Just a New York minute!

Sitting in the bar at one of my favorite Midtown Manhattan restaurants, Victor's Cafe on 52nd Street, I overheard two well-traveled women from Australia agree with each other that New York City was "colorless." They were referring not to the metaphysical elements of the City, but to the actual color in her structures.

It's hard to differ with their opinion. New York City, for all its wonderful architecture and its splendid skyline, is drab, especially when viewed from above.

That's probably what makes Times Square, in all its neon garishness, even more vivid.

And yet, even though it lacks the blues of Mykonos, the muted reds of Venice, the painted ladies of San Francisco, the whites of Santorini or the pastels of Bermuda, it is the only place on earth that can rightfully claim to be The Greatest City in the World.

Reprinted from RANDOM PHOTOGRAPHS FROM RANDOM JOURNEYS by Joel Cohen

By Adrianne Pasquarelli REPRINTED WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM Crain's New York Business

The exhibit, in which 25 to 30 mannequins will model outfits from high-profile designers such as Diane von Furstenberg and Michael Kors, begins June 24 and runs through Labor Day. 

Broadway’s sidewalks between Times Square and Herald Square will soon be teeming with even more beautifully dressed, fashionable figures. But unlike the hundreds of tourists and New Yorkers who walk the street on a daily basis, these new figures won’t be moving.

The Fashion Center Business Improvement District announced a new public art exhibit, appropriately dubbed "Sidewalk Catwalk," on Tuesday. The exhibit, in which 25 to 30 mannequins will model outfits from high-profile designers such as Diane von Furstenberg and Michael Kors, begins June 24 and runs through Labor Day. The figures will be located inside the pedestrian plazas on Broadway.

"There’s no destination in this neighborhood," said Fashion Center Executive Director Barbara Randall. "We wanted to celebrate the Fashion District and express what this neighborhood is all about and its creative talent that is the home of American fashion."

Ms. Randall said that the exhibit will include fiberglass mannequins designed by Ralph Pucci, who creates the figures at upscale department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York. Each fashion designer will use materials from the area, such as buttons and trim, along with heavy duty, weatherproof items—not fabrics—from nonprofit Materials Connection on West 23rd Street.

"We’re hoping they view it as more of a work of art—a sculpture—than an outfit," said Ms. Randall.

So far, 20 designers, from Betsey Johnson to Kenneth Cole, have signed on for the project, and Macy’s is a key sponsor. The department store plans to celebrate the art initiative with special window displays and exclusive merchandise. Meanwhile, the Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology will have their own mannequins to dress.

"This groundbreaking, outdoor, public runway is destined to become New York City’s major tourist attraction this summer," said Fern Mallis, senior vice president of IMG Fashion—which produces Mercedes Benz Fashion Week—and a chairperson for the project, in a statement. "It will attract every fashion-loving citizen and tourist who would do anything to get inside the Bryant Park Tents."

Incidentally, Fashion Week spent its final days at Bryant Park last month and will move uptown to Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park this fall.

On Sept. 6, after the exhibit concludes, the sculptures will be auctioned off and the proceeds will go to Materials for the Arts, a nonprofit that supplies arts materials to New York City public schools.

The kids were screaming to stay, begging not to go, mouths agape at the human-like figures surrounding them, and that was before performing on the American Idol stage! What they did not know: they were learning while having fun in New York City museums.

New York City is a wealth of historical and cultural sites mixed with a fast-paced, high energy, always entertaining style. Sure, there are must-sees, like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park and Rockefeller Center. With a double-decker sightseeing bus tour you can check most of those off your list quickly before getting into the real value of a New York City family vacation: learning while having fun.

New York City Museums

American Museum of Natural History
“The kids didn’t want to leave. In fact my son wants to move to NYC. Why, I asked him … because the museum is there!”

The American Museum of Natural History, that is. The quote, from a Harrisburg PA family who toured the museum recently, is indicative of what Museum staff hears frequently. Why not, since the Museum was rated the top attraction in New York City by Zagat Survey US Family Travel Guide.

Well-known for its 94-foot long blue whale, Hayden Planetarium space shows and the world’s tallest freestanding dinosaur mount, the Museum has opened an intriguing exhibition entitled Traveling the Silk Road that brings to life one of the greatest trading routes in human history, from Xi’an and Turfan China through Uzbekistan to Baghdad. Children will become world travelers, collecting special stamps in Silk Road “passports” issued to them at the exhibition entrance, smelling real spices in the spice market, meeting a life-sized camel model, observing live silkworms and enjoying live musical performances. Hands-on activities and interactives will bring to life the golden age of the Silk Road.

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum
History isn’t all dinosaurs and ancients, though, at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. Kids can stand alongside President and Mrs. Obama – or at least their wax likenesses – in a replica Oval Office. Other public figures on display include President Clinton, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Princess Diana, Malcolm X and President Abraham Lincoln. What makes Madame Tussaud’s particularly interesting for families is that all the figures are free standing and accessible, so kids can pose with the lifelike statues. It’s not just history, either, as pop culture abounds. There’s Miley Cyrus, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Beyonce and Serena Williams.  Kids can even sing and record their very own performance on the American Idol® stage – where Simon Cowell will judge them.

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s mission is to inspire youth by exploring the “humanity behind the hardware.” The “hardware” includes a genuine aircraft carrier, a submarine, 30 aircraft including the super-secret A-12 Blackbird spy plane and the supersonic Concorde. On weekends there are free demonstrations that incorporate hands-on activities geared towards families. During recent weekends families explored the use of robotics in space, tested how to land a vehicle on Mars without crashing, and learned about rocketry as they participated in a hands-on demonstration of the four forces of flight and created their own parachute and space capsule. 

Hotels

Well, hotels might not be educational but unless you have friends or family with whom to stay, they are a necessity. No surprise that New York City has so many choices, so here are some family favorites to make the selection easier:

Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square
As the name suggests, the Doubletree  Guest Suites Times Square is located in … Times Square. It might be a bit costlier than some other hotels but there are good reasons for that.
1)    Did we mention it’s in Times Square?
2)    Every room is a 2-room suite

Being in Times Square means that so much of what-to-do is within a short walk from the hotel. Broadway theaters, kid-friendly restaurants like Planet Hollywood, Toys R Us, Hershey’s Times Square, M & M’s World Store, Central Park, Rockefeller Center – and even the Empire State Building and Macy’s are only a little further of a walk. Times Square is also a safe location in a safe city (New York City is the safest major city in the US, according to the FBI’s Crime in the United States, the preliminary Uniform Crime Report for 2008.)

The Doubletree’s most important distinction is that it’s the only all-suite hotel in Times Square. Rather than trying to cram the family into one small hotel room, the Doubletree’s 2-room suite has a living room, private bedroom, kitchenette area and even a work desk with high speed internet access.

Sheraton Manhattan Times Square
Just a few short blocks from the heart of Times Square is the Sheraton Manhattan. Now completely non-smoking, the Sheraton Manhattan has an indoor swimming pool, a rarity for New York City hotels. It’s also in a great location in the Times Square/Theatre District area, close to Central Park and just half a block from Broadway. Rooms with two double beds can be requested. The hotel also provides rollaway beds in king-bedded rooms, at an additional cost.

Other Family-Friendly Hotels
The Marriott Marquis is an attraction itself. Its soaring atrium lobby is a must-see; its rooms are comfortable and spacious. The Crowne Plaza Manhattan is newly-remodeled and also features rooms a bit larger than standard New York City hotel rooms. Both the Marriott Marquis and the Crowne Plaza are located in Times Square. The Novotel New York has recently remodeled as well, and several of its rooms have views overlooking Broadway down to Times Square.

So Much More
In addition to the ubiquitous double-decker bus sightseeing tours there are specialized tours focusing on the City’s many TV and movie sites, cruises around Manhattan island, walking tours of popular neighborhoods, Harlem gospel music excursions and even a bus tour of Brooklyn highlighted by visits to arguably two of the best pizza restaurants in New York.

There’s Discovery Times Square Exposition, a huge exhibit space in the former New York Times building that will be home to the first display of King Tut artifacts to visit New York City in over 30 years. The world champion New York Yankees play 81 games at the new Yankee Stadium from April through September. And of course there’s Broadway, with Wicked, The Lion King and Mary Poppins still going strong.  

Help Planning

Trying to plan an entire New York City family vacation can be difficult and time-consuming, particularly if you are not familiar with the City. Consulting a travel agent is wise advice.  You or your travel agent should contact a tour company like New York City Vacation Packages (www.nyctrip.com or 877-NYC-TRiP) that specializes in leisure travel to the City. They can arrange accommodations, transportation, sightseeing, Broadway shows, museum admissions and even meals, coordinated with your planned activities, and often at a price lower than purchasing everything separately. They include free admissions to many of the popular sites and attractions in New York City.   

New York City Vacation Packages (NYCVP) is offering a 2-night stay in midtown Manhattan so locals can see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and take part in some of the festivities that attract tourists to the City during the holiday season. 

“Thanksgiving Staycation” packages begin on November 25, with accommodations at a choice of several midtown hotels including The Warwick Hotel, Flatotel, Intercontinental Barclay, New York Helmsley, W New York, Westin New York at Times Square and several Hilton properties. Package prices start at $409 per person based on two adults sharing a room at the Holiday Inn NYC-Manhattan 6th Ave. 

Vacations include a Wednesday afternoon guided excursion to the balloon inflation and parade staging area, followed by a tour of department store window displays. On Thursday morning before the parade, guests are invited to a private continental breakfast at Applebee’s Grill on 50th St., one-half block from the 7th Ave. parade route. “Staycationers” can step outside the restaurant to watch the parade and use the comfort and convenience of the facility during the entire parade. 

Also included is a Thursday evening traditional Thanksgiving buffet dinner at the Manhattan Club and an exclusive Breakfast with Santa on Friday morning. Guests will receive admission passes to several popular sites and attractions in the City, including the Empire State Building Observatory and the American Museum of Natural History, and special reduced rate parking coupons for Central Parking garages. All taxes and most gratuities are included in package prices. 

Space on NYCVP’s Thanksgiving Staycation is limited and must be reserved in advance. Bookings can be made at travel agencies, on the company’s website www.nyctrip.com or by phone at 877 NYC-TRiP. 

New York City Vacation Packages is a tour company devoted exclusively to leisure travel in the Big Apple. The company is a member of NYC & Company, the National Tour Association, American Society of Travel Agents, ASTA Tour Operator Program, Greater Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, New York State Travel and Vacation Association and the Better Business Bureau. 

Fifteen or so years ago my wife and I went into the City for the first time together. We had only been married for a few months and weren't going on our honeymoon until our first anniversary (I decided long ago that I wanted to make sure the marriage "took" before I spent gobs of bucks on a honeymoon. Practical of me, don't you think? She didn't.)

We had tickets to see Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre. I hadn't seen a Broadway show in such a long time, but I really wanted to see this particular show. I was part of the 60s-70s Vietnam era so to me a show about that war was appealing. Well, as appealing as a musical about a war that cost over 50,000 American lives could be. Nonetheless we enjoyed the show immensely.

As we exited the theatre that Saturday night at 10:30 it was raining. Not too hard, just hard enough to make it uncomfortable. The gentleman that I am, I gave my wife my sport jacket so she could stay dry. Gentle or not, the man that I am has never let her forget my chivalry that evening (and every time I remind her of it she calls me a cheapskate for not simply buying an umbrella.)

We walked a couple of blocks downtown as the rain continued, finally taking shelter under a canopied entrance to what looked like a bar, on 47th Street just off Broadway in Times Square. By now I was dripping wet, miserable, hungry and not much fun to be around. "Let's just go in here, have a drink and decide what we want to do." "Fine," she said. "You're buying."

And that was that. We had found a home.

We were in Langan's Bar & Restaurant. Had dinner. I had veal, or a steak, or something from a cow. My wife had, uh, something too. I don't remember the details, but I do remember what a wonderful experience it was. Past the crowded bar was a quiet, white-tablecloth dining area. The service was excellent. People were friendly. Food was great.

We stayed long enough for me to dry off. Long enough, too, to have enough glasses of wine to turn a planned 10-block walk back to our hotel into a cab ride, even though the rain had stopped.

We never fail to stop in at Langan's every trip into the City. It might just be for lunch, or for a nightcap, or just to say hi to owner Des O'Brien or manager Katherine. Regardless of what's going on in the City, or in the world, or in our lives, Langan's has that warm, friendly atmosphere that forces us to just relax. And eat well.

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Take my suggestion. Try Langan's on your next visit to NYC. You can even pre-purchase a prix-fixe dinner (tax and gratuity included) here!

Beginning this Sunday, May 24, the City of New York is closing Broadway to traffic in Times Square.

This is the first step in the City's experiment to make all of Broadway in midtown Manhattan a pedestrian zone (see Mayor Announces New Route for 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for details).

So what does this mean for visitors? More room to walk! The sidewalks along Broadway in Times Square were always too crowded. Now, new pedestrian plazas from 47th Street to 42nd Street will ease the congestion, at least for walkers. For vehicles? It remains to be seen what effect closing a main artery for 5 blocks will have on midtown car, truck, bus and taxi traffic. Will it put an unmanageable burden on parallel-running 7th Avenue? I'm sure the City will be watching very closely.

It's a simple question. But it heralds, for some, the ride of their life.

Hailing a cab in Manhattan isn't hard. All taxis are the same color, all drivers are licensed by the City's Taxi & Limousine Commission and are required by law to pick up anyone and transport them to any destination within the City (and a few outlying counties as well).

For New Yorkers, taking a cab is almost an involuntary reflex. Need to get from point A to point B? Stick your arm out at a 45 degree angle and a yellow vehicle will appear. (Why are all NYC cabs yellow? If you really want to know, look it up on google. I did and the answer's not all that exciting. I do recall, however, escorting a group of travel agents through the top floor of the Doubletree Guest Suites in Times Square when one looked out the window and said, in all sincerity and naivete, "Why do so many New Yorkers drive yellow cars?")

Once in a lifetime, though, a magic cab appears. You get in, you tell the driver your destination, you buckle your seatbelt, and you hear a loud synthesized sound as disco-like lights surround you. The driver turns around and announces, "You're in the Cash Cab. It's a TV game show played right here in my taxi. I'm your host, Ben Bailey, and I'll ask you general knowledge questions until we reach your destination. Whaddya say, You In?"

Before you even notice the tiny cameras in the vehicle, you're riding through the streets of Manhattan answering questions (hopefully correctly) worth anywhere from $25 to $200 each. Three strikes and you're out, though, as Ben will pull you over and boot you out if you miss three questions.

Cash Cab is a Discovery Network show. I watch it every day. I love it not just for the game aspect, but for the New York City scenery as it rolls along out the cab's windows. It's just so New York, and most of the contestants are so New Yorkish. "Clear the meter please," one crotchety lady orders twice before Ben can finish his You In spiel.

Someday I'm going to get in the Cash Cab. I know its license number (I'm not telling you). I know what the cab looks like (it's yellow). I'll answer every question right. I'll get the Red Light Challenge. I'll even do the Video Bonus. I'll be so charming and intelligent that the Discovery Network will want me on full time. Ben Bailey will be my best friend. We'll hang out together and sign autographs and write books and make movies and be in a rock band.

Yeah, I'm in.

Mayor Bloomberg’s office has announced that the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will take a new route through Midtown Manhattan, using 7th Avenue through Times Square and along 6th Avenue to Herald Square.
According to today's Press Release:

So does that mean that each float driver, band leader and parade participant will be equipped with a GPS? Whew, it was so much easier when the parade just came down Broadway. "Go straight until you come to Macy's. Then stop." That's all one needed to know.

But who can argue with the Mayor's reason for working with Macy's to change the route? His plan is to transform much of Times Square and Broadway into a pedestrian plaza, starting in late May. The result, he hopes, is to reduce both traffic and pedestrian congestion as well as to "greenify" (my word, not his) the midtown area.

We'll see how it works. And whether it works is probably dependent upon one's perspective. Will it benefit the tourist? I think so and certainly hope so. Will it benefit commercial drivers, like cabbies and delivery men? I can't see how. Will it benefit the local residents? Probably, once they get used to new traffic patterns and increased/decreased automotive noise/emissions.

From our company's perspective the change means we have to scramble to assist our guests who rely on us to provide them with comfortable, convenient viewing venues for the Thanksgiving parade. We're busy doing that as we speak - or as I write - or as you read - or whatever. We're confident we'll be totally successful in arranging excellent locations along the new parade route. Fortunately for us, one of our primary venues is the Broadway Lounge at the Marriott Marquis, perched high above both Broadway and 7th Avenue right in the heart of Times Square. It affords an outstanding view of the parade which will still pass right by.

Also fortunately for us the parade will now pass in front of our most popular hotel, the Sheraton New York, and its sister the Sheraton Manhattan at Times Square. We have a large allotment of rooms at both hotels so our guests can be accommodated in the perfect location this Thanksgiving.