Dear friends & readers,
The holidays are upon us and we are all busy celebrating. I hope everyone enjoys their time with friends and family this holiday season. Happy holidays and I will see you all in the New Year!!!
Dec 22, 2011
Dec 14, 2011
THE MOST SPECTACULAR HOLIDAY LIGHT DISPLAYS
Brooklyn
South Slope
This house is located at 310A 22nd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The very ambitious and creative homeowners make everything by hand in their backyard—no pre-fab strings of lights at all! This house has a different theme and storyline every season. The show runs nightly between 5-10pm on weeknight and on Fri. & Sat. until 11pm. The show is about 5 minutes and happens every twenty minutes starting at 5 (so 5, 5:20, 5:40, 6 etc)
How to get there:
The closest subway station is the 25th Street R stop. If you drive, you'll probably need to park a few blocks away. The display understandably causes a traffic jam.
Dyker Heights
Dyker Heights is super-famous for its Christmas light displays. There's a PBS documentary called Dyker Lights, countless videos on YouTube and once, even Conan O'Brien visited (sadly that hilarious clip is not currently available online). The displays run from 11th to 13th Avenues between 83rd and 86th Streets.
How to get there:
Subways: D/M trains to 18th Ave and New Utrecht Avenue ; R train to 86th Street and 4th Avenue. Bus: You can take the B63 bus to 5th Avenue and 86th Street.
Driving: Take the Belt Parkway to Exit 4 (park before 84th Street and 12th Avenue, walk up 84th to 10th Ave). Be warned: parking is near impossible and the traffic is really slow. If you can, find a parking spot a bit away from the hubbub and walk to the lights.
Canarsie
The house in Canarsie at the corner of East 93rd St. and Flatlands Ave with its carousel, santa’s elves and nativity scene from Milan has 250,000 lights. According to the Brooklyn Daily, this year’s spectacular display will showcase a “cast of 100 animated characters (that) includes a new, singing-talking-joke-cracking parrot, and Stumpy, the fan-favorite talking Christmas tree. Eight wondrous displays feature vignettes depicting Hanukkah and Kwanza, and there’s a 12-foot wreath crowning the roof”. The owner of the home, Frank Seddio, no longer lives there but uses it as his law firm’s office.
How to get there: .
Driving: Take Atlantic Ave to Rockaway Ave, right on Foster Ave and then left on E. 93rd Street and end at Flatlands Ave.
Subway/Bus: Take the 4 to New Lots Station. Then take the B60 bus towards Canarsie Williams Ave, get off at Glenwood Road and 98th Street and walk about 8 minutes to Flatlands and E. 93rd Street.
Long Island
Lindenhurst
Since the late '90s, these Long Island homeowners have been seriously decking their halls with over-the-top holiday lights. Visitors can marvel at the more than 32,000 strings of lights that adorn their house and property, including a 21-foot-tall Christmas tree made of lights, giant inflatable decorations and even a glittering New Year's Eve ball that drops down a 20-foot pole as the clock strikes midnight on December 31. The lights blink in time to the music broadcast from their very own one-block radius radio station.
How to get there: The house is located at 405 North Broadway in Lindenhurst, Long Island, about an hour drive from midtown Manhattan.
You can find several other LI holiday lights locations on http://long-island.newsday.com/guides/holidays/map-of-long-island-holiday-lights-1.2549508
South Slope
This house is located at 310A 22nd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The very ambitious and creative homeowners make everything by hand in their backyard—no pre-fab strings of lights at all! This house has a different theme and storyline every season. The show runs nightly between 5-10pm on weeknight and on Fri. & Sat. until 11pm. The show is about 5 minutes and happens every twenty minutes starting at 5 (so 5, 5:20, 5:40, 6 etc)
How to get there:
The closest subway station is the 25th Street R stop. If you drive, you'll probably need to park a few blocks away. The display understandably causes a traffic jam.
Dyker Heights
Dyker Heights is super-famous for its Christmas light displays. There's a PBS documentary called Dyker Lights, countless videos on YouTube and once, even Conan O'Brien visited (sadly that hilarious clip is not currently available online). The displays run from 11th to 13th Avenues between 83rd and 86th Streets.
How to get there:
Subways: D/M trains to 18th Ave and New Utrecht Avenue ; R train to 86th Street and 4th Avenue. Bus: You can take the B63 bus to 5th Avenue and 86th Street.
Driving: Take the Belt Parkway to Exit 4 (park before 84th Street and 12th Avenue, walk up 84th to 10th Ave). Be warned: parking is near impossible and the traffic is really slow. If you can, find a parking spot a bit away from the hubbub and walk to the lights.
Canarsie
The house in Canarsie at the corner of East 93rd St. and Flatlands Ave with its carousel, santa’s elves and nativity scene from Milan has 250,000 lights. According to the Brooklyn Daily, this year’s spectacular display will showcase a “cast of 100 animated characters (that) includes a new, singing-talking-joke-cracking parrot, and Stumpy, the fan-favorite talking Christmas tree. Eight wondrous displays feature vignettes depicting Hanukkah and Kwanza, and there’s a 12-foot wreath crowning the roof”. The owner of the home, Frank Seddio, no longer lives there but uses it as his law firm’s office.
How to get there: .
Driving: Take Atlantic Ave to Rockaway Ave, right on Foster Ave and then left on E. 93rd Street and end at Flatlands Ave.
Subway/Bus: Take the 4 to New Lots Station. Then take the B60 bus towards Canarsie Williams Ave, get off at Glenwood Road and 98th Street and walk about 8 minutes to Flatlands and E. 93rd Street.
Long Island
Lindenhurst
Since the late '90s, these Long Island homeowners have been seriously decking their halls with over-the-top holiday lights. Visitors can marvel at the more than 32,000 strings of lights that adorn their house and property, including a 21-foot-tall Christmas tree made of lights, giant inflatable decorations and even a glittering New Year's Eve ball that drops down a 20-foot pole as the clock strikes midnight on December 31. The lights blink in time to the music broadcast from their very own one-block radius radio station.
How to get there: The house is located at 405 North Broadway in Lindenhurst, Long Island, about an hour drive from midtown Manhattan.
You can find several other LI holiday lights locations on http://long-island.newsday.com/guides/holidays/map-of-long-island-holiday-lights-1.2549508
Dec 8, 2011
NYC STORE HOLIDAY WINDOW DISPLAY
Besides the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, nothing captures the Christmas spirit in the Big Apple quite like the classic department store window displays. From snowflakes to shopping bags and even a full-on storyline, this year’s displays continue their tradition of being entertaining and awe-inspiring.
Macy’s ,151 West 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues,
helps to make wishes come true with “Make-A-Wish” windows. The first window sets the tone using 3DFusion, the first 3D technology of its kind in retail history Other highlights include an interactive ‘make-a-wish’ window, where visitors can design their own ornaments to take home virtually on their mobile devices.
Macy’s ,151 West 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues,
helps to make wishes come true with “Make-A-Wish” windows. The first window sets the tone using 3DFusion, the first 3D technology of its kind in retail history Other highlights include an interactive ‘make-a-wish’ window, where visitors can design their own ornaments to take home virtually on their mobile devices.
Lord & Taylor, 424 Fifth Avenue at 38th Street, asked children from Women In Need shelters and local schools to draw what they believe Christmas is made of for the theme, “What is Christmas Made Of?” Inspired by these pieces of art, the stores mechanical holiday windows feature 125 of their original drawings.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, puts on a dramatic light show: The Snowflake & Bubble Spectacular. An updated twist on last year’s bubbles theme, the show is projected onto the building’s facade. A new soundtrack was composed just for the show, along with a unique six-projector system that appears to change the features of the building itself using vivid 3D programming.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, puts on a dramatic light show: The Snowflake & Bubble Spectacular. An updated twist on last year’s bubbles theme, the show is projected onto the building’s facade. A new soundtrack was composed just for the show, along with a unique six-projector system that appears to change the features of the building itself using vivid 3D programming.
Tiffany & Co, 727 Fifth Avenue at 57th Street,
The famous jewelry store really kicked up its holiday window this year. The window frames look like they're part of a spectacular merry-go-round, and each window has a porthole in which a story about escaped carousel animals helping Santa deliver his gifts unfolds.
The famous jewelry store really kicked up its holiday window this year. The window frames look like they're part of a spectacular merry-go-round, and each window has a porthole in which a story about escaped carousel animals helping Santa deliver his gifts unfolds.
Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue at 58th Street, collection is titled “Carnival of the Animals.” With individual windows called “The Brass Menagerie,” “Testing the Waters” and “Breaking the Ice,” the display includes all sorts of wildlife, from primates to polar bears. In “Teacher’s Pet” a model dressed in a black and white lace Marchesa gown stands inside a 3-dimensional paper classroom filled with similarly colored paper animals, including a life-sized paper zebra and panda bear.
Bloomingdale’s, 1000 Third Avenue at 59th Street, is known for their legendary shopping bags, and this year’s theme will celebrate the iconic designs throughout the years. Oversized vintage bags nestled in velvet will open or spin, showcasing a diorama of intricate sculpted animation.
If you would like to do something extra, go from Tiffany to the Le Parker Meridien Hotel at 119 W 56th Street at Sixth Avenue to see 7 fabulous gingerbread house displays. This is free and open 24 hours a day, but to vote on your favorite display, you have to purchase a ticket for $1.00 at the concierge desk which is open from 7am to 11pm daily.
Next week I'll tell you about the most spectacular Holiday Light Displays in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island.
If you would like to do something extra, go from Tiffany to the Le Parker Meridien Hotel at 119 W 56th Street at Sixth Avenue to see 7 fabulous gingerbread house displays. This is free and open 24 hours a day, but to vote on your favorite display, you have to purchase a ticket for $1.00 at the concierge desk which is open from 7am to 11pm daily.
Next week I'll tell you about the most spectacular Holiday Light Displays in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island.
Dec 4, 2011
TRAVEL WEBSITES, PART 2
Since I published the article "Travel websites", I've received a lot of different questions about trip reservations and travel insurance. So, I decided to give you more information regarding these subjects.
There are two websites for flights reservation I like: http://www.kayak.com/ and http://www.vayama.com/.
Both of them provide many different options (direct flight, multiple-city, one way, etc). Both sites allow users to compare information from hundreds of other travel websites in one display when booking travel reservations for flights, hotels, rental cars, vacations, and cruises and provides the ability to filter search results by price, specific brands, timing, and other decision factors. In August 2011, KAYAK updated its flight search to include Hacker Fares in the search results. Hacker Fares refers to itineraries that require purchasing two or more one-way tickets on separate airlines. VAYAMA is known for its unique focus on discounted international air travel and its booking engine is similar to KAYAK's.
http://www.orbitz.com/ is famous for Orbitz Price Assurance program.
If you book a flight or prepaid hotel room on Orbitz, and another customer books your itinerary for less after you have booked yours, Orbitz will issue a cash refund for the difference. Amounts range from $5 to $250 per airline ticket or $5 to $500 per hotel booking. They mail your refund check about 6-8 weeks after your trip. For full terms and conditions go to http://www.orbitz.com/info/win?id=priceAssuranceTerms&popupsDisabled=false.
When it comes to hotels reservation, I like www.hotels.com, but my favorite website is www.booking.com. I find the hotel location, regular and special rates, what is included in price - breakfast, free WiFi, room amenities, etc, and the cancellation policy. The free cancellation option allows me to cancel an existing reservation if I find a better deal and make a new reservation, assuming I keep checking the rates after making the reservation. Although many websites do not charge for reservation changes or cancellations, the hotel you choose might so be sure to check hotel policy as well as that of the booking website.
Another benefit of the free cancellation option is reduced travel insurance cost. As I mentioned in my previous post, you calculate the price of the insurance on www.insuremytrip.com depending on the cost of the trip you want to insure. If a hotel reservation could be canceled free of charge, you do not include it in the total cost of trip to be insured. If you have any questions or concerns what insurance to buy, call www.insuremytrip.com Customer Service at 1-800-487-4722, they are really very helpful.
There are two websites for flights reservation I like: http://www.kayak.com/ and http://www.vayama.com/.
Both of them provide many different options (direct flight, multiple-city, one way, etc). Both sites allow users to compare information from hundreds of other travel websites in one display when booking travel reservations for flights, hotels, rental cars, vacations, and cruises and provides the ability to filter search results by price, specific brands, timing, and other decision factors. In August 2011, KAYAK updated its flight search to include Hacker Fares in the search results. Hacker Fares refers to itineraries that require purchasing two or more one-way tickets on separate airlines. VAYAMA is known for its unique focus on discounted international air travel and its booking engine is similar to KAYAK's.
http://www.orbitz.com/ is famous for Orbitz Price Assurance program.
If you book a flight or prepaid hotel room on Orbitz, and another customer books your itinerary for less after you have booked yours, Orbitz will issue a cash refund for the difference. Amounts range from $5 to $250 per airline ticket or $5 to $500 per hotel booking. They mail your refund check about 6-8 weeks after your trip. For full terms and conditions go to http://www.orbitz.com/info/win?id=priceAssuranceTerms&popupsDisabled=false.
When it comes to hotels reservation, I like www.hotels.com, but my favorite website is www.booking.com. I find the hotel location, regular and special rates, what is included in price - breakfast, free WiFi, room amenities, etc, and the cancellation policy. The free cancellation option allows me to cancel an existing reservation if I find a better deal and make a new reservation, assuming I keep checking the rates after making the reservation. Although many websites do not charge for reservation changes or cancellations, the hotel you choose might so be sure to check hotel policy as well as that of the booking website.
Another benefit of the free cancellation option is reduced travel insurance cost. As I mentioned in my previous post, you calculate the price of the insurance on www.insuremytrip.com depending on the cost of the trip you want to insure. If a hotel reservation could be canceled free of charge, you do not include it in the total cost of trip to be insured. If you have any questions or concerns what insurance to buy, call www.insuremytrip.com Customer Service at 1-800-487-4722, they are really very helpful.
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