As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m helping my blog buddy Tony plan his latest trip to New York City in the fall. Since Tony’s a music lover, I know he’d want to check out some live performances while he’s in the city. The Lower East Side is a great place for him to start.
Here are a few places Tony can go. Unfortunately, he’ll have to leave his kids with a sitter as patrons have to be 21 and over to attend.
Café Wha, 115 MacDougal Street, 212-254-3706 – a New York hotspot since the 1950s. At Café Wha, you can expect to hear all kinds of music, from Reggae, R&B, Classic, Brazilian, Rock.
Fat Baby, 112 Rivington Street 212-533-1883 – Two floors, live bands
Fat Cat, 75 Christopher Street, 212-675-6056 – Live music nightly
Kenny’s Castaways, 157 Bleecker Street, has been a fixture on the New York music scene since the 1960s.
The Mercury Lounge, 217 E Houston Street 212-477-4155 (in NYC, Houston Street is pronounced Howston)
Several bridges connect Manhattan to the boroughs of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, and New Jersey. Nine bridges cross the East River, two on the Hudson and twelve on the Harlem River.
Bridges are fascinating inventions. I marvel at the ingenuity of the architects and engineers who create these amazing structures and of the people who now work on them daily. We cross so easily and quickly, we hardly ever imagine what life would be like without them.
Here are a few New York City bridges.
Brooklyn Bridge: Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River, is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the U.S. At 1,595.5 feet, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1903. It was designed by John Augustus Roebling and was designated a National Historic Landmark, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and a New York City Landmark. The bridge has been featured in movies such as Once Upon a Time in America, Deep Impact, I Am Legend, and Kate & Leopold.
George Washington Bridge: With fourteen lanes of traffic, this bridge connects Upper Manhattan to the Fort Lee section of New Jersey and sees daily traffic of over 289,000. One of the newer bridges, it was designed by Cass Gilbert and opened in 1931. The GWB has paths for pedestrians and bikers. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks.
Manhattan Bridge: At 6,855 feet, this suspension bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River. It opened in 1909 and was designed by Leon Moisseiff. The bridge has vehicle lanes on the upper level, subway tracks for the B, D, N and Q lines, a walkway and bikeway. Daily traffic volume: 70,341.
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge: This double-decker suspension bridge over the Hudson River marks the gateway to the New York and New Jersey harbor. It also marks the starting point of the New York City Marathon. Completed in 1964, it connects Staten Island to Brooklyn, spans 4,260 feet and carries 12 lanes of traffic. It was named after Giovanni da Verrazano, a European navigator who was the first to enter New York harbor.
Washington Bridge: Opened in 1888, this bridge connects Manhattan and the Bronx over the Harlem River. It carries more than 50,000 cars, buses and pedestrians daily. The Washington Bridge was designed by William Rich Hutton and Edward H. Kendall and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Williamsburg Bridge: This East River bridge connects Lower Manhattan via Delancy Street to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. It stretches 7,308 feet and has eight lanes of roadway and tracks for the J, M and Z subway lines. Opened in 1903, it’s been seen in movies such as Serpico, Once Upon a Time in America, The French Connection, Live and Let Die and Scent of a Woman. Daily traffic volume: 106,783.
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge: If you watch the New York City Marathon, you would no doubt have seen the runners crossing this bridge. Opened in 1909, it connects Manhattan at 59th Street and Long Island City, Queens. It was renamed in 2010 in honor of former New York mayor, Ed Koch. It spans 3,724 feet and was used as a backdrop in the 2002 Spider-Man film and in the movie, Anger Management.
When NBC relocated their Today Show studios to the ground floor of Rockefeller Center in 1994, it began drawing scores of people curious to see for themselves what the rest of us were watching on our television sets at home.
Soon the other morning shows on the major networks – The Early Show (CBS) and Good Morning America (ABC) – followed suit.
Spectators outside ABC's GMA window in Times Square
Watching how these three windows have been shaped by individuals’ interactions with them have been interesting. People bring signs, celebrate major milestones or just show up for a chance to be noticed on national television. They are the cheering section, the studio audience that producers don’t even have to worry about booking.
Showing up and watching the shows have become a major draw for visitors to New York. On days when there are free concerts, people gather from 4 and 5 in the morning just to get a good spot. But usually, getting there any time before they start broadcasting at 7:00 a.m. is fine.
If you’re planning a trip to New York City and are interested in watching one of the morning shows, here’s where to find them. The good thing is, they’re all free and it looks like a lot of fun.
ABC – Good Morning America, 44th Street & Broadway, Times Square, New York.
CBS – The Early Show, 524 W 57th Street, New York
NBC – Today Show, 30 Rockefeller Center, New York
All three shows start broadcasting at 7:00 a.m. Get there early to ensure a good spot. Have fun and enjoy!
Other Places to See in New York City:
You can combine a trip to watch Good Morning America with a visit to Toys “R” Us, the world’s biggest toy store at 47th & Broadway and Madame Tussauds wax museum, which is located a couple blocks away at 234 W 42nd Street. Tickets start at $36.
From the CBS studios, you can visit any number of stores around 57th Street – from well known toy store, FAO Schwarz (founded in 1862) to high end stores like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Bergdorf Goodman, Chanel, Hermes and Bulgari.
If you’re at NBC, don’t leave without checking out Top of the Rock (tickets required) for a sweeping view of New York City, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Saks Fifth Avenue on Fifth Avenue. While at Rockefeller Center, take a photo of the Prometheus sculpture and when you leave St. Patrick’s, take a look at the statue of Atlas, which is right across the street.
New York is a walking city, so bring comfortable shoes and wander around. Because the streets are numbered, it’s an easy city to figure out — take it from me, my friends say I’m directionally challenged. The only times I get lost in the city is when I venture down to Lower Manhattan, which is all named streets.
Getting around New York City:
Public transportation’s pretty inexpensive — $2.25 will get you on the bus or subway. It also gets you a transfer so you go from one to the other. My suggestion: buy a 7-day unlimited pass for $29. Up to three children who are no taller than 44 inches ride free when accompanied by a paying adult. There are also reduced rates for seniors.
Getting to the airport:
New York Airport Service operates buses from Grand Central, Penn Station and Port Authority to the major airports – JFK, LaGuardia and Newark starting at $12. There are also several shuttle buses as well as AirTrain service which connects via subway to JFK for $7.50.
Most creative people will tell you that the best way to keep current is to stay in touch with younger artists. Musician, composer, arranger, producer, conductor, activist and philanthropist Quincy Jones has done just that.
Although, he’s been arranging and recording since the mid-50s and has worked with greats like Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderly, Lavern Baker, Frank Sinatra, Jacques Brel, Henri Salvador and Charles Aznavour, among many others, he hasn’t lost track of younger performers, been shy of embracing different genres of music or pursuing other creative vehicles.
Quincy Jones
He produced the 1985 best-selling single, We Are The World. He also produced Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, Bad and Thriller, written music for television shows like Sanford and Son, produced shows such as the Fresh Prince of Belair and Mad TV, co-produced The Color Purple, wrote the score for movies from In Cold Blood to Roots, founded and published Vibe Magazine and published SPIN and Blaze Magazines.
His 1989 studio album Back on the Block brought together musicians and performers from Ice-T to Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie to Chaka Khan, Sarah Vaughn, Bobby McFerrin, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick, Big Daddy Kane and others and won seven Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year.
Jones’ solo recordings also brought him much acclaim. Here’s 1962’s Soul Bossa Nova and Gula Matari (1970)
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. was born on March 14, 1933 in Chicago and grew up in Seattle. He began studying the trumpet at age 12 and attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music on scholarship but left to go on tour with Lionel Hampton. In 1968, Jones along with his songwriting partner, Bob Russell, were the first African American musicians to be nominated for a Grammy Award. Since then, he’s had 79 Grammy nominations and been awarded 27.
Give a listen to The Secret Garden from Back on the Block and let me know how many performers you can identify.
As you can imagine, many New York City buildings have their own rich histories. Even though I’m partial to the old classic styles, I still love some of the new buildings. And I’m thrilled when I notice the way the sun highlights a color that makes a building I’m used to seeing look new and exciting. If I have my camera and I’m not in a hurry, I usually stop and take a photo.
Central Synagogue, New York City
I’ve been fortunate to have visited many, worked in a few and pass by a number of them on my way to and from work everyday. Here are some of my favorites.
The Chrysler Building. At 1,047 feet, this Art Deco building, located at 405 Lexington Avenue, was the world’s tallest building from 1930 when it was completed, to 1931 when the Empire State Building edged it out. It is now the second tallest building in New York City after the new Bank of America Tower and the world’s tallest steel supported brick building. No workers died during its construction despite its four floors a week building pace. Although it was built for the Chrysler Corporation and served as its headquarters until the 1950, the Chrysler Building was a project for Walter P. Chrysler’s children. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
Grand Central Terminal: Built and owned by the Vanderbilt family, Grand Central Terminal opened in 1871. Located at 89 E 42nd Street, it spans 48 acres and is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms: 44. It serves commuters from Connecticut and New York’s northern counties as well as subway riders. Over 750,000 people pass through Grand Central every day, more than 1 million during the holiday season. The main concourse (275 feet long, 120 feet wide and 125 feet high) houses the information booth. With its four-faced opal clock, estimated to be worth between $10-20 million, is a popular meeting place in this very busy station. Following a 12-year restoration, a beautiful ceiling decorated with constellations of stars was revealed and is now one of the terminal’s attractions. Grand Central Terminal is a New York City Landmark, a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Continue reading “12 Must See New York City Buildings”→
A year ago, my friends and I traveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. When I was researching the Durban leg of the trip, I saw a photo of a rickshaw on Golden Mile Beach and decided I had to find one when I got there and go for a ride.
Rickshaw, Golden Mile Beach, Durban
On our way to the airport, I spotted this one near the beach and asked our driver to stop. We had only a few minutes but each of us got to sit in the rickshaw and have our photo taken.
The rickshaw was brought to Durban from London in 1893 by sugar magnate, Sir Marshall Campbell. At that time, there were only a few cars in the city. By 1902, Durban had approximately 1,700 rickshaws for more than 24,000 pullers who came to the city to work and returned home to the country with their earnings. Now, there are only about 20 registered pullers left.
Run by the Zulus, beautifully decorated rickshaws can be rented from pullers, who are dressed in colorful, handcrafted beaded headdresses and are usually stationed on the beach. They not only transport, they entertain in true Zulu fashion.
Rickshaw Rides on Golden Mile Beach cost between US$2 – $50.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, a few weeks ago, I offered to help my blog buddy, Tony, plan his latest trip to New York City. Since then, I’ve been doing a bit of research on the city that’s been my home for the past 11 years.
Here’s what I discovered:
New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785-90.
The first president of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated at Federal Hall, 26 Wall Street, in 1789.
Federal Hall, was the site of the first Capitol Building
At just under 19,000,000 residents, New York City is one of the most populous cities in the U.S. with just under 19,000,000 people who live in five boroughs: Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.
The Holland Tunnel, which connects New York to New Jersey, which was built in 1927, was one of the first ventilated tunnels in the world. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
The New York City subway system is the largest mass transit system in the world. It has 468 stations and 842 miles of track.
The New York City subway runs 24 hours a day.
Musicians who perform in the subway go through a very competitive audition process.
There are more than 4,000 food vendors in New York City.
Central Park, which was opened initially in 1857, spreads 843 miles.
25 million people a year visit Central Park
Times Square, formerly Longacre Square, was renamed in 1904 when the New York Times moved its headquarters to the Times Building.
The first ball was dropped in Times Square on December 31, 1907.
The Empire State Building is 102 stories. Including the spire, it is 1,454 feet tall.
For 40 years, from 1931, the year it was completed, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. It lost that designation with the construction of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1972.
My blog buddy, Tony Newboult, who blogs at A Wobbly Rotten Neutron, is planning to visit New York City this fall with his two teenage children. It’s not their first trip to the Big Apple but the first one that I’ve promised to help him plan.
I asked him a few preliminary questions when he told me but once I started making a list of things they should do when they’re here, I realized I needed a bit more information. The list I came up with below is one I think a travel agent would probably need but it can be used by anyone who’s planning a trip.
Here are some questions I came up with:
Where do you plan to go?
When do you want to go?
What’s the purpose of your trip?
How long do you plan to stay?
How many people will be traveling with you? What are their ages?
What type of accommodation do you prefer? Hotel, Guest House, Villa, Bed and Breakfast, Hostel, etc.
Will (name of place) be your primary destination or will you be traveling around?
If you’re planning to travel to other places, do you want to fly, go by train, bus, car, etc.?
What do you like to do when you travel?
What’s on your must see list?
Is there anything you don’t want to do/see?
Although it’s not listed above, one of the most important considerations is budget. How much Tony or anyone has to spend will determine what kind of trip he will have.
Since Tony’s British, he won’t need a visa for the U.S. He also won’t need vaccinations. But he should consider getting travel insurance and bring any medications he needs. If he or any of his children has food allergies or is a vegetarian, he should disclose this to the airline so other arrangements can be made.
With answers to these questions, it’s easy to plan your own trip or one for a friend.
What do you think? What other questions would you include?
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m helping my blog buddy Tony plan his latest trip to New York City in the fall. Since Tony’s a music lover, I know he’d want to check out some live performances while he’s in the city. The Lower East Side is a great place for him to start.
