Brief Item of Some Import

Typically, when people visit us in NYC, questions arise about transportation from the airport upon arrival. There are several options actually (none of them actually being very good). One tip that will help you avoid confusion: the whole city is largely a grid of streets and avenues, so try to know the intersection closest to your destination. The address will suffice, but the intersection is safer to avoid mixing up streets and avenues.

1) The best bet, particularly if you can coordinate with one or more additional passengers is to arrange a car to pick you up. They will wait for you at baggage claim with a sign, so you can feel really big time. The price is just about the same as a cab and you won't have to wait in the line for cabs. The numbers are easy to remember. You can do either: (212) 666-6666 or (212) 777-7777. The price varies depending on the airport, but it's in the neighborhood of 40-50 bucks. Obviously, the more people the better.

2) You can take a cab. This is pretty easy too, but the line can be somewhat long at times. Even still, it moves fast. There's also some "freelance" cab drivers, who will probably stalk you to let them drive you in their 1987 Ford Windstar. This is probably not a greaet choice.

3) Outside the baggage claim at every airport are buses that take you directly to either Grand Central Station (east side) or Port Authority Bus Terminal (west side). This is $11 bucks one-way or $20 bucks round trip. This is a good cheap way to go if you are travelling solo. The buses outside JFK and LaGuardia are called Airport Express and the one at Newark is called Olympia Trails. I've taken them all and they are totally reliable.

4) You might see some signs for the Air Train, but don't bother. This thing is worthless. It takes you to another train station that is far away and involves connecting to more trains and subways.

5) Finally, it's probably worth checking with your hotel. They might have a free shuttle.

What is "The Hora?"

For those of you have never attended a Jewish wedding reception, we need to prep you with a little training here for the wild ride known as the Hora. The Hora happens to be Jessica's favorite part of going to a wedding, so it's important to get it just right - particularly, if you happen to be a male over 180 pounds who can lift stuff.

The Hora is the segment of the reception where the bride, groom, and their parents (yep, that means you mom and dad) get hoisted high the air in a chair and everyone circles around in a festive tornado of mayhem.

The fist step to understanding how this works is to familiarize yourself with the song. Spelling errors aside, the song is called is called Hava Negilah. I bet you didn't know the Beatles performed this on the Ed Sullivan show.



OK, that was fake, but this one actually does include Bob Dylan on harmonica.



Next, all you have to do is follow these simple instructions.

1) Place two chairs in the center of the dance floor when the music begins, and call the bride and groom up to the dance floor to sit in them.

2) Gather and dance in a circle around the couple.

3) A few strong guests lift the bride's and groom's chairs into the air in the midst of the guests.

4) Allow the taller carriers to hold the front of the chairs; shorter ones should hold the back, so that the bride and groom are tilted slightly to help prevent them from falling. This will allow the couple to have their hands free instead of holding on for balance. (It's a good idea to practice lifting the chair in advance so you are prepared.)

5) Provide a scarf and ask the newlyweds to each hold one end. Under tradition, which prevents males and females from dancing together, this allows them to connect without actually touching.

6) Watch the bride and groom dance with the scarf waving between them for a while, then suggest they take turns passing their ends on to others to hold, so special guests can dance with them as well. For instance, the bride might dance with her father, the groom with his mother.

7) Put the poor kids down and make their parents go up there.

Here's the finished product. We have two small requests: 1) don't laugh at us and 2) don't drop us.

The Swift

Last weekend, Jess and I did a little exploring to find a fun bar for everyone to meet on Friday night and we think we found a gem. The place is called Swift in the East Village. Neither of us had ever noticed in the past, but it's a cozy joint themed after Jonathan Swift. Thus, it's full of dark wood, lots of cool literary references, and a great beer selection. There's also great big wooden picnic style tables in the back, loungy cushions around small tables in the front and plenty of room at the bar. This picture to the right is one of the murals on the wall.

On another note, here's another recent musical find that Jess and I have been listening to a lot these days. We saw these guys play at the Mercury Lounge in February and had a blast. They are called the Felice Brothers (three of them are actually real brothers). You'll get a heavy dose of Bob Dylan with some Townes Van Zandt-like storytelling and the Band well... sounds like the Band. Besides the fact that their drummer is an attention junkie and gets up all the time to show off his terrible dance moves, there's really nothing not to like.

Our World Famous Lower Manhattan Walking Tour

Alright, for those of you who aren't quite so familiar with Manhattan, the first lesson is it's really easy to get around on foot. Because everybody knows NYC as the big city, it's a huge misconception that it is actually a "big" city. It's actually a very small city. It's just a really condensed city (i.e., crowded).

So, we've mapped out a great walking tour that will cover most of the key sites you will want to hit in the lower half of the city. I have done this a couple times, once with my sister and brother-in-law, Megan and Mark, and again I think with my parents. Anyway, it's fun and while it's a hefty walk, it's not terribly tiring. It's much better than looking like a moron on one of those double-decker buses.

The first step is to take the subway to the South Ferry stop, which is the southern most tip of Manhattan - either via the R & W (yellow line), the 1 (Red Line), or the 4 & 5 (Green Line). It's essential to grab a map too, but you can find one at any newsstand or corner store.

Now, follow along on the maps provided right here (2 parts) with each number corresponding to a point of interest. These are taken right from Google maps if you want to look closer.

1) Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty - Right when you get out of this subway, you will see a park on the water. This is Battery Park, which has a great view of the Statue of Liberty. If you want to take a boat out to the Statue, this is where you can do it, but you can snap a nice photo from the park and save yourself a trip.

2) Within Battery Park you will also find the Castle Clinton Memorial. This should provide a solid 15 seconds of viewing pleasure.

3) Follow the pink path on our map out of the park to #3 and you will find the giant bronze Wall Street Bull in Bowling Green Park. This is great for pictures too. You will know why once you see it.

4) Keep following the pink line down along to Stone Street and take a left on Broad. As you round Broad and approach Wall Street, you will see the New York Stock Exchange (actually on Broad Street). The Old Stock Exchange is across the street on Wall Street as well.

5) Take a left on Wall Street and walk up the hill about a block and you will see an amazing church ( even though it's covered in about 200 years of soot). There's lots of ornate details and you can find Alexander Hamilton (the guy on the Ten Dollar Bill) in the cemetery.

6a) Break time. There is a nice Borders bookstore here with a coffee show, or;

6b) There's a bar down Broadway called Suspenders on the left a little further.

Follow along broadway for a few blocks and take a left at Liberty. Follow it for two blocks...


7) Marvel at the progress and resolve of a nation as you stare into a gaping abyss where the World Trade Center Towers once stood. There's also a famous giant discount clothing and show store across the street called Century 21. It's huge. You can't miss it.

8) Continue to head north from Ground Zero and take a right on Barclay Street. Follow this a block or so and you will find yourself in the City Hall Park with the City Hall building in the center. This is indeed where Mayor Bloomberg takes care of business.

Also, to the east of City Hall you can see (and walk on if you want) the Brooklyn Bridge. There's a great path across it where you can take great photos of the skyline. I didn't mark the line though, because that makes the walking get a little excessive.

9) Continue the trek north on Centre Street through the city's red tape center. While these look like impressive stately buildings, they are full of all the worst things like Jury Duty and DMV related nonsense. Still, it's a pretty interesting area.

10) Keep on heading north on Centre until you hit Canal Street. You'll know when you get here, because it's Chinatown. Canal Street is the main drag, whereby a variety of black marketeers peddle their wares, fake designer bags and watches, pirated bootleg DVDs, knock off shoes, and various tourist trinkets. It's worth a stroll through here just to watch the police mess with the vendors. They waltz through every twenty minutes or so and every single time the vendors pack up their good and run for it. It's also worth following one of the fake handbag vendors to their lair. They come up to you with a picture of the bags, then you follow them into this crazy secret room built into the subway station underground. It probably sounds like a dumb idea, but it's quite amusing. My parents and I did this not too long ago and got a real kick out of it.

11) Our map instructions are pretty screwy here, but you basically want to keep heading north. I was basically trying to say to just roam around these areas. Broadway, Mulberry, or Mott all all good choices to head further north. This will take you to the heart of SoHo (South of Houston St.), which is a major shopping hub packed with every retail store under the sun. A lot of the big name designers and brands have their flagship stores in this neighborhood. It's pretty packed on the weekends, but if you want to shop, this is one of the most famous shopping areas in the world.

For reference, the Puck Building on the corner of Houston and Lafayette, which is also in this area.

At this point, you will be spent, so that's the end of the walking tour. Time to do my real job now.

Central Park

In my previous post I forgot to mention Central Park!!!! A gross oversight!

One of my favorite spots is Sheep Meadow. (Pictured Above) People gather here to read, hang out with friends, sun worship, play frisbee, people watch etc... It can be hectic here, but CP has no shortage of nooks and crannies to find some R&R and quiet time. This location is super convenient to those stayin in or around midtown. Its a pretty Amazing thing to be sitting in a park, surrounded by nature with the NYC skyline just behind.

Special note: If you are staying uptown, Edie Nadler can be seen walking little Shitzu, Suki, around the resevoir each morning.

(Random and fun fact: The Central Park Reservoir - now offi­cially named the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir - is located between 86th and 96th and covers a full one eight of the park’s surface. The 106-acre water body is 40 feet deep and holds over a billion gallons of water.)

A little more on Central Park

New York's Central Park features 843 acres filled with The Reservoir in Central Park. classic architecture, gorgeous statuary and up to date sports, educational and performance facilities. Besides all of this there is the world famous Central Park Zoo and Wildlife Center and the Children's Zoo. The park also boasts two full service restaurants (including the world famous Tavern on the Green and the scenic Boathouse Restaurant on the Lake). And all of this doesn't even come close to the natural splendor of the landscape.
Central Park has a wide variety of carefully crafted topograhical aspects all created by the genius of Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. From the beautiful centerpiece of the Park, Bethesda Terrace to the more rustic charm of the North Woods Central Park changes from festive fountains to pastoral retreat all in the space of a few city blocks.There is also a fully functional National Weather Station located at picturesque Belvedere Castle, an outdoor performance venue at the Delacorte Theatre, two skating rinks, a public swimming pool, and several different information centers located around the park that offer not only information about the park, but also host a variety of educational programs for adults and children alike. Then there is the rich historic content of Central Park. On the East Side there is The Obelisk, or Cleopatra's Needle, the oldest public monument in North America. At the northern end of the Park is the Blockhouse, a fort from the War of 1812 that still stands. On the Upper East Side is McGown's Pass, which the Continental Army passed through in 1783 when they re-took the city from the British Army. And then there is the amazing musical legacy of the Park, which has hosted historic performance's by some of the world's greatest artist, including Paul Simon, Elton John, Dave Matthews and Bruce Springsteen. And, of course, Pope John Paul the II, who celebrated mass on the Great Lawn in 1995. So, make sure to allow plenty of time for your visit because Central Park is a veritable world unto itself, rich with scenic vistas and hidden gems, all at the center of the world's most exciting city!

Free Friday Night Activity

Pssst.... Friday nights the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) are free and it boasts a great bar! The MOMA is just an amazing museum--a fabulous architectural space and a real gem for everyone-this is a great NYC destination.

MOMA Exhibitions Calendar:

Multiplex: Directions in Art, 1970 to Now Visit the online feature
November 21, 2007–July 28, 2008

Just In: Recent Acquisitions from the Collection
December 21, 2007–November 30, 2008

Focus: Ad Reinhardt and Mark Rothko
March 7, 2008–Ongoing

Projects 87: Sigalit Landau
March 19–July 28, 2008

Geometry of Motion 1920s/1970s
March 19–June 23, 2008

Glossolalia: Languages of Drawing
March 26–July 7, 2008

Book/Shelf
March 26–July 7, 2008

Jazz Score
April 16–September 15, 2008

Take your time: Olafur Eliasson
April 20–June 30, 2008
MoMA, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center

George Lois: The Esquire Covers
April 25, 2008–March 31, 2009

Ateliers Jean Prouvé
April 25, 2008–March 30, 2009

Bernd and Hilla Becher: Landscape/Typology
May 21–August 25, 2008

Dada at MoMA
May 21–July 28, 2008

Film Exhibitions

Still Moving
November 29, 2006–Ongoing

Modern Mondays
October 15, 2007–Ongoing

Collaborations in the Collection
December 1, 2007–Ongoing

ContemporAsian
March 19, 2008–Ongoing

Jazz Score
April 17–September 15, 2008

Nice Moves

If there is any doubt if our wedding band is any good, take a look at our good buddy Matt Roose breakin it down at another wedding we all attended with the very same band. They are called the Jay Prince Band and do some mean Motown numbers, lots of funk, and maybe even a little Grateful Dead.