Keeping In Touch While Traveling

My husband and I just returned from a very exciting trip and I’ll tell you about it next week. Today, I’d like to share with you my little discovery, which is connected to travel.

While we were on vacation, two of my girlfriends had their birthdays. Worried about not being able to use either cell phone or internet during those two days (we spent part of the trip in secluded area), I wanted to schedule their “Happy B’day” e-mails in advance.

Since Yahoo or Gmail do not have that option, I searched the internet in hopes of finding a solution, and guess what? I did! Website www.LetterMeLater.com allows you to send emails to anyone you wish, with the ability to schedule them at any future date and time you choose. With this service, you can write emails with your existing email address, and they will get sent at the exact date, or dates that you specify - down to the minute. Other features include but not limited to, file attachments, HTML emails with rich content to add style and structure, and even sending scheduled txt messages to your cell phone!

No advertisements will be sent with your emails. You can find the detail instructions on http://www.lettermelater.com/forum.php?id=1.

New Orleans

It is my opinion, that before going to New Orleans - one of my favorite places in USA, you need to know the answers to 3 major questions: where to stay, where and what to eat, and what to see.
    Stay in French Quarter; I personally like the area between Bourbon and Royal streets.
    Eat...There are so many options, but there are two very New Orleans places that are musts: begnets at cafe Du Monde at 800 Decatur Street  (http://www.cafedumonde.com/locations.html) and muffuletta at Central Grocery at 923 Decatur Street.
    About sightseeing: walk around French Quarter, go to Jackson Square and if you are lucky, you might see a wedding procession with traditional white umbrellas and a dixieland band.
You can also take one of the horse-drawn carriages there for some extra history (http://www.jackson-square.com/).
Go to the Preservation Hall, but be there early to get in first otherwise you have to wait for the next session. There are 2 sessions, one that starts at 8pm, which we took, and the 2nd one at 10pm. You have to get in line around 7pm if you want to be seated, otherwise, you'll be in the standing area (http://www.preservationhall.com/hall/concert_schedule/index.aspx).
One more thing which is a must see is the unique New Orleans Holocaust Memorial located in Woldenberg Park on the bank of the Mississippi River (http://www.holocaustmemorial.us/index.htm)

    The rest is up to you depending on your taste and amount of time you'd like to stay in this fabulous city where every day is a holiday!

NY Museums with free or pay-as-you-wish hours in 2012

I have to apologize in advance that this article is pretty long, but that just means that every day you can visit some museums for free or without paying full price.

Although several of New York’s biggest museums increased the price of admission within the past year, many operate as always free or always suggested-donation museums, (including the Met.)
Others offer free or pay-as-you-like hours on a weekly or monthly basis. Here’s the updated list for 2012 of where and when to get into NYC museums, zoos, and gardens for free.

Museums with free or pay-as-you-wish hours in 2012
 
Mondays
Museum at Eldridge Street - free 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (normally $10)
Yeshiva University Museum - free 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $8)

Tuesdays
McKim rooms of the Morgan Library & Museum - free 3 to 5 p.m. (full museum access is $15)
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - free all day (normally $10)

Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo - pay-what-you-wish all day (normally $16)
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust - free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
NY Botanical Garden - free grounds access all day, excluding the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant gardens and tram tour (grounds-only access normally $10; a one-day all-garden pass is $20)
Yeshiva University Museum - free 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $8)
Queens Botanical Garden - free 3 to 6 p.m. (normally $4)

Thursdays
Museum of Arts & Design - pay-what-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
China Institute Gallery - free 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $7)

Fridays
Museum of Modern Art - free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $25)
Whitney Museum of American Art - pay-what-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $18)
Morgan Library & Museum - free 7 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
Museum of Arts & Design - pay-as-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
New York Aquarium - pay-what-you-wish 3 to 5 p.m. (normally $14.95)
International Center of Photography - voluntary contribution admission 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
Museum of the Moving Image - free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
Rubin Museum of Art - free 6 to 10 p.m. (normally $10)
Yeshiva University Museum - free 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (normally $8)

Saturdays
Guggenheim - pay-what-you-wish 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. (normally $18)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - free 10 a.m. to noon (normally $10)
NY Botanical Garden - free grounds access 10 to
11 a.m., excluding the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant gardens and tram tour (grounds-only access normally $10; a one-day all-garden pass is $20)
First Saturdays only: Brooklyn Museum - Free admission and programs 5 to 11 p.m. (normally a suggested $12)

Sundays
Frick Collection - pay-what-you-wish 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (normally $18)
McKim rooms of the Morgan Library & Museum - free 4 to 6 p.m. (full museum access is $15)
September through June: NY Hall of Science - free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $11)
Studio Museum in Harlem - free noon to 6 p.m. (normally $7 recommended)
Museum of Biblical Art - free 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (normally $7 recommended)
Queens Botanical Garden - free 4 to 6 p.m. (normally $4)

Additional free hours:
Brooklyn Children’s Museum - some Thursdays and weekends
Renoir Night at the Frick Collection - April 27, 2012
International Museum Day - May 18, 2012
Museum Mile Festival - June 12, 2012
Smithsonian Museum Day - Sept. 29, 2012

5th Avenue Easter Parade

This coming weekend will be busy for many of us.

Friday, April 6th is the first Seder of Passover 2012, and it is also Good Friday. April 8th is Easter Sunday. 

So, Happy Holidays to all!

New York City has several traditions for this time. One of them is 5th Avenue Easter Parade.

The Easter parade is an American cultural event consisting of a festive strolling procession on Easter Sunday. Typically, it is a somewhat informal and unorganized event. Persons participating in an Easter parade traditionally dress in new and fashionable clothing, particularly ladies' hats, and strive to impress others with their finery. The Easter parade is most closely associated with Fifth Avenue in New York City, but Easter parades are held in many other cities. Starting as a spontaneous event in the 1870s, the New York parade became increasingly popular into the mid-20th century—in 1947, it was estimated to draw over a million people. Although its popularity has declined significantly, drawing only 30,000 in 2008.

The parade begins at Fifth Avenue and 47th Street near St. Patrick's Cathedral and continues up Fifth Avenue to 57th Street.

The best spots to catch the action are between 49th and 57th Streets on Fifth Avenue with the action starting at 10am and continuing well into the afternoon. So start planning your crazy outfits and bring along those binoculars for optimal viewing pleasure at the Fifth Avenue Easter Parade this year!