Eating with Strangers in New York City

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the cool things I discovered on my first trip to Europe was that restaurants sat you at empty seats, not at empty tables.

In other words, if a table with four seats already has two people sitting there, the waiter will sit you and your buddy alongside of them–even if it is a couple enjoying a nice romantic evening that your presence will shortly ruin. The reality, however, is that the strangers you are placed next to usually prove to be wonderful company for the evening.

A slight twist on this idea–the communal dining table–is now becoming the hot new dining trend in New York, according to Time Magazine.

In restaurants like Buddakan, for example, a 30 foot table dominates the main dining room. On any given night, there is room here for 18 people. But, only a few actually know each other. The idea is that complete strangers come here to sit next to each other and enjoy a communal meal together.

I love this! What a great way to reintroduce civility and camaraderie back into the sometimes cold heart of New York City–unless, of course you get stuck next to a colossal bore. Then it kinda sucks.

(NY Times review of Buddakan here)

The Best U.S. Cities for Singles

by Justin Glow on

You may recognize this “Singles” map from the February 2007 issue of National Geographic. It ranks the number of single women versus the number of single men in metropolitan areas, and you may be surprised at some of the results.

Girls, looking to travel to a bachelor-heavy area? The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metro area, for instance, has the highest population of single males, with 40,000 more than single women. On the flip side, guys, the New York-Newark urban area has 185,000 more single women than men.

What I find particularly interesting is Texas. Dallas, Austin, and Houston all have more single men than women, while San Antonio has more single women. With the influx of military personnel in San Antonio, I would have figured the opposite.

Heron Tours: Embracing the Wildlife of New York City

by Neil Woodburn on

I don’t get to New York very often and as a result, tend to have a rather urban feeling towards this massive concrete jungle. And yet, every time I visit I am pleasantly re-surprised at the amount of nature which has stubbornly existed alongside all the skyscrapers and roadways.

Take, for example, the heron and egret population.

Huh?

Yes indeed. This time of year, New York is home to thousands of majestic water fowl nesting on islands throughout the harbor. I’m not normally a birder myself, but the heron and egret are rather spectacular birds to see soaring by. And now, thanks to the local Audubon Society, they are even easier to enjoy.

On Saturday evenings at 7:30 throughout the summer, an Audubon water taxi will leave Pier 17 and piddle out to the nesting grounds to get up close and personal with the birds. It’s $25 a person, but for those New Yorkers too caught up in the Big City to stop for a moment and take in the joy of a soaring bird, it’s priceless.

And if you are indeed too busy to enjoy this simple pleasure in life, click here to experience it through the Heron Web Cam.

U.S. Cities With the Worst Traffic Are …

by Justin Glow on

The U.S. Department of Transportation has recently announced nine of the most congested U.S. cities which are in the running to obtain federal traffic-fighting aid.

Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Miami, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle where the nine semifinalists, with a “winner” set to be announced in August. The winning city will receive $1.1 billion in federal program aid designed to fight traffic using “levy tolls that vary based on traffic volumes,” and new mass-transit options for residents.

I thought Los Angeles would be on the list for sure. [via]

Related:

On the Inside: An Insider’s Guide to NYC

by Willy Volk on

On the Inside calls itself a “personality-driven Insiders city guide.” Covering New York City, the site showcases movers-n-shakers from the Big Apple — including filmmakers, actors, designers, writers, models, artists, and musicians — who share their favorite spots to eat, drink, shop, and relax in the City.

Allowing uses to search by Insider, neighborhood, or category of destination, On the Inside helps visitors (as well as the congenitally non-hip) learn about some off-the-beaten-track destinations. For example, actor/comedian Will Forte suggests having cocktails at Professor Thom’s — a split personality of a bar — while filmmaker Salvatore Stabile suggests heading to the Brandy Library for a quiet drink and some good conversation.

If you’re heading to the City and you don’t know exactly what you’re going to do, swing by, poke around, and I bet you’ll come away with several cool ideas.

[Thanks, Laurie!]