May 2009 Issue

‘Boroughing’ in the Big Apple

By Maria Lisella

Native New Yorkers like to offer visitors tips about tplaces to eat, visit, and the best deals. Locals might take visitors to their own neighborhoods, very often in the boroughs outside of Manhattan, often no more than 15 minutes from the center of town. These places retain more of the flavor of New York rather than what is now showing up in midtown – national chain stores and tall glass weeds of faceless and unimaginative lbuildings with preposterous price tags to match. If your clients want to save money, but still want to visit the Big Apple, be their New York expert by guiding them to a native’s way of seeing and being in this metropolis.
Accommodations are the first hurdle. Compared with a year ago, hotel prices are reduced by as much as 50%. Joel Cohen, Vice President of New York City Vacation Packages (NYCVP), a tour company promoting leisure travel to the City, said, “Last year you’d have to stay in New Jersey if you wanted the hotel rates that we’re offering now for midtown Manhattan properties. And unlike past years when hotels may have reduced rates for a few dates here and there, we’re seeing rate reductions right through March of 2010.” Call 877-NYC-TRiP or visit www.nyctrip.com.
Travel Bound has added more than 6,000 new hotel properties to its portfolio with popular name brand chain hotels such as Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Hampton Inn, Embassy Suites; among the Accor divisions-- Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure; the InterContinental Hotels Group--Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza as well as more than 4,000 new U.S. properties (from primary and secondary cities) included. Travel Bound offers best available published (ME) rate with dynamic pricing and last-room availability. Visit www.booktravelbound.com
Royalty in Queens
Some estimates indicate that nearly 200 languages are spoken in Queens, the borough with mailing addresses that reflect neighborhoods, ie, New York’s villages outside of Manhattan. The closest neighborhoods to Manhattan are Long Island City and Astoria, both just across the East River in full view from the United Nations. Just spot the Coca Cola sign across the river and you have pinpointed the burgeoning new neighborhood behind Gantry Park.
Less than 10 years ago, the only hotels in Queens were near the airports or enroute to them, but today, Long Island City counts 17 hotels within its bounds, ie, right off the 100-year-old Queensboro or 59th St. Bridge. Options range from Ravel (718-289-6101; www.ravelhotel.com), close to the river in what is still an industrial zone to Verve Hotel part of the Choice Hotel Group’s Ascend Collection (718-786-4545 ; www.ascendcollection.com); Holiday Inn Express (718-706-6700; www.hiexpress.com); La Quinta Inn Queens (800-531-5900; www.lq.com; Quality Inn Long Island City (718-391-0202 ; www.qualityinn.com; Best Western City View Motor Inn (718-392-8400; www.bestwesternnewyork.com); Quality Inn Long Island City (718-391-0202; www.qualityinn.com); Days Inn Long Island City (718-433-0077; www.daysinn.com); and Holiday Inn Manhattan View (718-707-3700; www.holidayinn.com)
For Astoria, a foodie’s delight, hop on the N or the W. Still populated with Greek and Cypriot restaurants now side by side with Brazilian, Japanese, Spanish, Mexican and European cafes (not the Starbucks kind but the ones where you can sit for hours over one cappuccino) and several great art attractions within a walk or subway ride. Ride to the end of the train to Ditmars Boulevard for a stroll along one of the main streets or stop off on Broadway (four stops outside of Manhattan). Don’t miss the variations on street food either, just follow the aromas.
On the corner of Ditmars Blvd. and 31st St. visitors will find one of the finest Italian restaurants in the Big Apple -- Trattoria L’Incontro. Skip the menu and order whatever the specials are. Visit www.trattorialincontro.com
In this portion of Astoria, a quick art tour will take visitors to the outdoor and free Socrates Sculpture Park and the nearby Isamu Noguchi Museum (www.noguchi.org), both at the river’s edge in the shadow of a huge Costco. On 30th street, visitors will find the Fisher Landau Center for Art (www.flcart.org), open to the public Thursday through Monday, 12 to 5 p.m.
And on 35th Avenue, the American Museum of the Moving Image, which is undergoing a huge expansion that will double its size, has an entrhalling permanent exhibit that can be visited. Visit www.movingimage.us
A recent addition is Tablao Flamenco, a series of once-a-month, live flamenco performances in a nightclub setting, that takes place in the heart of Astoria’s business district. Located at 41-01 Broadway, take the R or V trains to Steinway St., one of the longest shopping streets in New York.
Call 718-392-8888; www.centroespanolnyc.org
Or, take the take the #7 to Vernon/Jackson Avenue to visit Long Island City, home to MOMA’s little sister in Queens: P.S. 1, which is considered to be an artistic laboratory filled with riskier art than its well-established big sister in town. Its galleries are classroom-sized as the building once housed the first public school in Queens. Visit MOMA in the morning, keep your ticket stub and hop the E train to Queens in the afternoon for free admission to P.S. 1; otherwise the suggested price at P.S. 1 is $5; residents of Long Island City have free access with proof of residence. Look for the Warm Up Dance Parties on Sat. from 2:30 to 9 p.m. for $10. Visit www.ps1.org
Dining options include the café inside the museum or walk one block to Manducatis (Latin for “you eat;” call 718-729-9845) for authentic Neopolitan cuisine, dining rooms with fireplaces -- this is where the P.S. 1 curators eat. Also on Jackson Ave. adjacent to Manducatis is Manetta’s known for its brick oven pizza (718-786-6171). Visit Art-O-Mat, a gallery, opened from Thurs. to Sun., featuring local artists on the walls and Poetry Readings on the first Sunday of every month. Visit www.artomat.com For refreshments, there are cafes and coffee shops, but there are also some worthwhile dining options, Bella Via (718-361-7510), Tournesol (718-472-4355), Café Henri (718-383-9315) or Manducatis Rustica, a newly opened bistro for gelato, pannini, desserts on Vernon Blvd. (718-937-1312).
For avant-garde performances, look into The Chocolate Factory, a multi-faceted art space with theater and gallery (718-482-7069; www.chocolatefactorytheater.org). For a more classical outlook, the Astoria Symphony performs in acoustically-gifted churches or at LaGuardia Community College. Visit www.astoriamusic.org
Getting Around
Make sure independent clients purchase copies of Time Out and New York Magazine, weekly bibles to New York. If your clients are well-traveled, instruct them on how to use the New York City Subway system, one of the great things about the city as it is one of the oldest and most extensive public transportation systems in the world with 468 stations in operation and 656 miles of track. It is a behemoth and it reflects the work of once newly-transplanted New Yorkers from all over the world.
New Yorkers are up in arms about the possibility of paying $103 a month on an unlimited Metro Card but don’t let that get in the way. Give clients subway maps, and show them how to follow the colored ribbons named A, B, C, F, N, V, W, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7—trust them to take you east, north, south, and west.
Yellow Taxis (with meters in full view) are fun and easier to travel in since riders can now pay with credit cards. But natives will tell you, depending on the time of day, you might arrive at your destination faster by walking, New Yorkers’ preferred mode of transportation.

Waterfalls in the Heart of the Big Apple

New York City, aka the Big Apple has never had more to offer travelers -- first-time visitors, families and those traveling on business with a little time to spare for fun as well as New York aficionados will be delighted at new ways of getting around: take a water taxi or hop the Circle Line to be close enough to New York’s latest although temporary phenomenon, a Waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge, on display through October 13.
The Westin New York at Times Square: Has partnered with Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises to offer travelers the opportunity to see the city’s monumental art exhibit, The New York City Waterfalls, from an up close, “boat-side” view. The package includes accommodations in a newly renovated guestroom, two vouchers for a two-hour cruise around Manhattan, including the once-in-a-lifetime viewing of The New York City Waterfalls, and complimentary parking. Vouchers can be redeemed at guests’ convenience, and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise tours leave from Pier 83, a quick 15-minute walk or short cab ride from the award-winning hotel. Priced per room, per night, rates start at $379 through Sept. 3; $479 Sept. 4-Oct. 13. Call 888-627-7149; ask for rate code NYCFALLS.
Kimberly Hotel: A European-style luxury boutique hotel, extends its amenities beyond its walls to offer guests a yacht adventure to Bear Mountain New York State Park aboard its own private 75-foot yacht. A day-long sailing excursion, guests are treated to a scenic cruise along the Hudson River to Bear Mountain State Park in Bear Mountain, NY, to enjoy the park's public swimming pool, picnic areas, boating on Hessian Lake, hiking and biking trails or visiting the Trailside Museums and Wildlife Center at Bear Mountain. Priced at $65 per person, breakfast and snacks are included and will be served on board. Guests can bring their own bikes on-board. The cruise sails Aug. 3 and Sept. 6. Call 800-683-0400; www.kimberlyhotel.com
hotel le bleu: Not in Manhattan but a short subway ride from town is the 48-room hotel le bleu, located in the trendy Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, offers easy access to this summer’s hottest public attraction, New York City Waterfalls. Perhaps the most dramatic of the locations will be the display under the Brooklyn Bridge, a mere five miles from hotel le blue. Visitors are invited to experience the waterfall exhibits up-close on the Circle Line’s three-hour Full Island Cruise, which circumnavigates island of Manhattan (212-563-3200). Rates at hotel le bleu range from $254 - $279.50 (15 percent discount as part of NYC & Co.’s Summer in the City) per room, per night through Sept. 1, 2008; $299-$329 through October. Call 866-427-6073; www.hotellebleu.com
Scaling the Waterfalls
For the best way to catch a glimpse of the environmentally friendly, aesthetically astonishing New York City Waterfalls public art installation created by Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson punctuating New York City's East River this summer, consider two traditional means of getting around.
Gray Line New York Sightseeing’s deluxe double-decker buses, luxury motor coaches announced its “Red Hot Summer Sale,” offering valued Gray Line customers a choice of four free New York City Harbor cruises—including cruises to the spectacular and now world-famous ‘New York City Waterfalls” exhibit—or the opportunity to meet a Broadway actor, when they purchase a 48-hour, 72-hour, or other select "All Loops Tour" ticket in July, August or September. Call 800-669-0051; www.NewYorkSightseeing.com
New York Water Taxi's Unofficial Tour of the New York City Waterfalls -- to get close enough to feel the spray.
This 60-minute tour, will cruise by and stop at the four temporary waterfall installations along the along the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governors Island -- one on the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge, one between Piers 4 and 5 below the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, one in Lower Manhattan at Pier 35 north of the Manhattan Bridge, and one on the north shore of Governors Island. The tour will also swing by the Statue of Liberty. Tours depart from South Street Seaport, Pier 17 and from Battery Park. Tours from South Street leave at 10:30 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm An evening tour of the New York City Waterfalls departs daily from South Street Seaport, Pier 17 at 7:00 pm and 8 pm on Saturdays. Tickets are $25 for adults; $18 for seniors 65+ and $15 for children under 12. The tour runs through mid-October during the duration of the installation. Call 212-742-1969 ext. 217; www.nywatertaxi.com/waterfalls
Calling All American Girls
The Algonquin Hotel, a classic New York City hotel is celebrating Kit Kittredge's big screen debut in the highly anticipated movie Kit Kittredge: American Girl, with the Algonquin Girl package for Kit’s friends nationwide. Included are accommodations for one adult and one child at the Algonquin Hotel, a $30 gift certificate to the American Girl store, a diary so little ones can jot down their thoughts and memories - just like Kit, two tickets to a Broadway show or to see Kit’s favorite sport: Baseball. Located steps away from the American Girl Place, The Algonquin Hotel provides participants with tickets to see Kit on the big screen. One-night packages start at $394 per person double through Oct. 1, 2008. Call 866-406-5341; www.algonquinhotel.com
New York City’s Flatotel is welcoming families this summer with packages in the newly refurbished, deluxe one-bedroom suites start at $339 per night, plus tax through Aug. 31, 2008. Families receive a list of kid-friendly stores nearby such as American Girl Place, Build-A-Bear Workshop, FAO Schwarz, and the NBA Store, among others; along with shopping discounts and vouchers to Top of the Rock, Museum of Modern Art, and a tour of NBC Studios. Call 800-352-8683; www.flatotel.com

September 2007 Feature

New York: City for All Seasons

By Maria Lisella

Every season offers endless possibilities for adventure in New York City. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in fall kicks off magical winter activies such as the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting and New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Did you know that the first parade in 1924 was called the “Macy’s Christmas Day Parade” although it took place on Thanksgiving Day?
The New York City Visitor Packages’ (NYCVP) NYC TripQuotes is an easy, fast and comprehensive internet tool to help agents plan, customize and finalize New York City vacations as all components are commissionable to agents who can check rates at hotels, price Broadway and off-Broadway shows, plan sightseeing, add admissions to the city’s museums, and assist clients to budget for meals and other features.

At the Heart of the Matter
Insider’s View of the Thanksgiving & Macy’s Parade is a four-night complete package starting from $822.50 per person with accommodations at either the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers at 7th Ave. and 52nd St., the Sheraton Manhattan at Times Square, 7th Ave. and 51st St., the Crowne Plaza Times Square on Broadway at 49th St., the Novotel on 52nd St., or the Marriott Marquis also on Broadway. Accommodations for four nights at a midtown Manhattan hotel close to, or along the parade route, so visitors can just step outside and be part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; an option to add on the Exclusive NYCVP Insider’s View Parade Party Breakfast overlooking the parade, a Thanksgiving turkey dinner or the Stay-Warm at Applebees with the convenience and comfort of an indoor facility. Note some features are already sold out such as Parade Breakfast at Applebee’s and a View from the Novotel, but other options were still available. Also included are parking discounts, free entrances to the Museum of Natural History or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and free admission to the Empire State Building, Observatory or Rockefeller Center guided tour, VIP Invitation to the CBS Early show, free gift at Bloomingdale’s. Arrivals Nov.19 through Nov. 21, 2007.
A two-night pre-Holiday Shopping package from NYCVP priced at $475 per person double, which includes accommodations, optional shopping tours (to SoHo and NoLita, $38; or the Garment Center, Tour $65) and holidays tours (Holiday Lights Motorcoach tour, Christmas Holiday Walking Tour, or a Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour for $16) at additional costs.
Two-night Christmas packages in New York starts at $270 per person double. Arrivals any day Dec. 16 through Dec. 29, 2007.
Visitors will find the perfect holiday gift as they wander the streets of Manhattan – from the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center to the window displays at Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue on a Travel Bound Christmas shopping package in the Big Apple.
Priced from $1,097 per person double, the package includes four nights hotel at the first-class Roosevelt Hotel (left); garment center shopping tour – a spectacular tour for bargain-hunters and creative crafters who will visit sample sales, showrooms, fabric and notions stores; Soho shopping tour – a two-hour walking tour: Receive exclusive shopping discounts, taste local treats, and shop New York like a native; excursion to Woodbury Commons Premium Outlet – the world’s largest shopping outlet valid Nov. 15 thru Dec. 31, 2007. Call 800-808-9541; www.BookTravelBound.com