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
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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War History at Lake George
By Linda Tancs
In Lake George, New York, you can step back in time at Fort William Henry and experience life at a British fort in 1755 during the French and Indian War, a conflict that many describe as the original first world war. Named for two royal grandsons, the fort was erected to protect the British colonies against French incursions in the region. Among the many activities at the fort, you can watch live musket and cannon firings, play 18th-century games and join the King’s Army!
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New York’s Whispering Gallery
By Linda Tancs
A whispering gallery is usually a circular, hemispherical, elliptical or ellipsoidal enclosure, often beneath a dome or a vault, in which whispers can be heard clearly in other parts of the gallery. One famous example is the one in New York City’s Grand Central terminal. Located outside the entrance to the Oyster Bar & Restaurant, the near-perfect arches there provide a corner-to-corner acoustic oddity. Just stand with a friend in opposite corners of the gallery, face the wall, and whisper. You’ll hear each other’s voice as if you were standing side by side, no matter how much noise surrounds you.
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Springtime in Rochester
By Linda Tancs
Nothing says springtime in Upstate New York better than the Rochester Lilac Festival. Now in its 126th year, the event boasts the largest collection of lilacs in North America with over 1,800 bushes and 500 different varieties of lilacs on display. More than just a flower show, the event features a series of concerts, wine tastings, vendors and the much-anticipated parade.
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Between the Forks
By Linda Tancs
Nestled between the North Fork and South Fork of Long Island, New York, is Shelter Island. Approximately 27 square miles, it’s accessible only by ferry from either Greenport on the North Fork or North Haven on the South Fork. Known for its natural beauty, it boasts Mashomack Preserve, a coastal nature reserve featuring over 2,000 acres of woodlands, marshes and creeks. Enjoy a hike along the many trails, which are open daily from dawn to dusk.
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New York’s Research Forest
By Linda Tancs
Black Rock Forest is a 3,920-acre forest and biological field station in Cornwall, New York. Named for the black magnetite in the forest’s bedrock, the nature preserve is as much a gem for hikers as it is for researchers. The site boasts 26 miles of trails and 17 miles of forest roads which are open to the public year-round. From there you can experience the area’s rich biodiversity in trees, mammals, birds and reptiles owing to the forest’s location at the intersection of two ecological systems: the New York-New Jersey Highlands and the Hudson River Basin. On a clear day, you might even see Manhattan.
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Tranquility at the Hammond
By Linda Tancs
Founded by American artist Natalie Hays Hammond, the Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem, New York, is a museum with Japanese art and a 3.5-acre Japanese stroll garden. A peaceful oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of Westchester County, the garden is centered around its pond and includes numerous rare Japanese plants and trees as well as species native to the area. Also on the grounds is a traditional Japanese tea room, which was imported from Kyoto and is used for tea ceremony events. The Hammond will open seasonally in April until November.
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A Founder’s House in New York
By Linda Tancs
Born in New York in 1745, John Jay was descended from French Huguenot refugees. One of America’s most influential Founding Fathers, he was a lawyer, framer of the Constitution and the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, among other accomplishments. In Katonah, New York, the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site interprets his life and legacy. The 62-acre site features his home (which remained in the family through several generations until 1959), several gardens and farm buildings.
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A Chapel of Ease in New York City
By Linda Tancs
Built in 1766, St. Paul’s Chapel, located at Broadway and Fulton Street, is part of the Parish of Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. It was known as a “chapel-of-ease” for those who did not want to walk a few blocks south along unpaved streets to Trinity Church. Its famous worshippers include George Washington, who made his way there after taking the oath of office to become the first president of the United States. His pew remains in the church.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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