“Scenes from the City”: A Map That Pinpoints Movie Locations Around NYC

by Willy Volk on

In 1966, New York City established the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. This not only gave filmmakers unprecedented access to the world’s most exciting and vibrant city, it ensured gossip writers in the Big Apple would be forever employed.

To celebrate the anniversary of the MOFTB, the City launched a snazzy interactive map pinpointing locations that have served as backdrops over the years. Allowing users to filter by film, television, filmmaker, scene type, time period, and neighborhood, the map is a nifty way of planning a day in NYC. Want to hit all the locations around the City that Woody Allen has featured? Plan on making 11 stops. Interested in visiting all the locations used for movies set pre-1966? That’ll be 23 stops.

The only problem with the map is that, while it tells you where to go, it doesn’t give you the back story for the destinations. Does that make it useless? Fuhgeddaboutit. Pick up a copy of the photo-filled coffee table book that inspired the map and use the map as the basis for a totally kick-ass scavenger hunt.

The World’s Most Polite and Rude Cities

by Willy Volk on

I don’t know how empirical this study is, but here’s the skinny. Reader’s Digest dispatched several undercover reporters in three dozen cities across the world. In each city, the reporters:

  • Walked into public buildings 20 times behind people to see if they held open the door.
  • Bought small items from 20 stores and recorded whether the sales assistants thanked them.
  • Dropped a folder full of papers in 20 busy locations to see if anyone would help collect the scattered contents.

The reporters awarded one point for each positive outcome and nothing for a negative one. The results of this “study” show that the top three most polite cities are New York, Zurich and Toronto. Conversely, Asia fared very poorly. Eight out of nine cities there finished in the bottom 11. Could this be a cultural thing?

The least friendly city? Mumbai, India. They may be rude in Mumbai, but they sure can cook.

Detour Worth Making: New York’s Burp Castle

by Willy Volk on

Though I live in South Florida, I have friends in New York City. Next time I’m there, I’m going to insist we visit the inelegantly-named but beautifully-decorated Burp Castle. With its friendly vibe, cozy atmosphere, and soothing music, the self-ordained Temple of Beer Worship sports a fantastic beer selection (9 taps; 80 bottles). Despite its clunky moniker, the Burp Castle is is not a frat-boy bar where they belt out Creed. Rather, it’s a low-key destination for enjoying fine conversation — and even finer beers. There’s even a sign discouraging patrons from getting unruly.

Located at 41 East 7th Street, the Burp Castle features amazingly detailed murals of beer-brewing monks worshiping what they love most: finely-crafted beer. Surrounded by beautiful wenches, the monks enjoy the fruits of their labor while being bitten by sharks, hiding in barrels, teetering on ships at sea, doing their taxes, and other decidedly un-monk-ish activities. Nevertheless, it appears that the whole thing works well, as the reviews of the Burp Castle are as warm as the hues of the murals.

[Photo: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid]

What To Do When It’s Cold In New York City

by Jonathon Morgan on

Planning a trip to NYC? Bummed that the city is practically frozen over at the moment? Never fear! By taking the time to explore two the city’s most fantastic museums, you can keep your family occupied — and out of the cold.

You’ll want to get started at the American Museum of Natural History. Especially if you’re with kids, this is a must see. I have a 2 1/2 year-old, and she’d be in love with the dinosaurs, African Mammal Hall, and Ocean Life exhibits. You’ll also find a planetarium and an IMAX theater — something I’ve found to be a great activity for cold and rainy days.

After you’re done at AMNH, take the 79th Street crosstown bus to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We’ve yet to visit NYC with my toddler, but according to the linked article, the trick is to stand up to the surly museum guards. “They’re the city’s most fervent believers that children should be seen and not heard — they’ll level stern, disapproving glares if your child so much as skips for joy or exclaims above a whisper.” But as long as you don’t let your little one wipe greasy hands all over famous works of art, you should be fine.

For a full run down on all the awesome stuff to do in both museums, check out Holly Hughes’ article on Frommers.

NY Cabbie Gets Crappy Tip, Still Does Good Deed

by Willy Volk on

If you believe in karma, then you know Chowdhury Osman just guaranteed himself countless rewards. First, the Bangladeshi-born Queens taxi driver accepted a passenger’s 30¢ tip on an $11 ride. (That alone is worth some karma points, in my book.) Later, when he discovered that she had left a small bag in his back seat, he spent hours hunting for her so he could return it. What was in the bag? 31 diamond rings. His reward for this selfless act? The woman, who claimed she was a jeweler, gave him $100, which he “grudgingly accepted.”

According to Chowdhury, “When I find something left in my cab, and I can return it to the owner, I feel very happy. I feel proud.” I guess they never heard of “finders keepers” in Bangladesh.