I was reviewing this detailed calendar listing from NewYorkology and
wanted to point out several of the walking tour groups listed in this fantastic guide to upcoming events in NYC. The
first series of walking tours mentioned are the ones organized by the Municipal Art Society. I’ve heard good things about these unique urban
treks through the city. The MAS website currently lists all their January and February tour listings, including new
2006 add-ons for Lexington and Madison Avenues. Some tours are for members only but there are also free and inexpensive
fee tours and lectures for anyone interested in learning more about architectural design, history and urban planning
throughout the city. Another group that offers a wide variety of tours throughout the year is Big Onion Walking Tours. They have posted a list of all tours currently scheduled
through the end of May, and there are tons of great ones to check out, including special niche walks held in
conjunction with holidays like the MLK Day in Historic Harlem or the Annual Pre-Passover tour through the Lower East
side. Most tours cost $15, last two hours and do not require reservations. Three other groups that organize walking
tours which were also linked to on the NewYorkology calendar are: the MTA Transit Tours, several South Street Seaport tours anda few offered by
the Art Deco Society of New York. We’ll try to cover some of these tours in more
detail in future posts. But that’s more than enough to get you started in the New Year if you’ll be visiting NYC.
Teaching Company
I’ve been an advocate here for a while of spoken word content for your iPod or other MP3 device. As a
traveler, I’ve now taken my iPod with me on a few trips, and listening to a book or a course or a language guide
while hoofing it up a mountain slope or riding a train is a great way to pass the time. Audible.com has improved my
quality of life by 6.324 percent (you’ll have to trust me, the math is complex). And now a company whose audio
goodies I’ve mentioned here before are finally available for download. Sort of.
The Teaching Company has got scads of lectures and courses
in their catalog, and for the longest time (too long) they were available only on DVD, CD and transcript. But now they
are making some of their stuff available for download, and they have knocked their prices down considerably. This is
great stuff. The only problem is that you have to hunt and peck to find what’s available for download because
only a select few are. Hopefully, they are addressing this issue.
I have the Science of Life set and have
really enjoyed it. I have also listed to lectures on the Civil War, the history of electricity and more. All the
lectures are very high quality…they are not recorded as if in a big lecture hall, but rather nicely into
microphones. For people with long commutes and an interest in a particular subject – from Renaissance Painting to Civil War
battles, this is a nice addition to your ipod library.
By the way, I have some samplers that came
with an order, and I will send them to anyone who wants them. I have them for the Civil War, Beethoven’s Fifth and
a few science ones. Post a comment with your email address and I’ll send them first come first served.
The Media, PA Trolley
Hey everyone, I’ve just returned from
my trip to Pennsylvania and am settling in to do some serious travel writing. My posts have been sporadic for the past
two weeks but I’m gearing up for lots more travel talk in the weeks to come…But, I’ve got one more thing out of PA
before moving on — At the New Year’s Eve party I attended in suburban Philadelphia, I mentioned to the host that I had
written about Media, PA. He asked if I had included info about the
trolley, and since I unfortunately overlooked this historic gem, I thought I’d do a quick follow-up post to fill you all
in. It turns out that Media is the last suburban town in America with a trolley running down its main street. (At least according to
their website and locals I spoke with.) I recall walking right over the tracks while visiting Media on Friday night,
but just assumed they were part of a discountinued line. Nope. The trolley is operated by SEPTA and runs eastbound and westbound to and from the 69th Street
Terminal in Upper Darby, PA, passing through Bywood, Drexel Hill, Aronimink, Springfield Mall, Providence
Road and State Street in Media to Orange Street. (Additional stops are listed on SEPTA’s official schedules on their
website.) Just another reason to visit "Everybody’s Hometown" next time you are in the greater Philly metro
area.
New Years Pano
I’ve driven folks to fullscreen panos, Hans Nyberg’s site more times than I can remember because there’s
so much great pano photography there. And here we are in the new year, and I’m going to do so again. Because last night
was New Years Eve, and while I spent some time wandering around downtown, mostly the East Village, I stayed far far
away from Times Square. Why? Because I think its awful there. The crowds the noise the cold.
But over at
fullscreen panos, they’ve got an amazing shot of the
festivities. Really superb by pano photographer Jook Leung, whose stuff I’ve seen many times over. This is his
fourth shot of Times Square and each year he seems to get better position. I mean, even though I loathe her, that’s
Mariah Carey, right?
Anyway, there are many many great panos from New Years at the site as well. You will
likely find yourself oohing and ahhing even if there are no actual fireworks in the photos.
Philly: Mutter Museum
I’m recovering from last night’s New Year’s Eve
Party, watching football and the Mummers parade from my friend’s couch in Philly. We took it slow today and did not
venture out to do or see much of anything except to eat leftover party food. I had some time to glance at the news and
came across an article
in today’s New York Times about the freaky Mutter Museum in
Philadelphia. No, I did not decide to spend the first day of 2006 browsing displays of skulls and cadavers, but was
suprised to learn that such a place exists in this city and was open today. The Mutter is definitely a weird collection
— there are organs in formaldehyde and remains of soldiers with bullets lodged in their skulls. Sounds like fun huh?
The museum is part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and features over 1700 items and specimens of
pathological anatomy. Nature and science buffs may enjoy it, but some will not be able to stomach it. Especially if
nursing a hangover today.