GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of December 3

by Adrienne Wilson on

Time to wrap up the week that was with some of our some very tasty and foul entries.

5. How to Have A Bad Time in New York City:
Sad to say, but everyone who arrives in NYC doesn’t have a great time which is not a reflection of the city by any means. Instead it goes to show how much homework time they invested in seeing the Big Apple the right way. To avoid having a bad time on your first trip in try giving this article here a spin.

4. Find a Grave Tourism:
Over the last year or so I’ve been attracted to cemeteries for many reasons and thankfully none of which were to attend a funeral. When Neil posted this plug on finding graves of celebrities or even your own special loved ones I thought how cool! Not that I go stalking the dead on a regular basis, but there is so much history in grave yards. Anyhow, if this sounds like your sort of thing too then go take a look.

3. Low Rollers Guide to Vegas:
Looking to go to Vegas on a tight budget? Head to Downtown Las Vegas where Low Rollers remain Low Rollers and save a little pocket change.

2. No Lights on Flights:
Passing on gas on planes probably won’t earn the kind of fame and stardom you’re seeking in life, but lighting a match to your flatulence will. Read the tale about common sense lost and a plane grounded when a woman tries to cover her smelly toots from her caboose.

1. Smile! You’ve Been Secretly Profiled!:
For some folks being spied on is a high honor that shows someone really cares, but for others it is enough to boil the blood stream and do nutty things. What kind of nutty things? I don’t know for sure, but it sounds as though the government has been secretly collecting data on domestic and international travelers for the last four years. Flattered yet? What they’ve managed to soak up and put in your own personal folder may be of interest to you. Check it out.

Ten Best NYC Blocks

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s one of those pieces that make you both cringe and smile. Time Out Magazine apparently believes it is capable of naming the Top Ten Blocks in all of New York City. I cringe because that’s one hell of a presumption, but I smile because I like the idea.

Using criteria like aesthetics, amenities, a “greeness factor” (which one assumes means the people there like trees and flowers as well as clean burning fuels) and affordability, they break them out in nicely written, icon-laden glory. Never mind that the icons’ meaning is stuck way below at the bottom of the page so you have no idea what they’re tlaking about unless you scroll down. So forgive them their navigational trespasses and take a brief look with me at some of their top choices.

First, (and I mean first, this is their top choice) they regard South Portland Avenue between DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues, Fort Greene, Brooklyn as the finest block in New York. This may be so. I hate to say I’ve never actually spent time there. Of course now I want to. Then they move onto Grammercy Park, Chelsea and Long Island City. Boy are they casting a wide net. I like it though. It gives me the gumption see some places in the other boroughs I’ve never seen before. But why in the world is the West village not listed here is beyond me. It must have failed on the affordability meter.

If you are a tourist coming to the city, I suggest that this is the kind of article you would want to use to help guide you around town. Take the day to check out some of these blocks rather than go to Times Square or some other God awful tourism-infested hole.

NYC Mayor’s Cup

by Erik Olsen on

I have to say I haven’t gotten myself over there yet, and the event is already in full swing…but right now over at the Hudson River the first ever New York City Mayor’s Cup is happening. It’s a big deal for paddle people who love the city. The race takes some of the nation’s top paddlers around the entire island of Manhattan (some 26 miles, by most people’s reckoning).

The event organizers say that the event offers some rough water, but I’m not sure what they mean since the closest thing we have to a rapid or wave on the Hudson is when the Queen Mary II goes by. But they point to Hell’s Gate, where water combines from Long Island Sound, the Harlem River and the East River, thus creating waves, whirlpools and “very confused water” (am I salty, am I fresh?).

I may try to hoof it down there today and will post some pics if I do.

via Manhattan Kayak Co)

Sleeping with the Dinosaurs

by Iva Skoch on

Starting next month, the Natural History Museum in New York City will host all-night sleepovers.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to save some money on rent in Manhattan while actually having a view of something other than a brick wall, but that was just too good to be true….Not only is the invitation extended only to kids 8-12 years old, you also have to pay $79 per person. And no, I don’t think you get Best Western points for that, either.

According to Newyorkology, $79 is a good deal. The Bronx Zoo apparently charges $4,500/group and FAO Schwarz sets you back $25,000 for a private sleepover. Unless Michael Jackson pays, of course.

Taste of the Ivory Coast in the NYC

by Adrienne Wilson on

Treichville may be a neighborhood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but it is also a restaurant in New York City, both of which I have never explored personally. However, for a sampling of the Ivory Coast and for less than half the cost one may consider swinging in for some fare. This Village Voice piece does a fine job taking us to the real Treichville by describing its bustling open-air markets, transportation terminals and nightclubs complete with French influence, yet the most African part of town. And just as quickly as the writer takes us across the Atlantic he ships us back across to the Treichville located at 339 East 118th Street, NYC where crab legs, mussels, clams, and shrimp can all be found on the menu.

From the sound of the piece it looks worth filling your tummy with a plate full. Again, I’ve never been, but if I were near by, without a question I’d be fueling up too.