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The Big Apple: The NY City Guide

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NYC, the City that Never Sleeps, The Big Apple

 

When most people say "New York City" they are really referring to the island of Manhattan, a borough of NYC.  When most people visit New York, this is where they go.  The area is small compared to the State, but the history is a rich, multi-cultural one.  Those who love to live here are a special breed.

Ever hear somebody say "What is this?... Grand Central Station?"  Here's an actual picture of it!

New York Pizza - Best In The World! 

I was in New York City for the first time in 20 years in the fall of 2005. I had a small list of to-dos. Right at the top in the #1 spot was eat real NY pizza. Number two was eat a real NY bagel. Obviously, it's got to be something in the water.

New York pizza is one of those things. It's like Chicago pizza. Once you eat it in the hometown where it's from, you get what everyone is talking about. I grew up eating NY pizza, going into the city on weekends as a teenager. You ate it standing up, at crowded shops with greasy counters. You fold your pizza. Hey, that's just what you do there, like how you read the NY Times on the train. (I played 'spot the Tri-state commuter' for many years in the Bay Area). If you watch the movie "Saturday Night Fever" I learned to eat my pizza the same way that John Travolta's character Tony eats his in the movie: walking down the street, folded in half.

The crust of a NY pizza is thin, whereas Chicago is thick. I think both have their merits, but my preference is for the NY style. There's something about the NY sauce too. That's what struck me the most this fall with that first bite. Right after the perfect crunch of the crust, the sauce was a spicy burning flood over my tongue. Aaahhh....

Real NY pizza does not have things like artichokes, shrimp, eggplant, bbq chicken and the like on it. It does not blaspheme itself with things like whole wheat crust. A classic plain cheese pizza done well NY-style will have enough flavor to satisfy, enough texture to fulfill. Too often, NY-style fails, becoming soggy instead of capturing a necessary crispiness.

The worst pizza I ever ate was in London in the summer of 1985. 'Nuff said on that.

The Heart of the Big Apple 

New York Websites 

Take a bite out of the Big Apple

New York City web sites, including major museums and arts organizations, travel sites, and New York guides.
NYC.gov
Welcome to the official New York City Web site
NYC & Company
NYC & Company (formerly known as the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau) is New York City's official tourism marketing organization.
NYC Ballet
New York City Ballet
NYC Opera
New York City Opera
The New York Public Library
Come see the big stone lions as well as one of the world's best known libraries.
NYC Marathon
Homepage of the world's largest marathon.
Welcome to www.nycsubway.org
NEWS & EVENTS, Photos from Today's Date in History, Station by Station Guide
New York's Greenwich Village: A one-stop place for food, fun and unique NY
This small and vibrant section of New York City is packed with places to eat, stores for shopping and all the people watching you can come to expect from the Big Apple.

Bird's Eye View on NYC 

new york city photography

New York City - City Hall by Afulki

This City Hall is New York City's 3rd, constructed from 1803-1812.

New York City Skyline by K-Billz

The view of New York City from Hoboken NJ

New York City Transit Museum by Jon Cronin

New York City Transit Museum

New York City Cab by mmarkuz74

New York City Cab @ Rush Hour

IMG_4120.JPG by gregwong

NY at night

Roller Disco in Central Park by mephistofales

Roller Disco in Central Park

Times Square by ismon

Times Square

Vintage New York City Subway Car by Mtl_Shag

Vintage New York City Subway Car at the New York transit museum

New York City by maggie_b

New York City

2007-02-17 - new york city - Rockefeller Center (IMG_7370) by Ken B. Miller

Rockefeller Center

Hot Time, Summer In The City 

The Big Apple's Best Summer Events

If it's a classic NY street fair that you're looking for, they tend to run from April to November. Here's a great guide that will let you see if there will be one during your visit.

All summer you can help revitalize and celebrate Lower Manhattan at the River to River Festival, which takes place each summer from June through September, in a variety of public venues that canvas all of Downtown New York - from Chambers Street down to the southern tip of Manhattan and across the island from river to river.

Most Friday mornings from April to August, you can catch a free concert as part of the Today Show Concert Series. The range of musical guests is really diverse and if you get on camera, you can wave to the folks back home.

The Delacorte Theater in Central Park will play host to the Public Theater's productions of Shakespeare In The Park from June through August. These free performances reach over 75,000 visitors and city residents alike.

At the end of June is a NY one-of-a-kind event, the Coney Island Mermaid Parade.

If you're in the city over the 4th of July, it's pretty much guaranteed you won't miss Macy's Fireworks Show.

If you'd like to get out of the city, and take a step back in time, NY offers two Renaissance Fairs. Running from July into August is the Sterling Renaissance Festival held in Sterling, NY. Then, running from early August into September is the New York Renaissance Festival held in Tuxedo, NY.

New York City, Here I Come! 

find your flight, car rental and hotel for NYC

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Free Wireless in NYC 

Many folks traveling today hope to be able to get online somewhere to keep up with email and other developments back home. If you're traveling with a laptop, you'll be able to log on from these free wireless hotspots.
Free Wireless Access at the Library
The Branch Libraries of the New York Public Library.
Lower Manhattan Wireless Network
In eight different public spaces throughout Lower Manhattan, you can enjoy free wireless Internet access from your laptop or PDA. So step out and log on: surf the Web, check your e-mail, and send instant messages while relaxing in the park.
UnionSquareNYC.org - Wireless Access
Union Square Park is open for free wireless connections to the Web. The Partnership has teamed up with Wired Magazine and Emenity to provide free-of-charge Internet access from anywhere in the Park. Students, office-workers, anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop or PDA can access the node and the World Wide Web 24-hours a day from Union Square Park.
free_wifi @ the Saurin Parke Cafe
We offer it free to our customers every day and the cafe is one of the best places to go to surf the web.
chelseamarket.com - free wireless internet
Get FREE, high-speed, wireless-internet access every time you step foot inside Chelsea Market's ground floor concourse with your laptop. It triples the speed of a T1 connection (meaning 40 to 100 times faster than dial-up), and you don't need any connecting wires to get online.

Current Weather in the Heart of Manhattan 

Current weather conditions in New York, NY (10020)

Local Pollen Reports

49°F (Feels like 44°F)

Last update: 5/17/08 2:25 AM EDT

Humidity: 90%
Visibility: 7.0 mi
Dew Point: 46°F
UV Index: 0 (Lawn and Garden Weather)
Barometer: 29.58in steady
Moon: Rush Hour Traffic
Wind: 11mph From: Airport Conditions
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Art Museums of the Big Apple 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: metmuseum.org
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Web site features information on upcoming museum events, fine art exhibits, special exhibitions, the Met collection and art galleries online.
Guggenheim Museum
Spiral your way through this musuem.
MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art's Web site provides information on current and upcoming art, film and media, and online exhibitions; highlights from MoMA's unparalleled collection of modern and contemporary art; and listings of education and family programs.
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent institutions for scientific research and education, with collections of more than 32 million specimens and artifacts.
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney has always been a forum for discussion about ideas and attitudes in American culture.
American Folk Art Museum
American Folk Art Museum, 45 West 53rd Street

Headlines from the New York Times 

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Eating Out In the Big Apple 

Food and restaurant recommendations for all tastes

Slow Food Guide to New York City

Slow Food Guide to New York City

Price: $14.00

A deliciously different guide for native New Yorkers and Visitors alike, with a broad yet discriminating view of the Big apple's incredibly rich food... more »

Nosh New York

Nosh New York

Price: $13.56

A thorough and delightful guide to the best ethnic food spots in New York City. Native New Yorker Myra Alperson has been leading ethnic food tours ar... more »

Vegetarian New York City

Vegetarian New York City

Price: $10.46

Millions of vegetarian New Yorkers and non-meat-eating visitors to the Big Apple will love this lively, well-researched guide. It provides detailed re... more »

Cocktails in New York

Cocktails in New York

Price: $20.96

What are you having? A crisp Martini at the Rainbow Room? A Manhattan at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central? Cocktail culture was invented in New York Ci... more »

Chowhound's Guide to New York Tristate Area

Chowhound's Guide to New York Tristate Area

Price: $12.60

With more than 500,00 visitors a month, Chowhound.com has become a favorite source of information for those who want to take their dining experiences... more »

New York for the Holidays 

starting in late November and running into early January

New York doesn't just do things big, it does them BIG! The holiday season definitely gets off to a start in November, with the city setting up displays and decorations thoroughly by the end of the month. Two of the City's regular ol' celebrations are so big, they get televised nationally. Think about that. The rest of the country is willing to watch average New Yorkers going about their thing in the streets.

Having it's 81st annual staging in 2007 is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which inevitably gets shortened verbally to "Macy's Parade." This parade and it's large scale balloons is unlike any other in the world. It also features lip-sync and live dance performances by current Broadway stars and show casts. It will be interesting to see which Broadway shows perform with the parade, since the NY Local One stagehands strike has shut down all but eight shows.

If you're attending the parade live, bundle up! Traditionally, it's very "nippy" this time of year, so extras like gloves, hats and scarves are really required to ensure comfort. Also, bring binoculars if you have them, you never know how far away or close you'll wind up. And don't forget a digital camera!

At the end of November, the famous New York City Christmas Tree will be officially lit in Rockefeller Center. This too is such a well-known event, it too is given national tv coverage. The entire center is decorated elaborately and the massive installation will stay up through New Years. It gets taken down shortly thereafter.

The City will light the official Menorah and start the eight night celebration of Hannukah on December 4th.

New Year's Eve spent in Times Square is a NY classic! Hundreds of thousands turn out no matter what the weather to watch the famous ball drop down the spire of the building at One Times Square.
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