For most New York City families, visiting a landfill is not on the top of the to-do list. But the Freshkills Park is a public park and wildlife habitat the whole family can enjoy.
Once
the world’s largest landfill, Freshkills has been gradually transitioning from
a trash-dump into a nature-gem in Staten Island. At 2,200 acres,
Freshkills Park is nearly triple the size of Central Park and the
largest park to be developed in New York City in over 100 years. It is built on
what was once the largest landfill in the world (Fresh Kills Landfill
ceased operations in 2001). Now the landscape is being engineered with layers
of soil and infrastructure, making it a most unexpected place for wildlife,
recreation, science, education, and art.
For
obvious safety reasons, the landfill is covered by different layers of geomaterials
to stabilize landfilled waste, separate the waste from the environment and park
visitors, and prevent the release of landfill gas to the atmosphere.
As the park is being built in phases, with the entire expanse set to open to the public in a few years, free tours and events provide early access for learning and exploration of more than 700 acres and eight miles of trails. Family activities include cycling (bring your own bike or borrow one there), guided walks with groups like New York City Audubon and the Urban Park Rangers, kite flying, kayaking, wind chime design, and upcycled art. This is a great activity even if you don’t live nearby: Free shuttle buses transport visitors to and from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
The Westminster Dog Show is a favorite NYC event. Hundreds of dog owners and all types of breeds compete for the title of Best of the Breed.
The Westminster Dog Show offers several categories in agility training. Owners of show dogs often spend thousands of dollars on training and grooming. This show offers visitors the chance to meet breeds of dogs they may have never seen before.
The Westminster Dog Show will take place on
February 11 and 12th at Madison Square Garden and Piers 92/94.
The Westminster Dog Show was first held on May 7, 1877, making it over 140 years old! Make sure you stop by this not-to-be-missed NYC tradition!
The last seltzer company in New York City is offering a tour of their factory this week.
The Brooklyn Seltzer Boys, a fourth-generation family-owned business in Canarsie, Brooklyn, has been hand-filling seltzer bottles and delivering them to customers for over fifty years. Their carbonated water is reputed to be much tastier than the store-bought version.
A tour of the seltzer factory will include an overview of the seltzer
industry, a closer look at the seltzer bottle refilling process and a seltzer
taste test.
Afterwards, Brooklyn Seltzer Boys will make some of their award-winning
egg creams, which combine milk, chocolate syrup and their famous seltzer!
Security is always a potential issue at any big event. And the NYC Ball Drop most certainly fits
that description. Thus this year, security
is being beefed up with a police quadcopter drone watching over Times Square as
a surplus to its 7,000 police officers, 200 sand blocker trucks and sniffer
dogs.
The drone will be able to track any unauthorized vehicles in the
air. vehicles will be seen by the drone. Citizens are being warned not to fly their
own drones tomorrow night as that could lead to an arrest.
Looking for a music class for your little one that you can also enjoy? Most of the options out there are far too noisy and cutesy for parental tastes, but no one ever wants to deprive their child of the potential enrichment. Now you have your answer:
Songs for Seeds is a series of 45-minute classes ($561 and up for sixteen weeks) which are led by a three-piece band that every adult can enjoy. Each week, kids are introduced to the music of a different country or culture. They always get the chance to do Kid-Karaoke as well, to help develop their self-confidence and their own unique style.
For those wishing to be near the big city but not pay those Manhattan island prices, Brooklyn represents an attractive option. The catch is: there are only two major hotels in Brooklyn (so far – some major players, including the Sheraton, are reportedly getting into the Brooklyn business), so your choices are limited.
The first is The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, the only full-service hotel in the borough, which is located just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Its location means that you can either walk the 30 minutes across to Manhattan or take one of the four subway lines on the hotel’s doorstep. Plus, if you choose well among the hotel’s 659 rooms and suits, you can have that skyline view that reminds you that Manhattan is right across the water. The hotel is very “corporate,” however, without much unique style. The opposite is true of your second option: Brooklyn’s first true boutique hotel, the Nu Hotel, which opened in 2008. Its Smith Street view of the high-rise city jail is not too pretty, but this artsy hotel provides enough style to compensate for an unsightly outdoor views. The hotel offers custom-made beds, and even hammocks in a few of the suites, as well as local photography and quotes from famous Brooklynites. There is a bar at night as well as lots to eat at Smith Street’s many dining spots.
Celebrities are both buying and selling real estate in New York City right now, with reports that Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford is selling his penthouse in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and TV star Sarah Jessica Parker has just bought a townhouse on Central Park West.
Harrison Ford, who also owns houses in LA and Wyoming, has put his home, which has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, and 360 degree views of New York City, up for sale for $16 million. Parker and husband Matthew Broderick, along with their children, are moving from their current home in Manhattan’s West Village to their new $21 million-residence, an establishment with eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms that is the former home of philanthropist Laurie Tisch.
There’s lots to do in New York City – and much of it is free. Here are a few of my favorites:
Walk down the streets of Fifth Avenue or down 57th Street and check out the store windows. Sit outside in the new promenade near Macy’s at 34th Street and “people watch” for a while.
Go down to the Times Square subway station at rush hour and enjoy the musical events, or watch the break dancing at Grand Central.
Relive your childhood at FAO Schwartz, at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, hugging huge stuffed animals and dancing on giant piano keys. Then cross over to Central Park and walk through the verdant greenery, inhaling the fresh air and admiring the caricature artists. Keep going till you reach the reservoir. Faced with the peaceful scene in front of you, you won’t believe that the bustle and excitement of Manhattan is right around you.
Just sit down, take a deep breath, relax and enjoy.
Whether it’s going to see the skaters at Rockefeller Center, or relishing the rinks at two of the city’s main parks Ice skating has long been a New York City tradition. There is a Wollman Rink both in Manhattan’s illustrious Central Park and in the less-known but also-enjoyable Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Both are a wonderful part of winter in New York.
Another rink at Bryant Park has had a different story. Despite having already been around for five years, the skating rink in midtown Manhattan’s Bryant Park, between 40th and 42nd streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues — right near the famous Library Lions of the New York Public Library’s main branch – remains less known than its older counterparts.
The rink, which is free (there are charges for skate rentals), is 17,000 square feet. That makes it about half of the size of Central Park’s Wollman Rink and twice as big as the one in Rockefeller Center. The winter season began on the 29th of October and will continue until February 27, 2011. Hours are Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, and on Friday and Saturday from 8:00 am until midnight. Skate rentals are $13, lock purchase $9, small bag check $7, large bag check $10, skate sharpening $20. Use of storage lockers is available at no cost.
Looking for a music class for your little one that you can also enjoy? Most of the options out there are far too noisy and cutesy for parental tastes, but no one ever wants to deprive their child of the potential enrichment. Now you have your answer:
For those wishing to be near the big city but not pay those Manhattan island prices, Brooklyn represents an attractive option. The catch is: there are only two major hotels in Brooklyn (so far – some major players, including the Sheraton, are reportedly getting into the Brooklyn business), so your choices are limited.
Celebrities are both buying and selling real estate in New York City right now, with reports that Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford is selling his penthouse in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and TV star Sarah Jessica Parker has just bought a townhouse on Central Park West.
There’s lots to do in New York City – and much of it is free. Here are a few of my favorites:
Whether it’s going to see the skaters at Rockefeller Center, or relishing the rinks at two of the city’s main parks Ice skating has long been a New York City tradition. There is a Wollman Rink both in Manhattan’s illustrious Central Park and in the less-known but also-enjoyable Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Both are a wonderful part of winter in New York.