The latest travel information plus insider event and sightseeing tips for New York City, Boston, Hawaii, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Bermuda.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Welcome the Year of the Pig!
This year, the Chinese New Year will be celebrated from February 12th through the 21st. If you'll be in Boston during this time, get into the spirit of the holiday with a trip to Boston's Chinatown. Before you go, check out our tips for where to go for the best dim sum and sweets. Start off with our overview of the food the neighborhood offers; then check out our reviews of our favorite restaurants. We promise you won't be disappointed!
Of course other cities, like New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia have thriving Chinatown neighborhoods, too, which will be alive with the excitement of the New Year.
We have long loved the local skiing at Ski Big Bear in Lackawaxen, PA. Located just 2 hours from NYC, and slightly further away from Philadelphia, this small, unpretentious resort is perfect for beginners and families. This Sundy, January 28th is an especially good time to check the place out: Ski Big Bear is holding their annual WinterFest, which features vendors, games, races, prizes and fun. Stop by the rental shop to register for a free wax and sharpen. Lunch tray races will be held at 1:30 on the beginner hill. Got a yearning for the white stuff? They've been making snow since the weather turned cold, so there should be plenty of it!
Wintry weather has finally reached the Northeast and starting late last week, folks in New York City had to replace t-shirts with with coats, gloves and hats. Here are a few Insider tips to help New Yorkers adjust to the cold weather:
For times when just a regular cuppa joe won't do, we recommend that you warm up with an Irish coffee -- the Kinsale makes the best in town.
If you can't afford an island cruise, but clearly need a trip to some sort of oasis -- a warm place to relax, tap into some inner peace and tranquillity, make the pandemonium of this wonderfully exhausting city vanish for awhile -- the following are a variety of choices to consider:
The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. It's a sublime setting to contemplate the meaning of life, and to savor a museum-quality experience without vying for viewing space. The Cathedral is the largest Gothic structure in the world, with an interior length of 601 feet and a height of 124 feet at its nave. You could stroll for hours without discovering all its treasures -- architectural splendors, statuaries, sculptures, carvings, paintings, and exhibits. The seven Chapels of the Tongues represent the international character of New York City. The High Altar features the Great Cross and Menorah. Its enormous pipe organ nearly extends to the ceiling. The Great Doors of the West Front, each 18 feet high and weighing 3 tons, were cast in the same Paris foundry that cast the Statue of Liberty. The Poetry Wall speaks to great literary figures, the Historical Parapet to great historical figures. The Cathedral celebrates the spiritual dimension of everything from sports and education to ecology and civil rights.
The New York Public Library. Just to look around, pull up a chair, and read, write, or doodle to your heart's content? You don't have to go any further than the first stairwell off the main entrance. Claim that marble bench. Sit. Rest. Watch the world go by. Take a walk or an elevator to the McGraw Rotunda on the third floor. Browse the assortment of exhibitions, including centuries-old lithographs and a Charles Addams collection. Overhead is a ceiling mural interpreting the Promethean legend. Four murals on the surrounding walls depict the story of the recorded word. The south reading room is calm, with mostly a low-level rustling of papers, an occasional scraping of a chair. Tuck yourself away from the entrance where people pick up books to the drone of "Next. Next. Next." Start doodling. Read a poem. Write that great American novel...or maybe just that letter to your grandmother you've been putting off.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Cheaptickets is holding a Long Weekend Getaways Sale! Treat yourself and your sweetie to a long weekend getaway, and they'll treat you to a $50 instant discount on a 3+ night flight + hotel vacation anywhere in the U.S.
New Tools! Plan your 2007 travel schedule with Cheap-o-meter, the Cheaptickets.com monthly travel pricing guide. This month, they've pinpointed the least expensive months to travel to the most popular hot spots in 2007! The Cheap-o-meter: Plan your travel with CheapTickets.com!
The New York Times had a nice piece today about the works of the artist Thomas Eakins and his place in Philadelphia. Prompted by the brouhaha surrounding the ownership of his painting "Gross Clinic" which will now alternate between homes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the article goes on to detail where you can see more of his works in and about Philadelphia.
Restaurants come and go in New York City all the time and we find it hard to predict which ones will last and which ones will not. A restaurant's longevity rarely seems to be connected to a stellar location, good food and service, or a pleasant atmosphere. So we were disappointed to see the "under renovation" signs appear at Ecco La two years ago (a place, in our opinion, that does well in all the categories above), since such signs are almost always a sure indication that the restaurant will be completely gone soon. And as the months of renovation turned into years, we were convinced that we'd have to find a new place to have dinner after a performance at the nearby 92nd Street Y. So we were surprised and delighted when Ecco La finally re-opened its doors just before Christmas. The new space is more elegant and the two rooms, while still separate, share a more integrated decor. The menu has also been revised and upgraded. The pizzas remain an excellent lunch or light dinner choice (add an appetizer or dessert and one pizza will comfortably serve 2) and the pasta choices continue to abound. We especially like the smoked mozzarella in the rigatoni alla rossi and the fennel in the cheery pappardelle alla fiorentina. For those lucky enough to live on the Upper East Side, Ecco La offers free delivery.
Your privacy is
important to us. For information about
how we use information we collect, please
see our Privacy
Policy.
Copyright 1995-2009 by Danvic
Publications, Inc.
