Happy X-Mas 2008

Parade Movie

Thanksgiving Day Parade

Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday that falls on the last Thursday in November, is the most American of the holidays.

It has nothing to do with shopping or religion though it marks the beginning of the holiday season. It's said to be the busiest travel period of the year (more than Christmas and New Year's) and it's certainly on of the quietest days on the streets of New York from 4:00 pm on.

Thanksgiving is a day when families and/or friends get together for a huge meal made of turkey and many side dishes. And it's also a day to be thankful for whatever your blessings are.

The Thanksgiving Day Parade is a New York tradition since the 1920s and yet this was the first year I gathered up courage to go watch it (it was a particularly nice and sunny day, not too cold and not windy). It was fun for children of all ages, with marching bands, Broadway stars, and giant balloons of popular movie characters, cartoon characters and advertising characters.

NEW: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC

It opens to the public on November 25, 2008 and it's set to be a "temple of rock culture" in SoHO, New York, an annex to the existing museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

A visit should last 90 minutes and costs US$ 26 for adults. For complete information please visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC website.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC

76 Mercer Street, SoHO

Off Off the Beaten Path: Storm King Art Center

For a lovely afternoon in a beautiful sculpture park, this is it. A little over an hour from New York City, Storm King is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in the region.

Storm King is a huge park containing sculptures by world-renowned artists such as Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, and many more. Except for winter, when it's closed, it is worth the trip (by bus or by car - directions are available on their website).

From the Storm King website:
"Storm King Art Center is a museum that celebrates the relationship between sculpture and nature. Five hundred acres of landscaped lawns, fields and woodlands provide the site for postwar sculptures by internationally renowned artists. At Storm King, the exhibition space is defined by sky and land. Unencumbered by walls, the subtly created flow of space is punctuated by modern sculpture. The grounds are surrounded by the undulating profiles of the Hudson Highlands, a dramatic panorama integral to the viewing experience. The sculptures are affected by changes in light and weather, so no two visits are the same."

If you go by bus, bring food and drink for a picnic as there is no restaurant on site.

For the hard-core shoppers, know that Storm King is only a few miles from Woodbury Common, the shopping outlet.

Watching the NYC Marathon

If you're in town on the first Sunday in November, watching the marathon and cheering for the runners is a must-do activity. Better if a friend or a co-worker is running but it doesn't really matter. It's fun.

One thing to do is to go to Central Park and watch the runners arrive in the park, where the finish line is. Alternatively, a great spot to watch the runners up close is Long Island City, in Queens.

Take the 7 Train in Manhattan towards Queens and go to the Vernon-Jackson station (one stop from Grand Central) and you're right there in the middle of the action, with and great vantage point and a smaller crowd.

(Photos: 1.Elite runners in 2008; 2.Manhattan skyline)

Celebrating a new spirit

Nobody knows how long it will last, but there's a new spirit in the air. I've been noticing a new politeness on the subway, people saying "I'm sorry" more frequently than ever if, for example, they step on your foot or hit your arm with an oversized backpack.

This must be because of the election of Barack Obama. While I missed the live celebration, I watched every minute on TV and even sheded tears of joy. I have been reading every article and report about the election and its effect on people. It's more than positive, it's an incredibly happy moment - if you're not a Republican, of course.

It really feels like a brand new day! (Despite the economy).

Favorite Bars

In the winter it's always a good idea to find a cozy bar where the music will be, hopefully, not too loud and there will be a place to sit. In the summer you really don't want to be indoors...

Domaine*** [wine] (50-04 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City)
Why: cozy, great wines and food
Fresh Salt*** (146 Beekman St., near Front St.)
Why: small, cozy and tasty appetizers
Jimmy's # 43 (43 East 7th St., East Village)
Why: basement bar with great food
Karma (51 First Ave., near 3rd St.)
Why: for the hooka aficcionados
O'Flaherty's*** (334 West 46th St.)
Why: cozy Irish pub with fireplaces, sofas and stools, and bookshelves
Oyster Bar (Grand Central Terminal)
Why: a NY classic with affordable seafood
P.J. Clarke's (915 Third Ave. at 55th St.)
Why: 125-years old, a classic NY bar
Puck Fair*** (298 Lafayette St., Nolita)
Why: rustic feel, great list of beers
The Dove*** [wine] (228 Thompson St., Greenwich Village)
Why: bar and lounge, very pleasant
Tom & Jerry's 288 Bar*** (288 Elizabeth St. at Houston St.)
Why: spacious and fun

In the summer, because they have outdoor seating:

Croxley Ales (28 Avenue B, near 3rd St.)
The Park (118 Tenth Ave., bet. 17th and 18th Sts., Chelsea)
Ulysses (95 Pearl St., Financial District)

***Absolute favorites.

(Photo: Happy Hour at Ulysses)

Lower East Side (LES)

The Lower East Side is the neighborhood that has been flourishing with new bars and restaurants, where the young and hip (and not so young and hip) go for night time entertainment. Of course there's also Williamsburg in Brooklyn, which is a little farther East, across the river.

The LES still holds the look of an older, more "authentic" New York, only we don't know for how long. (And of course this is the view of a photographer in search for more interesting sites than your usual big-city, standardized, modern architecture).

The LES is where mostly Jewish immigrants have settled and it goes roughly East from the Bowery to the East River Park and North from Houston Street to South at Canal Street. Amongst the trendy bars and restaurants you will find synagogues and Jewish food vendors, and the Tenement Museum, which can only be seen by guided tour.

The LES is home to the traditional Katz Delicatessen (200 East Houston St. at Ludlow St.). Remember the line "I'll have what she's having!" in the movie "When Harry Met Sally"?

While I have been to a few places in the LES, my number one destination there is The Living Room (154 Ludlow St., bet. Stanton and Rivington).

The Living Room is a bar that usually has free live-music acts every hour on Fridays and Saturday nights. All you pay for is, at least, one drink for every act and, hopefully, feel grateful about the experience and contribute to the red bucket that is passed around after each act. This is one of my favorite activities after dinner on a Saturday night. It's guaranteed fun for the music-curious types. It goes from folk-rock to occasional theatrical acts. (Norah Jones played there in the beginning of her career). Fabulous!

For harder-core music, you can hop to Arlene's Grocery (95 Stanton St.), which is also fun, depending on your mood.

If you're in the mood to dance to some 1980s music, La Caverna (122 Rivington St.) is your place. Literally a cave, the underground club is worth checking, if only for its decor.

A few restaurants that I have been to and recommend (there's a whole lot more to explore):

'inoteca (98 Rivington St.) [Tapas]

1492 Food (60 Clinton St.) [Tapas]
Epicerie (170 Orchard St.) [French comfort food]

Falai (68 Clinton St.) [Fantastic Italian]

Frankie's 17 Spuntino (17 Clinton St.) [super-cozy Italian]

Regate Bistro (198 Orchard St.) [French]
Schiller's (131 Rivington St.) [Continental food]

(Photo: The Living Room, Aldo Perez)

Events (Parades, Sports, etc.)

New York City has a parade for every nationality, cause or celebratory fact. Watch out because every now and then the streets will be closed and you will not be able to cross from West to East or vice versa. Then the thing to do is to relax and enjoy it!

While it would be impossible to list them all here due to flexible dates and because it is not the point of this blog, I will list a few recurring events to watch for. I've been to all of them more than once:

March

St. Patrick's Day Parade (Fifth Ave.)

April/May

Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

June

The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island

The Gay Parade (Fifth Ave.)

August/September

The US Open Tennis (Flushing Meadows)

September

Brazilian Day on 46th Street (Midtown)

October

PhotoPlus Expo (Jacob Javitz Center)

The Halloween Parade (WestVillage)

November

The NYC Marathon (Finish line in Central Park)

Thanksgiving Day Parade

(Photo: The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island)

Bookstores (Beyond Barnes & Noble)

Barnes & Noble and Borders are all over the place. They're are fun and cool and have almost everything you're looking for from books and magazines to CDs, DVDs and coffee. I enjoy them, but also enjoy smaller bookstores that focus, well, mostly on books.

Here's a list of some worth checking. I always go in if I'm in the neighborhood:

Strand Books (828 Broadway at 12th St.) [discounted books, general interest, and art books]
Shakespeare & Co. (716 Broadway, north of 4th St.) [general interest]
McNally Jackson Books (52 Prince St.) [general interest]
Printed Matter (195 Tenth Ave.) [art books in every shape or form]
192 Books (192 Tenth Ave. at 21st St.) [general interest]
St. Mark's Bookshop (31 Third Ave., near 9th St.) [general interest, sociology, philosophy, art, etc.]
Posman Books (Grand Central Terminal) [general interest]
Rizolli's (31 West 57th St., bet. 5th and 6th Aves.) [Italian books]
Librairie de France/Liberia Hispanica (610 5th Ave., Rockefeller Center) [French and Spanish books]
Urban Center Books (457 Madison, bet. 50th and 51st Sts.) [urban matters and architecture]

Tapas

You don't have to go to Spain to have incredible Spanish tapas (small plates)! Tapas bars are very popular in New York these days. Not exactly cheap, but a cool alternative for "a happy hour with wine", "a light meal", "wine tasting", "a full meal".

I guess you can make a lot of it, it all depends on your mood.

My absolute favorite is Mercat, which is actually classified as a wine bar, but has the most incredible padrones (fried green peppers) and chorizo.

Here's a list of recommended tapas places:

Mercat*** (45 Bond Street, East Village)
Bar Carrera (146 West Houston St., SoHO)
Bar Jamon*** (125 East 17th Street, near Union Square)
Bar Stuzzichini (928 Broadway, Flatiron District)
Boqueria (53 West 19th Street, Flatiron District)
Boqueria (171 Spring Street, SoHO)
Gottino*** [Italian tapas] (52 Greenwich Ave., West Village)
'inoteca (98 Rivington St., Lower East Side)
1492 Food (60 Clinton St., Lower East Side)
Perbacco*** [Italian tapas] (234 East 4th Street, Ave. A and B)
Tia Pol (205 Tenth Ave., bet. 22nd and 23rd Sts., Chelsea)
El Quinto Pino (401 West 24th St., Chelsea)

***Fabulous food

Visit the campus

There are two important universities in New York City: NYU and Columbia. NYU's campus, faculty and student residences are located at the heart of Greenwich Village, around Washington Square Park.

You get a completely different feel when you visit Columbia's neoclassical campus in Morningside Heights on the Upper West Side. Columbia is an Ivy-League School, which is an athletic conference composed of eight private higher education institutions in the Northeast of the United States, often synonymous with academic excellence. (The other Ivy-League schools are Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University).

You can take day trips by train to visit Princeton in New Jersey (approximately one hour from New York) or Yale in New Haven, Connecticut (aproximately two hours from New York). Both are very much worth visiting, with gothic-style campuses that are simply beautiful and located at the heart of both towns.

The movie "A Beautiful Mind" was shot in Princeton and the first installment of "Spider-Man" has scenes shot in the plaza at Columbia.

Other interesting campuses to be visited are Harvard and MIT in Boston, but that's another trip...

(Photo: Princeton University)

NYC Tipping

In restaurants, the rule is very simple: 20% for good service or 15% for mediocre service. But the fact of the matter is that tipping is expected, as it is a large part of the servers' salaries.

So, to make things really easy, just double the tax, which amounts to approximately 16%.

For example, if your check is US$ 25.00:
Food & Beverages: $25.00
NYC tax (8.375%): $2.10
Total: $27.10

Double the tax and the tip should be $4.20
Therefore
You should leave at least US$ 31.30
But roundind it up to US$ 32.00 is better

And so on.

At a bar the rule is to give $1.00 per drink. That's right, if you order a beer that costs $6.00, you will pay $7.00.

As much as you may want to leave only 10% for tip (as it is the habit in most other parts of the world), remember that "when in Rome do like the Romans", specially if you'd like to have a pleasant experience.

Affordable & Fabulous Restaurants

This is probably the longer list of all. By affordable I mean "great value without breaking the bank".

The fabulous part is a more complex attribute: it can be the food, the atmosphere, the decor, or all three combined. Each has something that stands out and makes you want to go back.

All entries in this list are highly recommended, with the caveat that without wine (alcohol in general) your check will turn instantly cheaper. But then part of the fun is gone...

In alphabetical order:

Ama (48 MacDougal St., SoHO) [Italian]
Aroma (36 East 4th St., East Village) [Italian]
Balthazar (80 Spring Street, SoHO) [French]
Bar Jamon (125 East 17th Street, Union Square) [Tapas]
Bar Stuzzichini (928 Broadway, nr. 22nd St., Flatiron District) [Italian]
Basso56 (234 West 56th St., Midtown West) [Italian]
Beco (45 Richardson St., nr. Lorimer St., Williamsburg) [Brazilian]
Beppe (45 East 22nd St., Flatiron District) [Italian]
Bocca di Bacco (828 Ninth Ave., bet. 54th/55th Sts., Hell's Kitchen) [Italian]
Brasserie Cognac (1740 Broadway at 55th St., Midtown West) [French]
Cacio e Vino (80 Second Ave., bet. 4th/5th Sts.) [Italian]
Caffe Falai (265 Lafayette St., Nolita) [Italian]
Cara Mia (654 Ninth Ave., bet. 45th/46th Sts.) [Italian]
Cookshop (156 Tenth Ave., at 20th St.) [American]
De Santos (139 West 10th Street, West Village)
Emporio (231 Mott Street, Nolita) [Italian]
Epicerie (170 Orchard St., Lower East Side) [French]
Epistrophy (200 Mott St., Nolita) [Wine bar, Italian]
Falai (68 Clinton St., Lower East Side) [Italian]
Fiore (284 Grand St., bet. Roebling & Havemeyer) [Williamsburg]
Five Napkin Burger (630 9th Ave., Hells Kitchen [Burgers & beer]
Five Points (31 Great Jones St., East Village) [American]
Frankie's 17 Spuntino (17 Clinton St.. Lower East Side) [Italian]
Freemans (End of Freeman Alley, off Rivington, bet. The Bowery & Chrystie) [American]
Gnocco (337 East 10th St., East Village) [Italian]
Ivo & Lulu (558 Broome St., SoHO) [French, Caribbean]
Lupa (170 Thompson St., West Village) [Italian]
Mercat (45 Bond St., East Village) (Wine bar, tapas]
The Mermaid Oyster Bar (79 MacDougal Street)
Mezzogiorno (195 Spring Street, SoHO) [Italian]
Minetta Tavern (113 MacDougal St., Greenwich Village) [French, American]
Morandi (211 Waverly Place, West Village) [Italian]
Motorino (319 Graham Ave., Williamsburg) [Pizza]
Motorino (349 E. 12th St., East Village) [Pizza, the greatest pizza in NYC!]
Osteria Morini (218 Lafayette St. Nolita) [Italian]
Otto (1 Fifth Ave., at 8th St., East Village) [Pizza]
Palm (837 Second Ave., bet. 44th/45th St., Midtown East) [American]
Pastis (9 Ninth Ave., Meat Packing District) [French]
Piola (48 East 12th Street, East Village) [Pizza]
Po (31 Cornelia Street, West Village) [Italian]
Prune (54 E. First St., East Village) ["Stellar American"]
Pulino's Bar & Pizzeria (282 Bowery, Nolita) [Pizza]
Quartino (11 Bleecker St., Nolita) [Italian]
Recette (328 West 12th St.) [American]
Regate Bistro (198 Orchard St., Lower East Side) [French]
Socialista (505 West St., West Village) [Spanish]
Son Cubano (405 West 14th St., Meat Packing District) [Spanish]
The Odeon (145 West Broadway, Tribeca) [French]
The Park (118 Tenth Ave., at 18th St., Meat Packing District) [American]
Toloache (251 West 50th St., Times Square) [Mexican bistro]
Tournesol (50-12 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City) [French]
Via Quadronno (25 East 73rd St., Upper East Side) [Italian]

Updated: February 7, 2011

Cheap & Fabulous Restaurants

By cheap I mean: 1.costing very little; relatively low in price; inexpensive: a cheap dress. [source]

The fabulous part is a more complex attribute. It can be the food, the atmosphere, the decor, or all three combined.

All entries in this list are highly recommended, with the caveat that without wine (alcohol in general) your check will turn instantly cheaper. But then part of the fun is gone. Appetizers, dessert, and coffee also add up...

1.Cafe Habana (17 Prince Street, Nolita) [Mexican]
Why: Trendy. Delicious, inexpensive food.

2.Bianca (5 Bleecker St., bet. Bowery and Elizabeth, NoHO) [Italian]
Why: Cozy and friendly. Hearty Italian food and inexpensive wines.

3.Fiore (284 Grand St., bet. Roebling and Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn) [Italian]
Why: Modern Italian. Great food and decently priced wines.

4.P.J. Clarke's (915 3rd Ave. at 55th St., Midtown East) [Burgers]
Why: A New York classic. The decor is great. The men's bathroom is said to be uniquely decorated.

5.Corner Bistro (331 West Fourth St. at Jane St., West Village) [Burgers]
Why: Another classic worth checking. A little dark.

6.White Horse Tavern (567 Hudson St. at 11thSt., West Village) [Burgers]
Why: It was the poet Dylan Thomas's hangout in the 1950's.

7.Soho Park (62 Prince St., SoHO) [Burgers]
Why: OK, a burger is a burger, but this "airy garage garden" is fun and it's always packed.

8.Big Wong King (67 Mott St., Chinatown) [Chinese]
Why: A Chinese friend took me there. It could be any other Chinese restaurant, but the food was really good. And cheap.

9.Jimmy's # 43 (43 East 7th Street, East Village) [Elaborate bar food]
Why: A basement bar with good, elaborate bar food. Cool.

10.Natori (58 St. Mark's Place, East Village) [Japanese]
Why: Inexpensive and always crowded with a Japanese clientele.

11.Shake Shack (366 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side) [Burgers]
Why: Delicious burgers and fries.

12.Burger Joint (119 West 56th St., Midtown West) [Burgers]
Why: Inexpensive and hidden behind the curtain in the atrium lobby of Le Park Meredien Hotel, it's a curiosity in itself).
---
Note: This list will be updated as I encounter new restaurants that are "cheap and fabulous".

(Photo: Cafe Habana)

Updated: January 26, 2010

Museums (V): Off the Beaten Path

There are lots of smaller institutions, and sometimes institutions not that small, that are worth visiting either because of their unique collections or simply because they tend to be a lot less crowded.

Listed here are the ones I've visited through the years. I'm sure there's more to see, but let's keep the focus.

I highly recommend the ones marked with ***. They're interesting because of their collections or the venues themselves.

In Manhattan
American Institute of Architecture (AIA) (536 La Guardia Place)
Dia Art Foundation (535 West 22nd St.)
The Cloisters (Fort Tryon Park) [Part of the Metropolitan Museum]***
Why: The building, on top of a hill overlooking the Hudson River, incorporates pieces from five medieval French cloisters. It's about the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Imagine a medieval castle with a winter garden. Totally worth the trip. Faster by subway.
International Center of Photography (1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd St.)***
Why: A museum exclusively dedicated to photography.
Japan Society (333 East 47th St.)***
Why: A building near the United Nations that has indoor gardens, a reflecting pool and a waterfall. If you're in the neighborhood...
The Morgan Library and Museum (225 Madison Ave. at 36th St)***
Why: A fine small museum that holds first-class exhibits. A superb combination of old and new architecture designed by architect Renzo Piano.

The Municipal Art Society (457 Madison Ave. at East 51st St.)
Museum of Jewish Heritage (Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place)
The Studio Museum in Harlem (144 West 125th St.)
Dahesh Museum of Art (currently on the web only)

In Brooklyn
Brooklyn Museum of Art (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn)***
Why: A Beaux-Arts building with permanent collections from Egyptian to contemporary art. Only a 30-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan. On First Saturdays every month there's free art and entertainment from 5:00 to 11:00 pm. Fabulous.

In the Bronx
Bronx Museum of the Arts (Fordham Road and the Bronx River Parkway, Bronx)
Wave Hill (West 249th St. and Independence Ave.)***
Why: It's a public garden and cultural center in the Bronx that overlooks the Hudson River and the Palisades (a scenic portion of New Jersey). Beautiful.

In Queens
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center (22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave.) [Part of MoMA]***
Why: An exhibition space set in an old school building. Experimental art. Really cool and only a few stops from Manhattan on the 7 train, i.e. the subway.

Fisher Laudau Center for Art (38-27 30th Street)
The Noguchi Museum (9-01 33rd Road, Vernon Blvd.)***
Why: It's a collection of the Japanese-American artist's works in stone, metal, wood, and clay within a converted factory building. Totally Zen and worth the trip to Astoria.

Queens Museum of Art (Flushing Meadows-Corona Park)
Sculpture Center (44-19 Purves St.)
Socrates Sculpture Park (32-01 Vernon Blvd., Broadway)

In Beacon, NY (Approx. one hour by train from Grand Central Terminal)***
Dia:Beacon (3 Beeckman St., Beacon, NY)
Why: Set in a former Nabisco factory, Dia:Beacon is a huge exhibition space (of contemporary art) with white walls and lots of natural light. It's on the banks of the Hudson River. A great day trip starting at Grand Central. Ask for the "One-Day Get Away" to Beacon and Dia:Beacon (train ticket plus admission to Dia, which is slightly discounted than purchased separately).

(Photo: Rodin sculpture in the Brooklyn Museum of Art)

Museums (IV): New

The newer New York museums are also worth a visit, even if only for the sake of architecture:

New Museum of Contemporary Art (235 Bowery) [December 2007]
Why: "New Art, New Ideas". And an unusual building that resembles an uneven stack of white boxes. Cool.
Museum of Arts and Design (2 Columbus Circle) [September 2008]
Why: Brand new. Actually, neither the museum nor the building is new. It's the new home of the museum in a building that used to be one of the ugliest in the city. It had a makeover. Check it out.
Learn more.

(Photo: New Museum of Contemporary Art)

Free tourist attractions

A checklist of places/landmarks to visit for the cost of a subway ride:

Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Promenade
Bryant Park
Central Park
The Chrysler Building* (42nd Street and Lexington Ave.)
The Dakota Building* (1 West 72nd St.)
The Flatiron Building* (175 Fifth Ave. at 23rd St.)
Fifth Avenue from 50th Street on up
Grand Central Terminal
Governor's Island (summer only)***
Why: It used to be a military post, then it became a Coast Guard’s installation. Now open to the public, it holds musical festivals and open-air theatre. Best of all, you can rent a bicycle for US$ 15.oo and ride around its flat grounds. Great views of downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty for a free five-minute ferry ride.
Madison Square Park
New York Stock Exchange* (11 Wall Street)
Rockefeller Center
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Staten Island Ferry
Strawberry Fields in Central Park
St. Paul's Chapel
The New York Public Library
Times Square
Trinity Church
World Trade Center Site

*Not open to the public for visits or tours. It's really to just take a picture of.

*** Highly recommended.

(Photo: The Chrysler Building)

Museums (III): Museum Mile

Another approach to New York museums is to visit all museums on Fifth Avenue. There are nine museums from 82nd St. to 104th St. and I've been to seven of them. (Note: the Frick Collection is down at 70th St.).

There's even a festival in the beginning of the summer called The Museum Mile Festival, which provides free access to all of them for one day.

El Museo del Barrio (1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th St.)
Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd St.)
The Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.)
Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution (2 East 91st St.)
National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts (1083 Fifth Ave. at 89th St.)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th St.)
Neue Galerie New York (1048 Fifth Ave. at 86th St.)
Goethe Institut (1014 Fifth Ave. at 83rd St.)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.)

(Photo: Museum of the City of New York)

Museums (II): Fridays

Fridays in New York are "museum day". It's when most museums have discounted admissions or are free at certain times.

Here's a short list (please visit the museum website for details):

Fridays
American Folk Art Museum (45 West 53rd St.)
Asia Society and Museum (725 Park Ave. at 70th St.)
Brooklyn Botanical Garden (1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn)
Bronx Museum of the Arts (Fordham Road and the Bronx River Parkway, Bronx)
Guggenheim Museum (1071 5th Ave. at 89th St.)
International Center of Photography (1133 Ave. of the Americas at 43rd st.)
The Morgan Library and Museum (225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.)
Museum of Modern Art (11 West 53rd St.)
Museum of the Moving Image (35th Ave. at 36th St. in Astoria)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Ave.) [suggested admission]
New York Historical Society (170 Central Park West, bet. 76th and 77th Sts.)
Whitney Museum of American Art (945 Madison Ave. at 75th St.)

Also on Saturdays:
Brooklyn Botanical Garden (1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn)
Brooklyn Museum of Art First Saturdays (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn)
The Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.)
New York Botanical Garden (Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Rd., Bronx)

And on Sundays:
The Frick Collection (1 East 70th St.)
Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd St.)

Always Free Admission:
Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (Seventh Ave. at 27th St.)
National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green)
Goethe Institut (1014 Fifth Ave.)

(Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Museums (I): Met or MoMA?

Met or MoMA?
If you can only visit one museum, I'd say visit MoMA. Others will say the Metropolitan. They're both great and very different. MoMA is much smaller and more manageable. And it's about modern art.

The Modern, as MoMA is referred to by New Yorkers, was fully renovated from 2002 to 2004 and is an incredible piece of architecture. The Met is a giant institution that covers almost everything from Egyptian, Greek & Roman Art to Modern Art and Photography.

Adult admissions to both is US$20.00 but MoMA is free on Fridays from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. At the Met admission is "suggested", so that one can pay whatever they feel they can afford and get in.

MoMA (11 West 53rd Street)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.)

(Photo: Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" at MoMA)

NYC Theatre 101

Everything about going to the theatre: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, TKTS, etc.: Theater Development Fund.

(Photo: New TKTS booths, 10.16.08)

Custom Search

SoHO during the day

SoHO is the place that you go to shop or window shop, during the day. It is incredibly crowded with tourists and locals, and there's not a lot to do in the evening. Still very charming due to its cast-iron architecture and cobblestone streets, SoHO is now home to a number of high-end stores and expensive lofts. And the sidewalks are crowded with vendors of all sorts of knick-knacks.

The list of stores worth checking is long, but here are a few personal favorites:

Prada (575 Broadway)
Dean & Deluca Cafe (560 Broadway)
Uniqlo (546 Broadway)
Apple Store (103 Prince Street) [The first, the smallest, and the coolest]
Ward Nasse Gallery (178 Prince Street) [I exhibited my photos there]
Taschen Books (107 Greene Street)
MoMA Design Store (81 Spring Street)
Ingo Maurer (89 Grand Street)

(Photo: Street crossing, Prince and Broadway)

Alphabet Soup

Every now and then a new acronym comes along, but here is a list of the basics:

SoHO - South of Houston
TriBeca - Triangle Below Canal
NoLiTa - North of Little Italy
NoHO - North of Houston
DUMBO - Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass
LIC - Long Island City (Queens)
LES - Lower East Side
LGA - La Guardia Airport
JFK - Kennedy Airport
MTA - The Metropolitan Transit Authority
LIRR - Long Island Rail Road

Soul of the City

What is it about this place that so gets under your skin?
That draws so much greatness and never ceases to amaze.
A magnet for the eclectic.
A haven for the extraordinary.
The ultimate collision of extremes.
Could it be that its intrigue lies in its endless contradictions?

Its faces have seen so much. Its buildings patinaed with history.

Its pace beyond electric.

Because what happens here today effects the world tomorrow.

You're at the center, the source of creativity and power.

And once you've tapped into the constant stimuli that is New York,

you're hooked for life.

One may often question your sanity -

but you'd never dream of giving it up.

For New York truly is a different state of mind, a language all its own.

Honest in its neurosis, tough in its candor, warm in its fold.

It inspires your every move.

Energy literally rises from the pavement and quickens your step.

You think sharper, talk faster. Cramming a week into each day.

City people find comfort in chaos, stability in change.

Like a lover you can't live without,

New york seduces your heart and fuels your imagination.

Because it's at once an old city with a future,

and always a new city with a soul.

- Anonymous

Nolita

North of Little Italy (and south of Houston Street), Nolita became cool when SoHO became synonymous with high-end stores. It has lots of restaurants and small boutiques and a different feel than SoHo, just a couple of blocks away. It's still very charming but it's also changing and becoming more clean and less alternative.

My No. 1 restaurant in the category cheap and fabulous is in Nolita. The first time I went to Cafe Habana, in 2002, it was busy but there weren't lines outside. Mind you, it doesn't have a sign, it's small, and it looks like a hole in the wall. But the food (Mexican) is really cheap and delicious. That day I had lunch a few tables away from Francis Ford Coppola, the filmmaker. I always go back!

Cafe Habana (229 Elizabeth St.)

Alternatives to Cafe Habana (when it's too crowded):

Barmarche (14 Spring St.) [Delicious brunch food]

BarBossa (232 Elizabeth St.) [It's not Brazilian but serves Brazilian-style food and caipirinha. The portions are small, so if you order feijoada, beware, it comes all in one plate]

Nolita House (47 East Houston St.) [Fun brunch with bluegrass live music. It's really about the atmosphere]

Delicatessen (54 Prince Street) [On the border of Nolita and Soho. Opened in 2008, cool decor, good food, service a little slow]

The WTC site

Nobody really knows what it will become of the WTC site. Seven years after the tragedy of 9/11, it still looks like a construction site.

Information about the site and visiting tours can be found on the website Tribute WTC Visitor Center.

(Photo taken on 9/11/08 - Tribute in Light)

More photos:
Day photos (8/23/06)
Night photos (9/30/05)

A Heart In New York (Illustrated Song)

Welcome to my blog!

All photos in this blog, as well as text and opinion, are mine.

Tais Melillo 2008

For shoppers

Of course everybody likes a good bargain and for that the best place to shop is the outlet Woodbury Common, which has over 200 stores and is one hour away from Manhattan.

In Manhattan
Century 21 (22 Cortlandt St.) [across from the World Trade Center site]
T.J. Maxx (620 Ave. of the Americas)
Filene's Basement (620 Ave. of the Americas and 4 Union Square South)

In Queens
Target (8801 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst) [R train to Grand Av. Newtown station]

In Brooklyn
Target (N, R train to Atlantic/Pacific)

Electronics (cameras, computers, etc.)
J&R (23 Park Row) [across from City Hall Park]
BH Photo (420 9t h Ave., 33rd St.)*
Adorama (42 West 18th Street, bet. 5th/6th Aves.)*
Willoughby's (298 5th Ave, 31st. st.) [smaller than the other ones, friendlier service]

*Closed on Friday afternoons and Saturdays all day.

Basic tourist attractions

If you have the time, go. It's fun and it makes for great photos. There are plenty of tourist guides to take you there, but here is a list of must-see basics:

Brooklyn Bridge*
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island (Museum of Immigration)
Empire State Building
Times Square*
Grand Central Terminal*
Rockefeller Center*
Top of the Rock
Saint Patrick's Cathedral*
Fifth Avenue from 50th Street on up*
Central Park*
Double-decker buses to see everything sitting down

* free and fabulous, if you just walk through it.

Not big on reading? See the photos!

If you don't like to waste a lot of time reading and agree that an image is worth a thousand words, just cut to the chase and visit my Flickr.

All photos in this blog, as well as text and opinion, are mine.

Tais Melillo 2008

Chelsea art galleries

Roughly the square between 20th and 27th Streets and 10th and 11th Avenues, Chelsea is currently home to over 300 art galleries. Lots of fun if you have any interest in contemporary art. Go on a Saturday afternoon. The galleries are closed on Sundays. And it's free!

Chelsea Art Galleries

These are the larger ones, located on the buildings' ground floors for the most part. Always something interesting to see:

Gladstone Gallery (530 West 21st St.)
Matthew Marks Gallery (522 West 22nd St.)
Marianne Boesky Gallery (509 West 24th St.)
Zach Feuer Gallery (530 West 24th St.)
Bruce Silverstein (535 West 24th St.) [photography]
Gagosian Gallery (555 West 24th St.)
PaceWildenstein (534 West 25th St.)
Marlborough (545 West 25th St.)
Galerie Lelong (528 West 26th St.)
Aperture Gallery (547 West 27th St.) [photography]

A fabulous place to eat (but not cheap):
Cookshop (156 10th Ave.) [American]

A cool tapas bar:
Tia Pol (205 10th Ave.)

A cool bookstore:
Printed Matter, Inc. (195 10th Ave.)
Why: Art books in every size, shape or form.

Art-house movie theaters

Art-house movie theaters means "movie theaters that show foreign movies". Anyway, it's not your regular multiplex and it's where you will find, well, foreign movies. And documentaries.

Angelika Film Center (18 West Houston St.)
Sunshine Cinema (143 East Houston St.)
Film Forum (209 West Houston St.)
Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street)
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas (1886 Broadway, bet. 62nd/63rd)
Cinema Village (22 East 12th St.)
The Paris (4 West 58th St.)
IFC Center (323 Avenue of the Americas)
Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick Street)

(Photo: Angelika Film Center)