NYC’s public transportation is like the blood of the city. A lot of native folks never learn to drive and a lot of the ones that do hate it. Driving isn’t second nature to us; trains, buses and taxis are. On December 20, 2005, the Transport Workers Union Local 100 went on strike. That not only put a damper on holiday shopping – it was cold and made it hell to get to work. Continue reading
USA
Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow Cemetery & The Woman in Black
I’ve been in a cemetery mood. I just adore them. The weathered tombstones with dates that sometimes need deciphering, mausoleums more beautiful than any home I’d ever live in, the departed’s legacies withstanding years, decades, and centuries of erosion. Continue reading
A Winter Stroll Through Central Park
I love winter. It’s the cleanest the city air will ever smell. My favorite weather is high 20Fs-30Fs no wind. The last few winters haven’t been the same. Don’t like Arctic blasts or it’s usually warm at times. Most of all – I LOVE snow. It feels magical to me. Continue reading
Reading Terminal Market & Philly
If it wasn’t for Food Network we would never have gone to Philly. We can be a bit cocky about our city of NY. That cockiness would have prevented us from ever hopping on a train and heading here. Continue reading
Magic Gardens & Isaiah Zagar – Philadelphia
Isaiah Zagar is the artist behind Magic Gardens. Every inch of the place is covered in mosaics. It’s really impressive when you get there and see the scale of his creation. His style is really something. Continue reading
Eastern State Penitentiary – Philadelphia, PA
Eastern State Penitentiary ruins were once home to Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton. Walking along it’s halls you can feel the past trying to break through. Continue reading
NYC: The Lower East Side
I moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn 9 years ago. Hated it for the first few years. It seemed and still seems so suburban to me (we have big houses with lawns) but I grew to love Bay Ridge. I bike most the year by my favorite water view along the Hudson, the food is fantastic, it’s a safe, self-contained neighborhood, and very diverse. Even though it has all this going for it – it still never quite feels like home. To this day anyone who asks gets the full story, “I live in Brooklyn but I was born and raised in Manhattan on the LES.”
It’s Christmas Time! Bay Ridge & Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Christmas is my favorite time of year. If I had a house it would be decorated inside and out. When Christmas is over – I start planning for the next one. I love the festivities, the decorations. I love how the city gets all decked out in lights. Lucky me, I live in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights is right next to us, they are known for their holiday lights. Continue reading
NYC: The Lower East Side – My Home
What makes the LES so unique is it’s cultural and historical past. It was a place of immigrants dreams and beginnings. The Germans, Irish, Jewish, Italian, Polish, Chinese, Africans, and lots of others…all have legacies here. By LES, I’m talking about the Two Bridges, Little Italy, Chinatown, East Village, Alphabet City, and the LES. So many different people living condensed together. We are/were home to the oldest Jewish cemetery in the USA in Chatham Square, Five Points, Bloody Triangle which is Doyers street, and a thriving slave trade market are amongst a few facts about downtown history. Continue reading
Montauk, NY
A 3 hour drive away or slightly longer on the Hampton Jitney. You may not have 80 degree turquoise waters but you have The Bake Shoppe – home to delicious linzer cookies. Sadly Ronnie’s Deli who made the greatest sandwiches closed back in Fall 2012. We’ll miss your turkey cranberry sandwich and garlic roast beef.