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| Overlooked by the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Philipsburg Manor, Kykuit, and the Rockefeller Estate bring a sense of dutch and pre american culture not seen since the 18th century, |
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Photo - Philipsburg Manor
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Photo - Highbridge
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| The oldest bridge in New York City and formerly an aqueduct before it became a pedestrian walkway when it was reopened in 2015. |
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Photo - Nov 27 2015 - Inwood Hill Park
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| An old tree trunk, fallen and hallowed, lying its side along a main path of Inwood Hill Park. |
Thursday, January 30, 2014
What I've been working on
This last trip to New York, I wanted to make an exclusive picture trip since last time I decided to live it up instead of taking many pictures. I've been on a kick recently where I've been wanting to sell my photos and this trip was a way to get more for that cause.
Ever since I've been back, I've been having a hard time. I'm working my way towards moving to the east coast with my goal being that I will tough it out for one year. I unintentionally timed my trip in between two polar vortexes and somehow seemed to miss the shit weather I was meaning to find.
Instead, I got what you see in the picture above. The meaning of my trip turned out to be a dud! Thankfully it didn't ultimately end up being a dud, but I was looking forward to seeing snow. It's the northeast for christ sake! It should be colder than 35 degrees Fahrenheit, am i right?
While I am sitting here and bitching, my trip didn't come one bit close to being a dud in reality. I was able to see some of the best city-scapes in the world. I had some incredible food, and I was able to talk to some incredible people. What more could you as for from any vacation?
The food in New York is probably the most diverse of any place I've visited. Even in Los Angeles! Check out some of the food I ate.
Ever since I've been back, I've been having a hard time. I'm working my way towards moving to the east coast with my goal being that I will tough it out for one year. I unintentionally timed my trip in between two polar vortexes and somehow seemed to miss the shit weather I was meaning to find.
Instead, I got what you see in the picture above. The meaning of my trip turned out to be a dud! Thankfully it didn't ultimately end up being a dud, but I was looking forward to seeing snow. It's the northeast for christ sake! It should be colder than 35 degrees Fahrenheit, am i right?
While I am sitting here and bitching, my trip didn't come one bit close to being a dud in reality. I was able to see some of the best city-scapes in the world. I had some incredible food, and I was able to talk to some incredible people. What more could you as for from any vacation?
The food in New York is probably the most diverse of any place I've visited. Even in Los Angeles! Check out some of the food I ate.
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| Handi Restaurant, 113 Lexington Ave, NY |
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| Rare Burger topped with brie on an onion bun The Counter (Build it yourself Burger Joint), Times Square |
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| Minca Ramen, The best meal (and the first) I had the whole trip. 536 E 5th St, East Village, Manhattan |
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| The biggest God Damn Pizza Ever!! Koronet Pizza, 2848 Broadway, Upper West Side |
All in all, I can honestly say that I had the time of my life. The only bummer is that I was only there for four days. Thankfully, I will be going back in September for a full week at least. More or less a 9 day stay, and that sounds OK.
If any of you want to go on a trip to somewhere diverse, that has as many activities that are free as there is paid, New York is where it's at. You can experience the best and worst parts of America here. I can't wait to come back myself. Let me know if you would like some reccomendations. I have many for food and even more for beer.
For the full set of pictures from my trip to the greatest city on earth, Click Here!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Cold Weather Navigator? I Wish!
On Wednesday evening, I will be jumping on a plane to make my return to my false home town, New York City. In anticipation of my return, I've been diligently keeping track of what the weather is like. I unintentional booked a non-refundable room, and any delay could screw me out of a hundred bucks on the low end. As I keep looking at the weather, I'm noticing a trend that I'm not too sure I am thrilled about, the temperature rising.
Out here in sunny California, bad weather is almost a mute subject. I think we only got about 10-20 days last year that had rain, on the high end. It's very depressing for somebody like me who is always looking for change. I think I might riot if I don't see a single flake of snow while I'm walking the streets of Manhattan. I bought film for my camera just to capture the wondrous climate. and I better see some bad weather Dammit!!
On the other hand, if I don't have to use either my snow pants or my boots, I'll return em and be more well off by about $60.
In other news, I'm planning to go to my first hockey game while on my trip. I'm going to travel to the majestic city of Newark, NJ to watch the Jersey Devils take on the Philadelphia Fliers. Beer and Sports, It's what's for dinner.
Out here in sunny California, bad weather is almost a mute subject. I think we only got about 10-20 days last year that had rain, on the high end. It's very depressing for somebody like me who is always looking for change. I think I might riot if I don't see a single flake of snow while I'm walking the streets of Manhattan. I bought film for my camera just to capture the wondrous climate. and I better see some bad weather Dammit!!
On the other hand, if I don't have to use either my snow pants or my boots, I'll return em and be more well off by about $60.
In other news, I'm planning to go to my first hockey game while on my trip. I'm going to travel to the majestic city of Newark, NJ to watch the Jersey Devils take on the Philadelphia Fliers. Beer and Sports, It's what's for dinner.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Planning Your Trips
This a concept I finally grasped this past November. Here are some of the tips that worked for me and hopefully they will be of some assistance to you.
I love to visit cities that trend on the more expensive. That doesn't mean you have to pay an arm and a leg to visit. Here are some tips I wish I would have followed before most of my recent trips.
1. Buy your plane ticket early
I'm going to New York at the beginning of January. I was mostly on the fence until about a month and a half to two months out I had seen an advertisement on JetBlue's Facebook site for 20% off any flights within a certain date range. I ended up getting tickets for $135 after tax each way. Talk about a jackpot! Many airlines seem to have these outstanding flash sales. I've since seen similar deals from Virgin America and Southwest. Like your airlines and hotels and you might see an enticing enticing deal as well
The other issue with buying your ticket early has to do with rising costs when your planned trip date is approaching. Prices tend to get higher and it will make you kick yourself in the foot for missing the rates that would give you more dough to spend on fun activities. Start checking the airline sites around Tuesday and avoid buying on the weekend. I ended up riding the train cross country because I was too late in booking a flight. I ended up eating an extra 40 buckaroos. In my language, 5-8 beers I could have had.
2. Read the fine print on the travel booking sites
Boy did I learn my lesson from this one. It only took twice. I booked my room on Priceline and it gave me a price that I thought looked VERY appealing, and there was a blurb underneath stating "Tax Not Included". That is a confusing statement, don't you think? It was for me and I took it at face value as the site would pay for that. Kinda dumb, I know. When I was entering my info on the site, I also didn't see a place to add my AAA discount too either. My best recommendation is to call the hotel up and ask if they can offer the price on the travel site. It's a 50/50 chance especially in summertime.If so than make sure you ask for any additional discounts such as AAA. I easily would have saved an extra 10% by doing so.
3. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean you can't do anything for free
New York is an expensive town. Even so, there are a zillion activities you can do for free. Many art galleries including MOMA and Guggenheim offer free days, Friday and Saturday respectively. There might be a line, but who cares. a couple of other free places to visit are the 911 Memorial, the High Line, Central Park or Flushing Meadows where the Worlds Fair was held. You just need to be creative. Just fyi one excellent place to visit in Chicago is Millennium Park, where the Giant Bean resides.
4. Talk to the guy/lady sitting next to you
Talking about the Giant Bean. When I rode the train to New York last summer, my first train ended in Chicago and the next one I had to wait several hours to board. I talked with my seat mate the entire trip, and he just happened to be from Chicago. So I asked him where some fun places to see and where to eat. He walked me down to Millennium Park which completely blew my mind that somebody would go that far out of their way for me. He also gave me recommendation for a place to eat, but I ended up having to skip out on that and find a nice burger joint instead. The point is, if you strike up a conversation, you never know what kind of connections the people around you might have. Just don't be annoying about it.
5. Choose the off season for lower rates
I'm planning on possibly an extended stay in a region far different than any I have experienced to date. I've only seen the region at its best, and now I'm about to see it at its worst. What are the benefits of this? Nobody wants to stay in a drab dreary snowy place. That correlates to awesome plane ticket prices and killer hotel rates at hotels that would normally be 2-4 times as high in the summertime. It might even make some activities cheaper as well because nobody wants to leave their warm house for the "extreme" cold. Just make sure you pack accordingly for wherever you might be planning.
As with anything else that you might potentially spend thousands of dollars on, do your research, leave your itinerary somewhat loose, and plan for your trip. You will enjoy your trip much better, and everybody will be jealous that you are going on more trips than they are. Don't be cheap, be frugal. It's worth your time.
I love to visit cities that trend on the more expensive. That doesn't mean you have to pay an arm and a leg to visit. Here are some tips I wish I would have followed before most of my recent trips.
1. Buy your plane ticket early
I'm going to New York at the beginning of January. I was mostly on the fence until about a month and a half to two months out I had seen an advertisement on JetBlue's Facebook site for 20% off any flights within a certain date range. I ended up getting tickets for $135 after tax each way. Talk about a jackpot! Many airlines seem to have these outstanding flash sales. I've since seen similar deals from Virgin America and Southwest. Like your airlines and hotels and you might see an enticing enticing deal as well
The other issue with buying your ticket early has to do with rising costs when your planned trip date is approaching. Prices tend to get higher and it will make you kick yourself in the foot for missing the rates that would give you more dough to spend on fun activities. Start checking the airline sites around Tuesday and avoid buying on the weekend. I ended up riding the train cross country because I was too late in booking a flight. I ended up eating an extra 40 buckaroos. In my language, 5-8 beers I could have had.
2. Read the fine print on the travel booking sites
Boy did I learn my lesson from this one. It only took twice. I booked my room on Priceline and it gave me a price that I thought looked VERY appealing, and there was a blurb underneath stating "Tax Not Included". That is a confusing statement, don't you think? It was for me and I took it at face value as the site would pay for that. Kinda dumb, I know. When I was entering my info on the site, I also didn't see a place to add my AAA discount too either. My best recommendation is to call the hotel up and ask if they can offer the price on the travel site. It's a 50/50 chance especially in summertime.If so than make sure you ask for any additional discounts such as AAA. I easily would have saved an extra 10% by doing so.
3. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean you can't do anything for free
New York is an expensive town. Even so, there are a zillion activities you can do for free. Many art galleries including MOMA and Guggenheim offer free days, Friday and Saturday respectively. There might be a line, but who cares. a couple of other free places to visit are the 911 Memorial, the High Line, Central Park or Flushing Meadows where the Worlds Fair was held. You just need to be creative. Just fyi one excellent place to visit in Chicago is Millennium Park, where the Giant Bean resides.
4. Talk to the guy/lady sitting next to you
Talking about the Giant Bean. When I rode the train to New York last summer, my first train ended in Chicago and the next one I had to wait several hours to board. I talked with my seat mate the entire trip, and he just happened to be from Chicago. So I asked him where some fun places to see and where to eat. He walked me down to Millennium Park which completely blew my mind that somebody would go that far out of their way for me. He also gave me recommendation for a place to eat, but I ended up having to skip out on that and find a nice burger joint instead. The point is, if you strike up a conversation, you never know what kind of connections the people around you might have. Just don't be annoying about it.
5. Choose the off season for lower rates
I'm planning on possibly an extended stay in a region far different than any I have experienced to date. I've only seen the region at its best, and now I'm about to see it at its worst. What are the benefits of this? Nobody wants to stay in a drab dreary snowy place. That correlates to awesome plane ticket prices and killer hotel rates at hotels that would normally be 2-4 times as high in the summertime. It might even make some activities cheaper as well because nobody wants to leave their warm house for the "extreme" cold. Just make sure you pack accordingly for wherever you might be planning.
As with anything else that you might potentially spend thousands of dollars on, do your research, leave your itinerary somewhat loose, and plan for your trip. You will enjoy your trip much better, and everybody will be jealous that you are going on more trips than they are. Don't be cheap, be frugal. It's worth your time.
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