So I spent a nice weekend in the city with my family recently and I realized how much smart phone apps can change the experience of finding your way around New York. When we visit I usually go to many of my old favorite spots but I’m always interested in new places as well. One night we decided to go to a restaurant and I knew it would be someplace new. Unfortunately I didn’t have too much time to do some research about where to go.
Fast forward to around 8:30 PM that evening. I’m standing on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 6th Street with my wife. I asked her, “What type of food are you interested in?” She answered, “Mexican would be fun.” At that point I opened up the Urbanspoon application on my iPhone and searched for Mexican food “near me”. At the top of the list was a place called Mayahuel which I could quickly see had 6 of 6 “likes” which translated to a 100% rating. I checked a couple of review snippets that called the place “hidden” and mentioned “come for the drinks”. It sounded good so we crossed the street and realized that the restaurant was right there on the other side of the street. We almost passed it up (it really is sort of hidden) but we found the door and were quickly whisked by a helpful employee through a cozy bar to a small table on the second floor of a brownstone. The time from, “What type of food…” to seating was less than five minutes.
I thought that the whole process was pretty amazing. It really was the first time I had experienced such “in the moment” synergy with a mobile application. When I started this site I hoped to bring my experiences and opinions about New York City to a wide audience. Back then (in 2005) we didn’t have the iPhone, Android or app stores. I think blogs and podcasts still have a strong role to play in helping people to prepare for (or perhaps reminisce after) trips. But these new mobile applications play an important part in creating enjoyable experiences too. Apps like Urbanspoon are location savvy, which is wonderful. They offer access to the “crowd” right in your pocket or pocketbook. Twitter and Facebook also offer the possibility of near real-time feedback from your social connections too. In fact, after “checking in” using Facebook places at Coney Island I found out that an old friend had been there just before I was. Had I checked in sooner we might have met up. It’s all really great and something to consider before you travel to New York.
So you might be wondering how the restaurant was. It was good. We had a nice tortilla appetizer with salsa, salsa verde and guacamole. My wife had tacos and I had a nice plate of paella for an entrée. The drinks were definitely a highlight as mentioned in the review that I read on Urbanspoon. I even shot a photo prior to consuming the Blanco tequila flight that I ordered shortly after sitting down.
We recently took a trip to the American Museum of Natural History where we got to see some great exhibits including Lizards & Snakes: Alive! and The Butterfly Conservatory. A little bit of both of those can be seen in the video along with the Hall of Ocean Life. It’s a highly recommended destination for the family when you are in New York City. There is parking right beneath the building (unfortunately it’s expensive) but if you don’t need to drive the museum is convenient to public transportation including the A subway line which stops at 81st Street.
A spot under the Manhattan Bridge is probably one of the more unlikely places for a relaxing afternoon but please don’t knock it til you try it. For years I have heard about the neighborhood called DUMBO. It’s not a Disney movie. It’s Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. DUMBO is a neighborhood with eclectic shops, some restaurants and bars. At the edge of the neighborhood right on the East River there is a small park that has a childrens playground, and a large patch of grass for relaxing. It’s a great place to spend some time with the kids, the dog or just your thoughts and a camera. You’ve got Lower Manhattan to your west, the Brooklyn Bridge just to your south and the Manhattan Bridge right above your head.
We got their by car taking the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) to Tillary Street and then turning down Jay Street. You can also get there by taking the F train to York Street. If you’re feeling so inclined you can also walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to get there.
It was recently reported that New York taxi riders have been ripped off by drivers to the tune of $8 million dollars. The New York Post reported as follows.
Cabbies have illegally scammed unsuspecting riders out of a staggering $8.3 million by manually switching the meter to rates that only apply when they are driving outside the city, officials said.
In a bomshell report issued by the Taxi and Limousine Commission this afternoon, the agency said it uncovered that drivers illegally overcharged passengers by switching the meter from Rate Code 1 (the default setting used for trips inside the five boroughs) to Rate Code 4 (a higher rate only used for travel in Westchester or Nassau counties when cabs leave the city).
Oh my. How disappointing. After all these years of improvements to the taxi system in the city there are still drivers looking to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting riders. The thing is, this kind of fraud likely affects locals as well as tourists. I’ll admit that I never pay much attention to the numbers on the meter if I’m in a cab. I pay even less attention if the trip is a short one. But something like this can easily turn a $4 trip into an $8 trip. It may not be a lot of money but stealing is stealing. And it likely affects the amount of money you would spend elsewhere. What’s a taxi rider to do? Keep an eye on that meter!
Flickr Photo by Thomas Hawk
In the photo above you can see the number 1 on the far left side of the meter. That means you’re being charged the “within city limits” fare. If you’re in any of the five boroughs of New York that’s what you should see. If you’re in the city and see a number 4 there then you are getting ripped off. If you notice something like that you should alert the driver and ask him to change the fare code. If the driver refuses or gives you a hard time tell them to stop the cab but only after you’ve captured the info from their license which should be displayed on the dashboard. You can dial 311, which is the city’s all purpose information and problem reporting hotline, to report the rip off.
As great a place as New York is you always have to be aware when spending your money. I must also state that these sorts of things go on all over the world. I remember being in Prague and having to tell the taxi driver, “Taximeter prosim,” so he would run the meter instead of overcharging me a flat rate for my trip. After all what’s fare is fare. [Pun intended ]
I was going through some of my video archives recently and thought, “Why not throw together a quick video?” So I did it. I’ve got scenes in there from Bryant Park, the 9th Avenue Food Festival, Bleecker Street, a Rock Concert and the Queen Mary II departing the city via the Hudson River. Enjoy!
Last weekend when we were down in the city the family and I took a ride to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn for some fish at Randazzo’s Clam Bar. Sheepshead Bay is a little neighborhood on the south side of Brooklyn, just to the east of Coney Island. When I was a kid we used to go there for dinner and we’d walk along the water at the Sheepshead Bay Pier and watch the fishing boats getting ready to go out for the evening. This time we saw that they have a couple of party boats that go out at night for those who want to have some fun out on the water.
If you’ve listened to New York Minute #46 you know that I’m a fan of the New York Public Library, whose main branch is located at the corner of 5th Avenue and 41st St. It’s a great place to visit to see some great architecture and enjoy a variety of exhibits which are all free to the public.
The publicity team at the library dropped me a line recently to let me know what’s happening at the library during the fall season. They’ve got some interesting things going on including unique exhibits, discussions with artists, special film screenings, events for kids and more. What follows is a list of some of the more interesting events coming up for the fall season. Take note that some of the events take place at locations other than the main library. Read the rest
I recently returned from an extended weekend in New York City with my wife and our two children. It’s the first time we’ve had two little ones (age 1 and 4) with us and I have to say it was quite a challenge. Everything needed to be timed just right and we needed to carry along extra gear to make sure the kids were comfortable and happy throughout the day. We also did a lot less than we could have done without the children since we made time for naps and cut days short when they were tired and hungry. Here is a short synopsis of the trip.
Day 1 – Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach is exactly as I remember it from my days as a youth in Queens. There’s not much going on there except the boardwalk, the beach and the ocean. That’s fine with me. You’ll find many more locals than tourists at Rockaway. We went to Beach 108 St. which is usually quieter than 116 St. which is the last subway stop. The area in between 108th and 116th is even quieter since it’s further from the best parking and the subway stops. Lifeguards are on duty from 10AM – 6PM. When we were there two lifeguards (one in the chair and one at the edge of the surf) patrolled each stretch of beach. It’s important to note that the currents at Rockaway can be dangerous so it’s best to supervise kids very closely. Current aside the water was nice. I did some bodysurfing and we played with the kids at the edge of the surf. We drove to the beach and I think that’s the preferred mode of transport with the kids because you can leave and get comfortable much quicker than if you take public transportation.
I recently had the opportunity to spend an evening at Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets. I created a series of 13 videos to chronicle my visit. One is embedded below. You can head over to YouTube to view the entire playlist if you like.
Most people probably don’t come to New York for the beaches. They should though! There are some fantastic beaches and other sights on the east end of Long Island that are worth visiting. I prefer to go in the shoulder seasons of late spring or early fall since the east end gets crowded and expensive in the summer months. I recommend Sea Crest on the Ocean as an excellent place to stay if you do decide to spend a couple of days out east.
The New York Minute Show podcast and blog is a multimedia guide to New York City. The show is RSS and podcast enabled, which means that you can subscribe with your favorite home page or RSS reader. Learn more about subscribing here.
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