U2 Way

- You're walking down the street and all of a sudden you see your favorite movie star!

OK, this doesn't happen every day but there's always a possibility. Here's proof.

(I knew that U2 was going to be in NY for a week to promote their new album No Line onf the Horizon in the beginning of March. I also knew that they were going to be on the David Letterman show, which happens to be across the street from where I work. Sure enough, on Tuesday, 3/3/09, I got to see the U2 guys and the mayor of NY for the inauguration of "U2 Way", the temporary naming of the stretch of 53rd Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue.)

10 Tips to New York City

1.Call 311 or 212-NEWYORK for all information about the City.

2.Fifth Avenue divides Manhattan into the east side and west side.

3.When getting directions, always ask for the cross streets (i.e. 810 Seventh Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets).

4.In Manhattan, if you walk 20 blocks north or south, you have walked one mile.

5.If the number on the top of the taxicab is lit, it means the cab is available.

6.It is customary to tip 15-20% to waitstaff, bartenders and taxi drivers.

7.MetroCards work on both buses and subways, and transfers between the two are free.

8.Free wireless Internet is available at many public parks.

9.Many businesses, including pharmacies and delis, are open 24 hours.

10.Have a question about NYC? Just ask the locals or go to nycgo.com.

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.