Guest post by Laura

Sometimes it’s better to here where to go from the locals. Here are four alternatives for tourist attractions in NYC.

1 – Instead of seeing the Empire State Building, go to the Top of the Rock

The line to go to the top of the Empire State Building is incredibly long (at times 2+ hours) whereas the wait to go to the Top of the Rock is significantly less. You also have an unobstructed view 360 degrees of the city and you can get a photo of the Empire State Building.
http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/

2 – Instead of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), go to P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center

If you’d like to go to the MoMA, then go on a Friday afternoon when it’s free admission however, as are most attractions in NY it is packed and the line extends well around the block. Instead head to P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center which is an affiliate of the MoMA and houses artwork of future artists. The admission cost is more affordable at $10 for adults, rather than the $25 for the MoMA and it is located in Queens which is a great borough to explore.
http://momaps1.org/visit/

photo credit

3 – Instead of taking a cruise around Manhattan, take the Staten Island Ferry

The main reason to take the Staten Island Ferry is it’s FREE. Just catch the ferry at Whitehall and Water St and you’ll have a beautiful view of the skyline. Once you get to Staten Island, you can either hop back on and turn back or check out a Yankee game – the Staten Island Yankees are a farm team for the New York Yankees so you may see the next Derek Jeter in action.

4 – Instead of going to FAO Schwarz, go to the Toys “R” Us in Times Square

FAO Schwarz has a long history and was shown in the movie “Big” which attracts plenty of tourists, however if you’re going to go to a toy store – go to the Toys “R” Us in Times Square. It’s unique in that there is a working ferris wheel in the middle of the store and among other interesting displays there is also a life size Barbie house that visitors can actually go in (adults included!).
http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/times-square/

About Laura: Laura is a travel enthusiast from New York currently living and working in Australia. Her spare time activities include reading, checking things off her bucket list and trying her hand in blogging at http://gogoodlife.com. You can also follow her on twitter at: @Tweeting_Laura.

I must admit that when a friend of mine told me that she likes to go to Vegas for its amazing roller coaster ride (and the amazing sensations) I was a little bit puzzled. I mean Las Vegas and roller coaster? Wasn’t this city the city of casinos? Well, it appears there’s more to Las Vegas than playing some poker, roulette etc.

So I did some searching. And yes, there is some truth in the recommendation to visit Las Vegas and enjoy its roller coasters. Apparently there is a big offer for those looking for intense adrenaline rushing through their bodies and for sensations like nowhere else. The views are apparently amazing – one roller coaster, for instance, gives you the feeling of falling down from a building – for the roller coaster is on top and surrounds part of the building giving one great emotions. And once you’ve experienced this roller coaster’s sensation you’ll want to go back and you’ll measure any other roller coaster by the thrill you had here.

Actually, two days ago I read some news about a new roller coaster to be built in Las Vegas – you know, the biggest and most interesting one they say. People enjoying it will tell if it is so

There are many Las Vegas Packages so that’s not a problem. There are many activities just waiting for you. Of course, there are many casinos in Las Vegas. And also roller coasters – like for instance the Desperado roller coaster. What will you choose?

Undoubtedly a symbol for almost anyone on this planet. Statue of Liberty – (Liberty Enlightening the World) – is, as we find out from Wikipedia too, a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886.

Today, Statue of Liberty is the subject of “photo of the week” section, a photo made in 2008 by Dan Mitea.

Traveling means discovering as much as possible a city, a country, an area etc. This involves trying local dishes, visiting different monuments, checking touristic objectives, but also noticing the way the locals live.

The attractions and things to do and see in different cities are different. In Vegas for instance one should visit the casinos, right?

But what about clubbing? Hmm… It sounds interesting, right?

I must admit I’m not much of a club girl even in my city and country. Yes, I’ve been in some clubs – but clubs are not my main attraction in a new city. I like however to spend time with friends and sometimes to simply take a break, listen to some music and relax. I was in clubs to dance, to celebrate some friends’ birthdays… Oh, those days!

But in Vegas?

I think I’d have to visit some – at least one famous Las Vegas nightclub. Why? Because it’s something specific to this city and if I want to really get to know this city, I’d have to check out it’s night life that doesn’t involve only casinos.

Besides, partying is fun, right? Enjoying good music, dancing, feeling the beat, drinking some good cocktails and so on!

So yes, I guess the answer is simple: when in Vegas, one must go out in some clubs – at least in one – to check out the atmosphere, to really enjoy this famous city!

What about you? Have you been clubbing recently? Where?

Birds, many-many relatively small birds. Everywhere. With houses all over the town. You’d think this is strange and that you want to run as far away and as soon as possible, right?

Well, there is a town in this world where small birds – purple martins – are welcomed by locals and tempted to stay here longer.

Yeah, you know we like interesting facts and stories from all over the world. Let’s see what’s the story of Griggsville.

It all started round ‘60 when pesticides were banned. In Griggsville there were many mosquitoes. People suffered mosquitoes bytes on a daily basis.

Someone discovered that this town is located on the “travel road”of the purple martins. What’s so special about this birds is that they feed almost entirely on… yes, you guessed, mosquitoes!

Now, the birds are not much of building shelters specialists, so people had to help. And boy, did they build some houses. Many, many houses for birds. All over the town.

But the final result made it all worth it. People can live in this town without being constantly bitten by mosquitoes.

So, birds are not only bad (many birds, like in Alfred Hitchcock’ movie), they can be a true blessing!

photo source

It’s not surprising that during this international crisis period each state does everything possible in order to be successful, to adapt to the current situation.

In the case of Utah, it seems that a previous idea/proposal – that gold and silver to be used as currency – was approved officially. “The law also will exempt the sale of the coins from state capital gains taxes.”

From the same article, we find out also that The idea is simple: Store your gold and silver coins in a vault, and Franco issues a debit-like card to make purchases backed by your holdings.

He plans to open for business June 1, likely the first of its kind in the country.

“Because we’re dealing with something so forward thinking, I expect a wait-and-see attitude,” Franco said. “Once the depository is executed and transactions can occur, then I think people will move into the marketplace.”

Other countries think about adapting the same solutions. I recently read this news: Zimbabwe: Gold-Backed Currency the Most Ideal Solution.

What do you think about gold and silver as a currency?

Outdoor smoking ban comes into effect in New York. As a result, “smokers can no longer legally light up in the city’s public parks, beaches and promenades. Pedestrian plazas are also no smoking zones, including the ones in Times Square and Herald Square”. But, as we find out from the same news, many smokers said that they will ignore this ban, despite the fact that they might receive a $50 fine.

For smokers many countries imposed through the years different restriction. However, these restrictions were often imposed not against the smokers, but to help protect the non smokers. There are still many places in the world that are a smoking paradise. Romania is still one, for instance. One can still smoke, but for instance if you are a non-smoker you have trouble finding a good restaurant with a no smoking area.

Also, as a non-smoker if you simply take a walk, there are big chances to smoke passively – from the people going in the same direction. And it’s a truly great pleasure to have the smoke hitting you, without any possibility of avoiding it, when you have a cold for instance. Your nose and throat will burn you like hell – and here you were outdoors, going somewhere or simply enjoying a walk in the park.

Everyone has rights. Freedom is also for everyone. But wasn’t a definition of freedom stipulating that one’s acts should not affect in a bad way other people?

I must admit that I am all for protecting the non-smokers, for allowing me to go out and breathe the fresh air and not one’s smoke. I also agree that smokers should be able to have some places – including coffee houses or restaurants – where they are able to smoke. But there should be an equilibrium, a balance. A smoker can protest by smoking despite the threat of a fine. A smoker has all the weapons. But what can a non-smoker do? This is why I guess some restrictions for smokers are necessary.

I’m curious: what do you think about this situation?, about the smoking ban in New York?

Guest post by Dumitrita

Ybor City – My story or ‘Girls just wanna have fun’

My travel story dates there years ago when I firstly entered United States of America, more exactly, Tampa, Florida. Of course I was not alone in this Work& Travel program and, probably, this is the very fun side of the story – remembering what made me happy and how rewarding a challenge can be, but this is already another story.

As a student, I had the chance to join an exchange program, Work& Travel on its name. As you can figure it out, me and my colleagues were supposed to travel and to work in the US. At the end, it turned out to be more work than travel but the little travel we enjoyed was enough as to motivate us to come back, to put a smile upon our faces when talking about it and, of course, to make friends there.

But today I am going to talk about other kind of friends. Good memories. I will take Ybor City this time.

Ybor City – or, how to press play

After exhausting days at work (exhausted not merely from the load of hard work (actually it was about hard soft work – we worked in the sales area, beauty products), but from the energy intake we were about to receive from both Americans and witty Israeli sellers) something was about to happen. After evenings of merely listening to a choir of melodious grigs, we decided to listen to the sound of our white car’s motor in the middle of night also, and not only. Knowing the way but not the exact direction, we managed to find the place where the lights and music were all the night long on.

Ybor City was very close to our way, as we lived in Brandon and worked in Tampa. Anyhow, it was a little bit difficult to find the specific area of the city we were looking for. But, in this case, the more little we knew, the better. As the first time we went there was Sunday, the city was almost sleeping, because it was kind of empty. No excuses not to enjoy as the lights and music coming from the clubs and cars made it look still lively. We felt free to explore it despite of not knowing exactly the so called local rules of this city, if there were some. The few people we met on the streets (mainly men) were eager to help by giving us orientation tips. In a couple of minutes we had not only our car parked, some photos taken, smiles shared and an idea of what’s actually happening in nearby Tampa, but we also found the club we were looking for. If you are not living in the area or in US you will think that we were courageous to go there in the middle of the night, solely girls and without informing someone else about our leaving. No reason to be afraid of anything, I can say, as long as police was at work, the streets were not crowded, the lights were all on. We were in the right hands, in our own hands. Anyhow, we did not need help in imagining that those streets have a interesting story to say. Only that at that time we did not know anything from the following lines.

Ybor City by night  – Centro Ybor

Last Saturday night of our W&T program was totally dedicated to Ybor. Me, Ina and Renata were lucky to have met a Romanian girl established for 9 (now 11) years in the States. She was our night guide in our second trip to Ybor. This time was quite different. Police was more present and the bars were full. I can remember lines of bistros and fast foods, cars with music played loud, troops of black girls and troops of black boys bearing more or less silent talks.

Centro Ybor is what I remember the best when I am thinking about what once was The City, the most modern and vivid place at its heyday. Presently, Centro Ybor features family and entertainment oriented activities such as: Muvico Theater, clubs, boutiques, restaurants, cigar shops, bars and other entertainment venues.  I can tell you that you will surely feel the echoes of the past when enjoying the entertaining atmosphere of Centro Ybor, even though I crossed this train line by night.

I do not know what counted the most. The hour spent in the club, the courage to take a long ride with our work car in the middle of the night, the escape itself, the fact that we got to experience USA in another mode also, the time spent with the girls, or the emotions we had the next day at work. Having secretes feels good indeed J Well, I do not know the exact answer. I have a guess that finding a lot about Ybor City’s history will make me feel as good at least. Well, I do not exaggerate when I say that I walked into a lively treasure. We will see that it is definitely more than that.

Ybor City – A story Itself

Probably Ybor City (1886) would not have existed without the influential cigar manufacturer, Don Vicente Martinez Ybor, the founder of a city that initially had only 40 acres. Vincente Martinez Ybor came from Key West to found what by the turn of the twentieth century was named ‘The Cigar Capital of the World’, due to the 140 cigar factories active, (even though by the mid 1950 most of the factories closed). He had indeed a powerful personality as long as Cuban, Spanish, Italian and German immigrants followed him and contributed to what today represents a National Historic Landmark district.

The specificity of the Ybor City is apart not merely because its rich history in the cigar manufacturing, but also because the diversity of the people that lived there over the years. Therefore, not only cigars J, but also the people from different parts of the world (Cuba, Spain, Italy) settled  the grounds for festivals, tourism and nightlife industry. The annual festivals, such as: Guavaween (celebrated in October) is Ybor City’s version for the Halloween party, the Cigar Heritage Festival, Sant’Yago Illuminated Knight Parade keep alive the old echoes. Ybor City’s official day of celebration, Fiesta Day Festival, it is the day for actions such as: the Parade of Flags, the children’s fiesta, listening to ethnic music, café con leche, annual Flan Fest and so on.

Ybor City Musem State Park

This is the perfect place to go for those thirsty for historical information about the way cities evolved, as is that of Ybor City. You can find here historical information about the cigar industry, the social clubs, and about the Latin community established. The museum occupies the former Ferlito bakery – as the name suggest, a bakery established by Italian immigrants in 1846. But above information, I think that the images will speak for themselves.

The city abounds in attractions as old red brick buildings, that once were cigar manufactories, paved streets which give a divine feeling to the eyes in the rainy days, Columbia Restaurant, Florida’s oldest and most honored Spanish restaurant, and the title says everything.
I cannot grasp the vibrant story of decline and renaissance in Ybor City. You should walk on its streets, and the story will unfold itself.

I wish I had all this information when I was in Florida. Still, it feels good for having reached that ground. Now I know I was lucky, as other presidents and stars that enjoyed the city. What about you?

Sources
http://www.southernhistory.net/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10328
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/January03/AJourneyintoTampasHistory.htm#
http://www.flickr.com/photos/army_arch/5142322195/
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-jan-revitalizing-neighborhoods-ybor-city

About Dumitrita

I am Communication and Public Relations graduate, currently undertaking a master degree in Brand Management and Corporate Communication, at SNSPA, Bucharest. I am passionate about Speech Communication and Branding, as I am of Travelling. I can be easily reached through my Twitter account: @dumitritahirtie.  May you all enjoy the most beautiful destinations!

The financial support for a theme park featuring full-size replica of Noah’s Ark was approved on Thursday.

Theme parks are famous all over the world, many visiting them and enjoying a great time with family. This new theme park in Kentucky is also considered to be a success (once it will be launched).

The project is however controversial. There are concerns about the accent on the Christian religion. The founders say that this won’t however be a problem. Zovath’s response: “The more they try to paint us in a bad light, the more opportunities we have to explain the project.” (source)

The video below shows the plans for this theme park (I have to add that in another article I saw that “Tower of Babel, a first century village, theaters, lecture halls, retail shops, restaurants, a petting zoo and live animal shows featuring giraffes and elephants.“)

What do you think about this Ark Encounter theme park? Is it a good idea? Could it be a bad influence or a place to have fun, as in any other theme park?

There are many interesting places one can choose as a destination. Also, there are many accommodation options. You have hotels, hostels, tents and so on. Another idea is an escape on a cabin. If this cabin is placed in a great landscape, than it might be a great experience.

Browsing the internet I found a site that offers exactly that: accommodation on lake cabins. These cabins are in USA, located in far southeastern Oklahoma. As I see on the official site, most of the cabins are within a 3 to 3 1/2 hour drive from the Dallas area and approximately four hours from Oklahoma City. So not so far away from “civilization” but offering a nice escape from the city.

As I was trying to find out more, I saw that the offer is quite impressive, due to the fact that these are not simple or very rustic cabins, but cabins that can be interesting for everyone. They can be used as an city escape trip for friends and family, but also for special events (reunions and even weddings). Thus, broken bow cabins sound very interesting. On their official site you can see also photos of the cabins and reservations info. The prices are not so high so I guess almost anyone can benefit from this travel option.

Going to these cabins does not mean you have to stay inside all the time. On the contrary, there are several attractions in the area (also presented on the website). First of all, one can choose to take some bike rides. It’s a perfect place for that. One may like to fish – there is such an opportunity close to the cabins. You can also rent canoe or boat or jet ski. There is a park so it’s OK for walks and time with family members.

Staying here sounds like a nice way to be closer to nature, enjoy some good time outside a computer, or having a special and interesting place for a special event. Have you been to such a cabin? What was it like?