The Rockerfeller Centre in New York City is one of the world’s largest complexes covering around 22 acres and consisting of 19 huge commercial complexes including the 70 floor GE Building and world famous Radio City Music Hall. The centre was built in the early 1930’s and has some of the most incredible examples of modern art deco artwork and design seen anywhere in the world. 1987 saw the entire complex declared a National Historic Landmark on the USA national register. The Lower Plaza is a famous meeting place and is a place of celebration during many special days during the year, especially around christmas when the huge Christmas Tree is illuminated and plaza is turned into a giant ice skating ring. The plaza is also an important venue during the US elections, where plaza is used for television vote counting. Many people go to the top of the Empire State Building for the best view of New York, but in our opinion they pick the wrong building. The Rockefeller offers much more spectacular views- sure you are not quiet as high but you get a magnificent view of Central Park and lower Manhattan, especially of the Empire State Building, twilight is quite spectacular.
If you have ever been to New York you probably would have been to the section of Broadway known as Times Square. Times Square is one of the busiest intersection of New York if not for the several streets that cross over each over but also for the huge amount of tourist’s and New Yorkers that can be found wandering around the area each day. From now until the end of the year getting around the area on foot has become a fair bit easier as traffic has been diverted away from Broadway from between 42nd and 47th streets. The road closure is a trail with the aim of seeing if traffic improves across the whole midtown area. The video above was done by the New York Times, getting the opinion of people in the middle of the street. Read the rest of this entry »
Dating back to 1959 the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has become one of the best-known landmarks in New York City and is one of the 20th century’s most important architectural buildings. The Guggenheim Museum is home to a renowned permanent collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art as well as featuring special exhibitions throughout the year. The Museum is located on Fifth Avenue at the corner of 89th Street in the Upper East Side in New York City. The museum overlooks Central Park and is great spot to start a walk across the park around the Central Park Reservoir across to Central Park West where you will run into the memorial to John Lennon. Known as Strawberry Fields, the memorial sits in the park opposite his old apartment building (The Dakota) on the opposite side of the park from the Guggenheim. Read the rest of this entry »
With new years eve only a few days away we thought we would take a look at some of the celebrations around the world the week on tripandom. One of the most famous new year events is the Times Square Ball Drop where a large ball is dropped down a pole in a similar way as a time ball was once used to alert sailors of the time. The Ball Drop dates back to 1907 and has since become one of the most watched new year events around the world with the event televised across the USA and making the evening news in many other counties. Up to a million people go to watch the ball drop each year creating a bit of a crowd control issue for police in the areas around Times Square.
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is an annual stage show fetauring the leggy Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. The 90 minute show combines singing, dancing and humor in a christmas theme. The show is known for it’s spectacular stage settings, like in the video above that cleverly moves a bus around in front of a projection of New York’s city streets. The show is performed at Radio City Music Hall as well as at various locations around the US and Canada and is one of the most-watched live shows in the United States, with over 2 million viewers per year. The show was first performed in 1933 and generally runs from early November through to the end of December.
The Intrepid was a United States Navy aircraft carrier which was built for World War II, and later served in Vietnam and was even used to recover spacecraft of the Mercury and Gemini programs. Today the mighty vessel is the centre attraction Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. In the last weeks the museum has been given a $120 million refit and reopened after 2 years of work at Pier 86 on New York’s west side. The deck of the Intrepid is home to many significant aircraft which have served the Air Force and Navy over the last century including quiet a few fighter jets and even a supersonic bomber. The Intrepid was also home to one of dozen Concordes in the world. The Concorde is currently off site and in need of some repairs after damage and it is hoped that it will be on display at the museum soon.
You don’t get much for nothing in this world without a catch- well here’s one and the the catch is one of the best views in the world. The ferry carries some 20 million people a year between Staten Island and lower Manhattan, which is about 60,000 a day. The ride takes about 25 minutes and you get a very good look at the majestic Statue of Liberty and the amazing skyscrapers of New York City and New Jersey. Weekdays there are over 100 trips a day with a few less on weekends, avoid the peak hours for the journey. Bus and Train are easily available from both ferry terminals to explore more of either Manhattan or Staten Island. Read the rest of this entry »
The Papaya King is a landmark New York restaurant that dates back to 1932. Originally located on the corner of Third Avenue and 86th Street the restaurant has since expanded to several locations across the city. The restaurant is best known for its Hawaiian themed Papaya Drinks and hot dogs that according to the numourous signs around the walls are tastier than Fillet Mignon. They must be doing something right as the restaurant has also spawned other similar papaya drink restaurants across the city and has been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show “No Reservations” as well as being mentioned in “Seinfeld”, “How I Met Your Mother” and was also used as a location in the film “You cant mess with the Zohan”. If you are heading to New York and want to sample some Papaya King goodness make sure you head to the origional Payaya King location on 86th Street as this one has a cool 50’s charm about it compared to the other locations. Read the rest of this entry »
Best known for its role in the 90’s TV comedy Seinfeld. Toms Restaurant is a diner located on the corner of Broadway and 112th Street in the Morningside Heights district of Manhattan. It is popular with local students and tourists who flock to the restaurant to eat where the gang from Seinfeld ate each episode, so expect a wait for a table on busy days. In fact the interior shots where just a set and nothing like what the Tom’s is laid out like and in most episodes the image of the building is taken from its side (similar to the one we shot here) in order to hide the Tom’s name on the front of the building as in the series it was referred to as Monks Cafe. The restaurant was also the basis of the Suzzanne Vega song “Toms Diner”. Read the rest of this entry »
The name Meatpacking District may spring thoughts of warehouses and sausages to you mind but the Meatpacking District in New York has left all the slaughtering behind as the suburb has become one of the latest fashionable places to be in Manhattan. The suburb is officially known as Gansevoort Market and was once home to around 250 slaughterhouses. Over the years these slaughterhouses have been dwindling down to only a handful and the streets that were once a popular spot for prostitutes druggies and trannys have since been filled with New York’s more fashionable people as the once empty warehouses and shops are being filled with restaurants and fashion boutiques. The video above was filmed for Mercedes Benz fashion week and gives you a good view of the area.
