A Harlem brownstone

Dig into an enticing array of gastric delights during the Taste of Harlem Food and Cultural tour.  There’s no more memorable way to experience New York than to eat your way through it and this tour provides a detailed exploration of Harlem eateries.  The three hour tour features six restaurants, a historic bed and breakfast, shops and landmarks that reflect Harlem’s storied history. The tour kicks off at Amy Ruth’s, the legendary southern-style restaurant where guests are treated to fluffy biscuits and buttermilk-battered chicken wings while classic R&B music plays in the background. Read More »

A painting featured during ArtCrawl Harlem

Soho and Chelsea may grab all the attention when it comes to New York’s art scene but Harlem boasts a vibrant array of galleries and museums, minus the crowds.   Artcrawl Harlem rounds up some of these art discoveries with a three and half- hour trolley tour that supplies historical background and a reception with food and live music at the end of the tour. For its second year, the Artcrawl focuses on East Harlem galleries and Spanish Harlem history.  If you’ve ever tried to explore Manhattan landmarks in an afternoon, you know that New York’s long stretches of streets and sprawling layout don’t make it easy.  Artcrawl Harlem’s trolley tour gives you easy with 30-minute trolley stops at 5-7 galleries and art spaces, giving you time to actually peruse the art without worrying about parking or schedules. Read More »

Nadia Zonis, New York editor for Urban Hound, has written a book called City Walks With Dogs: New York. This book is a godsend if you’re planning on traveling to New York City with a dog.

City Walks with Dogs: New York, by Nadia Zonis

The book lists 50 walks or ‘adventures on foot and paw’ that you can set out on with your dog, including SoHo and the West Village, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Roosevelt Island and Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue.

A short excerpt from the book, about the Sirius Dog Run in Battery Park City: “At Kowsky Plaza, you’ll find the Sirius Dog Run, named for the rescue dog killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. The run has a wading pool for dogs and views of the Hudson River for humans. Battery Park’s devoted dog people have formed a group called Battery Park Dogs, which organizes events in the run–they can be a great way to meet new dog-walking friends.”

Since we’re on the subject, it saddens me to inform you that Taz, a german shepherd in the City’s K-9 unit passed away on Oct 2 of a cardiac arrest. Taz was the last remaining dog in the force out of the ones which participated in 9/11 search and rescue.

Getting back to Nadia’s book and your pet-friendly New York vacation - you’ll find a ton of pet-friendly attractions and routes in the book that you’ll never find in the tourist brochures.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Nadia Zonis also participated in Q&A sessions with readers of the New York Times.

For example, let’s take transportation. The most convinient way to get around in New York with a dog is to use the subway or a bus. But the only way you can get a pet on-board is to carry it in a container and make sure it is well-behaved and does not turn into a nusiance for other passengers.

This isn’t a problem if you’re carrying cats, like say a handy Ragdoll, along for the ride. But if you have a strapping big dog, then we have a problem. To find the solution, read Nadia’s answers to this and other vexing issues for pet-owners visiting the Big Apple in the NYT’s 3-part series here, here and here.

Forty-seven million people visited Times Square in 2008—making the New York City crossroads the most popular tourist destination not only in the United States, but in the entire world. Sometimes, in fact, it feels like all 47 million are there at once.

A relatively quiet day in Times Square, the Crossroads of the World

When I first moved to NYC nearly nineteen years ago (gee, I’m old) Times Square was still swarming with adult “bookstores” and crack vials in the gutters. Broadway theatergoers tried to overlook the eyesores and stayed within the acceptable boundaries. There weren’t many megastores (if any) or restaurants that you’d want to bring your family into. But that’s changed.

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