Broadway because they are likely NOT in the holiday mood as that location is open 24/7 through the 24th. WTF? Those poor employees.

2. If religion is your thing, go see the Ten Commandments with your own eyes (not the movie—the actual document included as part of the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit). Running until Jan 2nd in Times Square.
Discovery at Times Square 226 W 44th between 7th & 8th Ave.

Charlton Heston as Moses (but looking a bit Planet of the Apes-like)…

3. Run (or Walk) in the 2nd Annual Christmas Day Marathon in Westchester County!

Designed to bring new people to the sport of running, there is no entry fee (donations are accepted) and you can sign up for 1/8 marathon, 1/4 marathon, half marathon, 3/4 marathon and full marathon and according to the organizers, all paths loop back, are paved and scenic. PLUS- Santa hats are available and all finishers get a candy cane!
Tibbetts Brook Park 120 Teresa Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704 11:00am on 12/25

4. For some adult only fun, go enjoy the annual reading of the Dickens’ classic: A Christmas Carol. Read by burlesque professionals with names such as Legs Malone and Franny Fluffer. Oh yeah, the girls are completely naked during the reading.
One showing (no pun intended) on the 21st at Under St. Marks at 94 St. Marks Place

photo from the Naked Girls website

5. See lights and over the top Christmas decorations in the Dyker Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. Very traditional. Very cool. Word has it, that he greatest concentration of decorated homes is around 12th Avenue and 84th Street. The Gothamist site has a good write up and includes pics like this:

6. You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy some of the fun had during Hanukkah! Check out the Beer + Latke Hanukkah Celebration on the 22nd in Tribeca. Brooklyn Brewery will be there to help you choose the best brew to compliment the variety of freshly made latkes on hand! And don’t miss the dreidel competition!
December 22, 7PM at 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street $22.

7. Go see Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway in ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ before his run is over on the 1st of January. This really isn’t “Christmasy”, but Harry Potter always feels a little festive to me so I thought I’d add it in here!

Trip Advisor, an essential website for any traveler regardless of your destination, just put out their “Top 25″ list for different regions of the World listing the locations where people say they want to go.

There are some obvious ones like Banff. Banff was voted #1 for Canada and if you haven’t been to Banff stop everything (after you finish reading this post) and book a trip there. Soon. Winter or summer–it doesn’t matter. There were also some interesting choices… Machu Picchu got #3 on the World list below Cape Town and Sydney? Hmmm, yeah… I’m not sure.

Me and Banff

Of course, I have an opinion on all of the rankings, but thats the point — opinon is what generated this survey. Here I choose to focus on the United States top 25 and rate them based on MY opinion.

Trip Advisor’s #1: New York City
Diana’s #1: New York City

NYC over the Hudson

No argument here. I am biased and if you don’t know of my love of this city please refer to my archives or at seenyc.com, the NYC travel site I write for. I love this city. Anything you want to do, want to see, want to eat, want to BE– NYC is the place. THE place.

Trip Advisor #2: Honolulu, Hawaii
Trip Advisor #3: San Francisco
Trip Advisor #4 Las Vegas
Trip Advisor #5 Lahaina, Hawaii (Maui)

Maui

Spoiler alert: Hawaii appears often in this top 25 list, but personally I would have put Lahaina at #2 behind NYC. Honolulu is nice, but the island of Maui offers less tourism and just as much to do.

I’d also put San Fran above Honolulu. What a fab city SF is and if you catch it on a sunny day as I did this past April, you’d be hard pressed finding another city that can beat the vibe SF gives.

Las Vegas. Well, for me, Vegas would be near the end of the list–if it even made the list. I do think everyone needs to see Vegas once, but there are so many cities in this country that deserve a much more serious look than Vegas.

Trip Advisor #6 Kona, HI
Trip Advisor #7 New Orleans
Trip Advisor # 8 San Diego, CA
Trip Advisor #9 Sedona

Wait — stop right there. I am ok with New Orleans being on the list and even in the top 10, and San Diego–I LOVE the La Jolla neighborhood, but for Sedona to rank lower… I’m not sure about that. Maybe its because I recently spent some time in Sedona and perhaps the beauty still has me hypnotized, but this eccentric town with the captivating scenery is easily in my top 5.

Sedona, AZ

Trip Advisor #10 Seattle
Trip Advisor #11 Anchorage, AK
Trip Advisor #12 Chicago
Trip Advisor #13 Boston

Being a Seattle native I can appreciate the beautiful mountains, the surrounding water and abundant supply of fleece jackets, but I still wonder: “Why do people vacation in Seattle?” The weather is TOO unpredictable and the sights to see can be done in a weekend. IF you have a desire to go to the Seattle area, stay for an afternoon and then head to Vancouver, BC. Trust me.

I am ok with the other 3 being in the top 25. Boston though—should be much higher. The history and walkability of the town is addicting.

Trip Advisor #14 Estes Park, CO
Trip Advisor #15 Washington DC
Trip Advisor #16 Poipu, HI (see—I told you Hawaii was on here a lot)
Trip Advisor #17 Orlando, FL

As we get to the bottom half of the list I think the locations are reaching to be part of the top 25 (I am surprised Portland, Or; Santa Cruz, Ca or Boise, Idaho aren’t on the list).

Colorado is great regardless of the city and I think I would have chosen Boulder for the top 25, but Estes Park is only an hour away and with 345+ sunny days a year how can you NOT want to live visit there? Ski, hike, shop, swim. Colorado is like Seattle, but less natural water and MUCH more sun.

Washington DC is great. History is #1 here but if you escape to the Georgetown area you really get a taste of DC–and in a good way.

Lincoln Memorial in DC

Orlando.
Apparently the top 25 for Trip Advisor was voted on by parents. Yes, Orlando is fun and I say that as a non-parent. But it is all Disney and while Disney is fun, Orlando IS Disney and that only goes so far.

Trip Advisor # 18 Big Sur, CA
Trip Advisor #19 Bar Harbor, Maine
Trip Advisor #20 Carmel, CA
Trip Advisor #21 Destin, FL

Two in California and Destin is a great getaway. My brother and sister-in-law in Dallas love the driving distance and white sand beaches–so I can see why Destin made the list. And Maine is neat. Just neat. Bar Harbor has been a top vacation spot since the 19th century.

Trip Advisor #22 Savannah, GA
Trip Advisor #23 Gatlinburg, TN
Trip Advisor #24 Miami Beach, FL
Trip Advisor #25 Myrtle Beach, SC

I was happy to see the South represented in the top 25. Savannah and Gatlinburg are NOT to be missed. Here you can get a taste of the real south. Grits anyone?
Miami Beach and Myrtle Beach are known more for their name than the place/experiences, but nonetheless, they do belong in the top 25. You can’t really go wrong with any city that has “beach” in the name.

Whether you agree or not with my comments, below is my ranking of the top 25 (using only cities on Trip Advisor’s top 25).
Let it be known that there are some major cities missing that would be on my Top 25–some I mentioned above but others are Austin, TX, Missoula, MT, Princeton, NJ and Key West.

Diana’s Top 25
1. New York City
2. Lahaina, HI
3. San Francisco
4. Sedona, AZ
5. New Orleans, LA

6. Boston, MA
7. Chicago, IL
8. San Diego, CA
9. Washington DC
10. Honolulu, HI

11. Savannah, GA
12. Estes Park, CO
13. Poipu, HI
14. Kona, HI
15. Big Sur, CA

16. Anchorage, AK
17. Bar Harbor, Maine
18. Destin, FL
19. Carmel, CA
20. Gatlinburg, TN

21. Miami Beach, FL
22. Myrtle Beach, SC
23. Seattle, WA
24. Orlando, FL
25. Las Vegas, NV

Tell me — what are your top cities in the US? Where am I wrong? Where am I right?

Ahhhhhhhh the beach, or as we say here, the shore. I can’t wait to be down the shore this summer and on days like today, where I once again see flurries floating from the sky, it seems like summer may never come.

This picture was taken on a hazy humid day in Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey

My latest article on www.seenyc.com is for those visiting NYC for the first time or for the 100th time. Everyone that comes to this city–including the locals — needs to eat and boy do I have some suggestions!
To guarantee a memorable dining experience, visit one of Mario Batali’s many restaurants scattered throughout the city.

long line at Babbo–Batali’s flagship Greenwich Village restaurant

For my full article, please click here and let me know which of his restaurants you like best!

Batali posing with perhaps his favorite ingredient

In August I did a little self promotion when I proudly introduced my freelance writing gig on www.seenyc.com, a website dedicated to New York City and a perfect site for everything there is to know about getting to, staying in and enjoying yourself in this great city!

The site has actually just been redone and is ready for action! Check it out for all of your NYC travel needs. Book flights and hotels with confidence knowing the search engine will find you the best deals and read the top 10 things to do in NYC (a revolving list) with pieces written by yours truly!

Be ready for up to the minute information on things to do and see. I LOVE this city!

Thanks for all who have visited and please keep coming back!

tomorrow, on September 11th, the World changed.

The anniversary of that horrible attack on New York-on the US-on everyone-is here again and I feel as solemn now as I did the day it happened. Lately there has been much press highlighting ugly, hateful acts in the name of 9/11 such as religious leaders burning Qurans and flags or Americans attacking Muslims randomly in taxi-cabs or on the street.

I am disgusted by these acts of hate that affect the innocent, just as I am still disgusted by the attacks in 2001 that affected only the innocent. Being in NYC I am up-close to the memories, the personal encounters from that day. Even through the sad memories and the negative happenings, I see glimmers of good that resulted from the events meant to tear my country apart 9 years ago. People seem a little nicer this time of year–and in general I think. Smiles come a bit easier on the street and gestures of kindness are more common and better received.

Another positive has been the many organizations formed since 9/11 to assist those touched most deeply the events of that day. For the past few years, to mark this day, I visit this site to either support a worthy cause or post a personal plan to perform a good deed in observance of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The site’s goal is to make it easier for the general public to “help create a wonderful legacy that honors the victims and those who rose to service in response to the attacks on America”.

I am inspired to do what I can to find the good that can come from tragic situations.
Peace and be well.

photo of Ground Zero courtesy of Getty Images

I love football.
I am proud to say I can hold my own against pretty much anyone (except my brother) on football stats, teams, etc. I impress most of my male friends (including my husband) and confuse most of my female friends–and regardless of what my brother says, I do not rate the Quarterback’s on their cute-ness level (anymore).

My love of football has given me the chance to pen an article for www.seenyc.com on seeing the NFL in NYC. Of course live football in NYC is hard to pass up, but the cost of tickets, the nose freezing cold weather and the hard, frozen seats can turn away even a hearty fan like myself. So what is a fan to do? Well, you can start by checking out the article and then get on your replica jersey, choose your team (even if it is no where near NYC) and head to a comfy bar stool at one or more of THE best football bars in the city.

“Who doesn’t?” was always my answer to that question! However, after living here for a few years now I have come to the depressing realization that unless you have big bucks, that brownstone where Carrie from Sex in the City lives (not to mention all of her $700 pairs of shoes) or the Trump Apartments over-looking Central Park will be a bit out of reach.

But it isn’t just the grandiose that is out of reach for the majority of NYC’s population. Residences that in the rest of the country would be considered belonging to the upper middle-class based on rent or mortgage price, here in NYC are small, out dated and in some cases, unsafe, run down buildings.

Each Sunday I pour over the NY Times Real Estate section. Not because I want to move or even think I could move into a recently vacated penthouse in the Village, but because it provides me extreme entertainment. Each week I am amazed at what people choose to afford such as high-rise apartments no bigger than a hospital room for rent that would buy me a new base model BMW every month. But I am even more amazed at what people get for what they CAN afford just so they can live in a semi-desirable area of the city.

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Before I continue with some interesting listings I have seen of late, I will define some real estate lingo used.

Co-op building: Many buildings in NYC are Co-op’s (rent as an apartment or own as a condo). By definition, a Co-op is a legal entity that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder (read: tenant) in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, usually subject to an occupancy agreement (read: lease). The occupancy agreement specifies the co-op’s rules (side note: which often are MANY and a prospective tenant usually has to be voted in by the board in what is often a stressful and rigorous process).

Pre-war building: TONS of buildings here are Pre-war meaning built prior to WW II. Many have been restored–but even so, these buildings generally lack elevators and definitely do not offer no air conditioning, dishwashers or garbage disposals.

Apartment: Condos, town-homes, studios, actual apartments, single rented rooms, etc., are all known as “Apartments”.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - -

This past Sunday I saw a “steal” located in a pre-war, co-op building on the Upper West Side (note: totally cool area, not too uppity but for sure a classy cool area… one I would LOVE to live in… but I digress.) This building DOES have an elevator (nice) and a marble bathroom, but there is no doorman. A doorman brings a safety factor (not to mention someone that can sign for packages and monitors who coat-tails in on a resident) that can raise rent by 1/3 in some areas. There is also no washer and dryer in the unit (which is quite common).

The cost for this place, once you are approved by the board, is $250K plus $424 a month for maintenance. Seems high… but if its big… oh wait–it isn’t! The entire unit is 200 SQ FT.

That marble bath doesn’t seem so fancy now, huh?

Another unit was featured in a piece the NY Times did on small living areas. Rose (posing on her space saving Murphy bed) and her apartment were featured . The only thing in the apartment not visible here is her toilet and small shower head which are behind the door behind her head–otherwise, this is her entire living space and its 320 sq. ft.–nearly double the size of the Upper West Side spot described above.

Comparison time

My friends come to visit and now they also enjoy looking for shockingly good (or bad) deals in the city. One friend specifically, Rachel, lives in Texas where houses are seriously a FRACTION of the cost of NYC places and trust me–these Texas homes are mansions in comparison.

Here is a great example:

Exhibit A: House #1.
A house Rachel was looking at buying is on a lake in Texas, about an hour from Dallas. Texas is challenged with water access so a house on a lake is a coveted spot.

The house is simple–not real extravagant. 1600 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and was built in 2008 and has yet to be occupied.
The cost: $155K, but with this economy it is sure to go for less.

Exhibit B: House #2. The comparison house…well, apartment, well… “micro-studio” is the actual term.
This micro-studio is in the Morningside Heights neighborhood–the way Upper West Side near Columbia University and Harlem and is a quick subway ride from/to anywhere. This part of the city is not considered upscale but has been going through a giant revitalization and new building is popping up all over.

The studio is 175 sq. ft. Wait–what?

The tenants, a married couple, pretend claim they love it even though admittedly their queen sized bed takes up 1/3 of the living space and is also used as their couch. Their 2 cats have it pretty good with a cat tower the couple has in the studio.
Hmmmm, I wonder if the couple uses the cat tower as furniture when they have company over. Wait, what am I saying? Company? How would that ever work?

“What about closet space?” you ask. Well, their clothes (more on that in a sec) are kept in the kitchen cupboard and the mini-fridge since they don’t cook. OK, fine–lots of NY’ers don’t cook and it is common to use ovens for storage, but that doesn’t mean a cold beverage would be nice now and then, or are they in the fridge with the clothes?
Oh, and their hot-plate gets put away each morning as the counter space is needed to feed their cats. (Ew. Is anyone else grossed out by that?)

Here is the best part:
They jog to their jobs in Manhattan (I do have to respect their workout routine) in their gym clothes–which are THE only clothes they keep in their apartment. They pick up their “work clothes” each day ON THE WAY TO WORK that are stashed at various dry cleaners along their jog route (smartly–in case the cleaners are closed, they do each keep a “work” outfit in their offices). The cost for this apartment was $150K, listed for just slightly less than the spacious Texas home in Exhibit A.

To be honest, this article caused me anxiety. I seriously had to step out on my deck to get some air after reading it in the NY Post.

In the end, there are trade-off’s for city living and I do know that in many cases working long days are necessary to afford the rent and after work the city offers thousands of possibilities to keep one out all hours–so maybe it can be argued that not much time is spent in the apartment anyway. But what about having personal space? What abou when you are sick and just want to lay around? What about stretching out on the floor to watch TV-or to do crunches? Dancing in the living room?

But what many don’t understand (and even what I don’t understand in the examples I have given) is that NYC has a draw to it. Living here is a rush. This city, somehow, makes living spaces with high rent, small rooms, steep steps to climb while lugging groceries and a baby stroller, no air-conditioning, random noises and bad landlords seem not so bad and in fact, kinda appealing.

Hello dear readers and as always, thanks for checking out my site!!

I have to do some shameless self promotion now and then and well, its that time…

I am very excited to be doing some freelance writing for www.seenyc.com on one of my favorite topics of all time: New York City!

seenyc.com is a travel site specializing in New York City and is geared towards both first time and repeat visitors. The motto of the site is: Where to go…what to see…
On the site you can book flights, check out restaurants, reserve hotel rooms and… (insert my role…) read articles about what is happening in the city and what activities cannot be missed.

Even if you already live in NYC and want some ideas on things to do and see, check out the site and please let me know if you have any suggestions for article ideas!

The website will go through some cosmetic changes as it grows, but I will always point you to the articles and highlights of the site!

Thanks!
Here are some of the more recent articles:

Roam the Streets of NYC this August

Get Off the Beaten Path in NYC

Live Tennis in NYC

With Wimbledon still in full swing I can’t help but be excited that the US Open will be here before I know it!

The US Open occurs in Flushing Meadows, Queens each summer beginning in August and I can honestly say that it is THE best sporting event I have ever been to (and I have been to what I think are some epic sporting events in the past). It is extremely organized, clean, open and feels like a festival of sorts–often compared to an Olympic village atmosphere. Tickets to the day or night matches are available to see the main matches that take place in the Arthur Ashe stadium (the main arena there) but the tickets also allow free roaming ability to walk the grounds to shop, see tennis auctions, eat, visit and witness all of the constant action on the other 15 courts on the grounds. Aside from the “official” courts–there are practice courts on each side of the grounds and watching the tennis greats warm up up close is my favorite part of the Open.

At the practice courts, all of the players, ranked and unranked, practice for their matches side by side-like at a park or high-school. I am in awe for days after seeing Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal (RAFFA!!!) and Venus practice from front row bleacher seats.

Tickets are available here for the 2010 season that runs August 30- September 12 and here is a tip: if you go a week prior to the Open starting, you get on the grounds for free and can watch (and maybe meet) all of the tennis greats practice up-close.

My friend Cora and me at the Open last year. Love that blue court!

me and Roger

Nadal up close at the practice courts

Venus & Roddick practicing

the globe outside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Originally constructed for the 1961 Worlds Fair.

some of the practice courts

NYC from Arthur Ashe