Tourist Time

Friends and family headed your way for the holidays and you have no clue where to entertain them? Here are my choices for the best ways to manipulate your loved ones into thinking you're hip and in the know about your city:

1) Max Brenners: Chocolate by the Bald Man

Who doesn't love chocolate? (Wait, think carefully before answering that question because if you can think of a name, you probably shouldn't be acquainted with them). You walk into Max Brenner's (2 locations: Union Square at 13th and Broadway and East Village 2nd Ave at 9th Street) and it's like walking into Willy Wonka's chocolate wonderland - at least that's what they want you to feel like. From the sample chocolate nice helpers treat you to upon entering (don't be too greedy though - you only get one and they remember your face) - to the 25 flavors of hot chocolate to the pipes of chocolate flowing throughout the ceiling, this place is heaven. I can't get enough of the Swiss Whipped Hot Chocolat ($5.25) and a good treat to split is the Tutti-Fruitti Waffles ($13.95) (you can feel better about yourself because you are eating fruit, albeit covered in to-die-for chocolate sauce). Be aware that the wait is usually lengthy, but the experience is all too worth it. Go in the morning, just before the lunch crowd hits.

2) Strand Book Store

Just a block away from Max Brenner's you will find the flagship location of Strand Book Store. I love this book store because you can find everything you would find at the big chain stores, but so much more. I am a big fan of the old and rare books section. I once found a 1942 copy of Thoreau's "Walden" for $6. In addition to books, you can also purchase one of their trademark tote bags or t-shirts with their slogan "18 Miles of Books." Be sure not to go in with any other large backpacks or shopping bags though or you will have to go through a lengthy check-in/check-out process.

3) MoMa Store

Forget the actual museum when you can visit one of the neatest shops in the city. Find gifts for almost anyone you need from a solar-powered laptop charging backpack to a chair and coffee table made completely out of cardboard. Of course they have more reasonable items with equally as much interest like a bracelet in the shape of a double helix (a great conversation starter) or neon stemware. Anyone can enter the store, but you must have a ticket to enter the museum - unless you go on a Friday night, then it's gratis. I would definitely recommend checking out the museum as well - make sure to see the Van Gogh exhibit before it closes Jan. 5. I don't want to knock one of the greatest contemporary art establishments in the city/country, but the store deserves the recognition here. I mean, all the touristy books list the museum. For ideas on what they have, go to momastore.org.

4) Top of the Rock

The Empire State Building usually gets all the acclaim for its spectacular views and old frills and glitz. However, to opt for a slightly different view of the city, purchase your ticket to the top of the GE building in Rockefeller center. You get both history and breathtaking views in this experience as the walls of the waiting rooms are covered in Rockefeller history. For example, did you know that John D. Rockefeller was a lifelong teetotaler? (I'll save you the trouble of looking that up on dictionary.com and tell you that's a person who doesn't drink alcohol). The extra benefit about visiting the Top of the Rock, besides the psychedelic lighted room at the top (go and you'll know what I'm talking about), is that you actually get to have the Empire State Building IN your panoramic photos, which I thought was cool. Fight the cold weather and go at night to really experience the lights of the city.

5) Serendipity

Known for its role in the cheesy 90's flick of the same name, Serendipity is the home of the self-proclaimed best frozen hot chocolate and of course ice cream sundae in Manhattan. The frills and decorations make this restaurant with a menu full of comfort foods a little girls dream, but all other members of your party will love it as well. Make reservations in advance or expect to wait at least 45 minutes. Luckily, you have Dylan's Candy Bar just down the way to pass some time while you wait.

I'm sure there are more, but these are my top 5. Have fun exploring the city and let me know if you find any others worthy of adding to the list.







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Play Nice with Tourists, It's Better for Your Bank Account

It’s that time of year again – holiday season. The city overflows with tourists meandering through the wind-tunnels of streets, eyes focused everywhere but the sidewalk. Subways fill with map-laden passengers who don’t know how to properly squeeze and make room for others during the Monday morning rush.

Fortunately for me, I always escaped the Thanksgiving rush in Boston, leaving for the suburbs just before everyone would arrive to the largest city closest to the Pilgrim’s landing point. Thus, now living in NYC, this is my first experience with a tourist holiday in a tourist city.

With the state of the economy, I wishfully expected a slight lull in holiday traveling. But, oh no, people will never stop coming to worship the neon of Times Square and the golden Atlas of Rockefeller Plaza. I spoke with a man named Nain (pronounced nay-en), who owns and manages the café downstairs from where I work. He told me that if anything, the number of tourists has increased. The sad difference for him though – they are not spending as much money.

Well, traveling on a budget has always been big. You can’t take the curiosity out of adventurous travelers, but you can take the money out of their wallets. So we have the current dilemma of all these tourists running wild down the streets and subways of Manhattan, but less of an economic benefit. At least when they were spending hoards of money on black and white cookies and Ray’s pizza, the locals would put up with the annoyance because of the massive inflows of money. Alas, now we must cope with these outsiders even though they are no longer funding our summer concert series or our mailmen.

But hey, it’s the holidays. Sometimes I think I’m too hard on tourists, knowing that I used to be one not that long ago. Also, I realize that they don’t even have to travel, but at least they are doing what they can. Some support is better than none especially for New York City – I’m sure those that lived here through 2001-2002 really know that.

So I’d like to put forth the thought that we should all be nice to tourists this holiday season, because everyone is suffering through the economic downturn, as we have come to call it, and the tourists, big cameras and all, are doing their best to help us out. Embrace those that walk through don’t-walk signs, love those that order enormously large corned beef sandwiches from overpriced delis, and thank those that may accidentally on-purpose steal your cab.

Happy almost Thanksgiving!








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Relax, You're Just Absentminded

I panicked this morning – my wallet was gone.

I knew it was gone because I have wedged myself into little habits where I keep certain possessions in a specific place. I’m not really one for routine, but it is nice to know that if I leave my keys and Subway card on my bedside table when I get home from work, they will be there in the morning. But this morning, after I grabbed my keys and Subway card, I wanted to check my wallet to see if I needed to stop at the ATM on the way to work for lunch money. (Isn’t that cute I still call it lunch money).

I scrambled through my abyss of a bag – since when did so much stuff coagulate? – and alas I concluded that my bulging wallet was absent. I guess it didn’t take long because the pink hearts and the sheer weight of the thing make it stand out. So the panic began…

Where is it? When did I last use it? What if someone stole it? Let me search everywhere…under the bed? No. Kitchen table? No. Maybe it somehow found its way to the bathtub? Of course not, Yael, how can you be so silly at a time like this? What if the giant cockroach that visited last night carried it away into the building’s foundation? No, it would never fit through any crack. Oh, my parents always warned me about pickpockets in New York. Mike’s dad doesn’t take the Subway just for that reason. How could I be so naïve!!?! Crap, I’m late for work.

I was so distracted for my entire commute that I hardly noticed the older woman jabbing her elbow into my ribcage from 86th to 59th (ok, maybe I did notice a little). I couldn’t even open the really really exciting book that I just started (Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre). All I could think about were pickpockets and keeping my bag close to me. The latter isn’t really that hard to do when you are packed into the cattle car they call the Subway.

Really, I don’t want to bore you with anymore of my cliché dramatic writing, so I’ll just let you know how much of a pea brain I had yesterday (but only yesterday of course). When I arrived at work, there was my wallet, sitting open, on top of the scanner, to the right of my computer – exactly where I had left it yesterday when I took out my corporate Amex to make an airfare purchase. I’m very lucky my building has honest janitors who decided not to take home said wallet as an early Christmas gift. Yes, I’m a doof. I’m blaming on all the chemicals in the city air.

Still, I felt this experience could lead to a good blog post a) because it’s embarrassing and people like to read about others’ embarrassments, b) because most other people in the city would also automatically assume they’ve been pick-pocketed and c) to display to you that petty theft in NYC is and has definitely been on the decrease for a while.

According to this weekly police report, there were 481 incidences of burglary reported in the last week, 1,901 since 10/1, and 17,727 year to date in NYC. That may seem like a lot, but the latest government census data has the population of New York City at 8,250,567 (plus at least 1 for myself ). Roughly, .002% of the population was robbed in the last week, .023% in the last month and about 2.1% in the last year. Your chances are pretty low my friend, especially because those statistics are from all five boroughs, not only Manhattan. Another thing I found interesting in the report were the percent changes in crime statistics. Although statistics state robbery occurrences are up 1.9% since last year, they are down 6.5% since two years ago, 20.8% from seven years ago and 74.5% from fifteen years ago. If I had known that data this morning, maybe I wouldn’t have panicked so much and would have actually been able to chew my Cheerios instead of just swallowing them whole.

That report shows statistics for all other categories of crime in the city as well and if you’re interested in looking, you should check it out. I’m very impressed with the police department for actually producing a comprehensible ONE-PAGE document (the one page is key!) that has relevant information for the curious public to steal a peak, if you will.

At least in a world of crooks, I can feel safe knowing that I have only a 2.1% chance of getting robbed in a year. However, the probability of me being absentminded, well, I forgot, what was I talking about?








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