Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for new york
Long Island Charm
By Linda Tancs
Northport is a maritime village on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. Initially designated Great Cow Harbour by 17th-century English colonists, the area was officially renamed Northport in 1837. Main Street offers visitors a magnificent view of the scenic harbor and homes dating back to the 18th century. The picturesque village still bears the trolley tracks laid in the early 1900s as well as the family-owned vintage sweet shop operating since 1929. One of the town’s most famous residents was Jack Kerouac, a novelist and poet. The local historical society hosts a “Kerouac Crawl,” which offers a chance to explore the neighborhood where he lived.
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Basilica Hudson
By Linda Tancs
Originally a forge and foundry for steel railway wheels in the 1800s, the industrial building known today as Basilica Hudson in Hudson, New York, is a multidisciplinary arts center. Its offerings include music festivals, marketplace events, regular film screenings and an artist-in-residency program. The venue welcomes over 20,000 visitors each year, who no doubt appreciate its location on the Hudson River amidst the Catskill Mountains.
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Fair History in Queens
By Linda Tancs
One of the city’s most iconic parks, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, boasts a World’s Fair legacy. In 1939 and again in 1964, the park hosted two of the largest international exhibitions ever held in the United States, the World’s Fair. One of its landmark attractions is the Unisphere, a spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth designed by Gilmore D. Clarke for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. It’s also the locale of Arthur Ashe Stadium, site of the U.S. Open tennis championships and headquarters of the National Tennis Center.
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Where Everyone’s An Artist
By Linda Tancs
The Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York, is one of America’s oldest and largest art museums. At 560,000 square feet, the museum is New York City’s second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. One of its latest innovations gives anyone the opportunity to be an artist, thanks to a renovated arts education center with three studios offering expanded access to art-making and
learning for all ages and a dedicated gallery hosting rotating family-friendly installations. In addition to general admission and ticketed exhibitions, First Saturdays (monthly evenings of free programming) occur from February to June and in August and October.
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Museum of the Dog
By Linda Tancs
The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York City boasts a collection of art and exhibits celebrating the role of dogs in society. The permanent collection is touted as one of the finest in the world and features paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, ceramics and bronzes and well as trophies, collars and other dog-related works. You can also view a database of award-winning breeders. The facility is located in the iconic Kalikow building on Park Avenue.
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New York City’s Smallest Museum
By Linda Tancs
New York City’s smallest museum is housed in a freight elevator in Tribeca. Known as Mmuseumm (two extra “m” letters at the beginning and end of the word “museum”), its goal is to showcase everyday objects from around the world. Beyond the utilitarian, though, the museum features quirky artifacts as well, like the shoe thrown at President George W. Bush in Baghdad. Although not open to visitors year round, it is nonetheless visible around the clock through viewing windows. The installation is located at 4 Cortlandt Alley, which is perhaps better known as a go-to location for filming movies and TV shows.
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The Gem of the Catskills
By Linda Tancs
Located in the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County in Hunter, Kaaterskill Falls is the highest cascading waterfall in New York State. Dropping in two tiers over 260 feet, the waterfall has been one of the region’s most popular destinations among locals and tourists for centuries. A convenient way to access the falls is to park and take the trolley, which stops in locales like Tannersville, Haines Falls, Palenville and throughout the Kaaterskill Clove (the gorge). A roundtrip hike to the falls, a moderately challenging route, is less than 2 miles on a marked path.
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Arts and Crafts in Woodstock
By Linda Tancs
One of the most iconic landmarks in Woodstock, New York, is Byrdcliffe Arts Colony. It was founded in 1902 by Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead and his wife Jane Byrd McCall out of an ideal to form a “brotherhood of artists.” It’s the oldest operating Arts and Crafts colony in America and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The organization continues to be a thriving year-round home to an ever expanding community of artists. Private tours can be booked by appointment. You can also take a self-guided walking tour of the grounds or a guided tour of White Pines, the original home of Byrdcliffe’s founders.
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Halloween in NYC
By Linda Tancs
One of the most iconic events in New York City is the annual Halloween parade in Greenwich Village. Now in its 51st year, the parade starts at 7 p.m. with participants lined up on Canal Street and 6th Avenue. The procession can be viewed on 6th Avenue from King Street to 15th Street. Anyone can march in the parade, provided that you’re wearing a costume. You’ll be joined by hundreds of giant puppets, dancers and bands.
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Queen of American Lakes
By Linda Tancs
Sometimes referred to as the Queen of American Lakes, Lake George is the longest lake in New York State, stretching 32 miles from north to south in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. One of the most popular hikes in the Lake George region is the Prospect Mountain trail, which begins on Smith Street in Lake George Village. The 3-mile, roundtrip trek is steep in places, not surprising considering that the route once incorporated the Prospect Mountain Cable Incline Railway, at one time the longest cable railroad in the world. At the summit you’ll find remnants of the railway, which was built in the 1800s as an alternative to horse-drawn carriages to transport wealthy guests to the Prospect Mountain House. Although the hotel subsequently burned down, its fireplace is still visible. In addition to its historical features, the 2,030-foot-high summit rewards hikers with 100-mile views of Lake George and the Adirondacks.
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