Tagged With "New York limits Central Park Horses"
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Re: Best and Worst U.S. airports: No surprises
I believe Airports should be judged solely on whether you had a pleasant experience. There is no way Orlando isn't in the Top10. New York is a disgrace. But I pass through as an alien - US residents see no problem. Philadelphia is a dream. Excellent Airport.
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Re: England’s Thames Path: Kew Gardens
My wife Diane and I spent almost an entire day at Kew Gardens. So much natural beauty to see. We arrived from central London at the Kew Station in mid-morning and didn't leave until almost dusk. At one time our son had a possibility of being transferred to London and I recommended getting a place in the Kew Garden area for the beauty and quiet. One of my photos from Kew.
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Re: Celebrating New Year's in Sri Lanka
This year the Sri Lankan New Year's Day is on Easter Monday, 13th April - at least that is what one of my friends there tells me.
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Re: 'Flying Dutchman' ends 15-week cruise
UPDATE: Home at last... Costa Deliziosa finally docked in Genoa, Italy around noon today, New York time after being at sea since January 5th. It was the last major cruise line ship still at sea, and has no known Covid-19 cases on board. Debarcation of the remaining 1519 passengers and 898 crew will take several days as Costa and Italian authorities work on how to get them home without exposure to infection.
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Re: France: Cameras are watching more than speed
Well said. I've always thought that aggressive driving is more dangerous than speeding...especially in areas where the limit is set too low.
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Re: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Thanks. this article brings back memories of my visit in 2005. The tour led by the Park Ranger was fascinating and very even handed. I had a great time.
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Re: Fotografiska, New York's new photography museum
Looks interesting, but the entrance fee is rather steep!
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Re: Fotografiska, New York's new photography museum
Yup, it is pricey. On the other hand, Museum prices have been going up in NYC.
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Re: March 3, 2020: St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Booked a wedding anniversary trip to St. Thomas and we had a fabulous romantic time. If you get the chance, take the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay at St. John's and explore the Virgin Island National Park. Lots of plantation ruins from back in the day when Denmark ruled the Virgin Islands. We had a wonderful lunch and view from the Caneel Bay Resort, which I understand has not reopened after being pummeled by two hurricanes.
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Re: Sea World gives up its killer whale shows
I grow weary of political correctness. Orcas are highly intelligent animals, no doubt -- and have the "cruelty" we expect of intelligent animals (anyone who's seen them hunt a baby gray whale for hours, only to kill it, eat its tongue and let the rest go to waste knows what I mean). I never saw Blackfish, but I do recall at the old Marineland park in Southern California. The park was closed for a number of months, and the orcas got depressed. Listless, didn't eat, didn't look good. Someone...
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Re: Wonders of the Modern World
The Soviets have never been completely transparent about Chernobyl, but this is the story as best as I was able to synthesize it: It seems that the alarm system was malfunctioning (going off all the time) so it was turned off by the tech monitoring the system. He had the fuel rods pulled out of their cooling chambers for maintenance work, was distracted (remember, the alarms are off), then by the time he focused back on the task at hand the rods had begun to melt and couldn't be reinserted...
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Re: St Stephen's Green, Dublin. (Where Gumbo was #137)
I have to admit that the first clue reminded me, in succession, of a spot in Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in Paris, of Prospect Park in Brooklyn and of Frogness Park in Oslo...it was only when the clues got more specific that I could rule them out, and only when the Fusiliers Arch appeared and I could search its text that I could find the answer. That arch, by the way, provoked a lot of controversy when erected in 1907; it memorializes a regiment in England's colonial war against the Dutch Boers...
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Re: EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
Yes, it will apply to prepaid plans, which many Europeans as well as visitors use, but it's not as happily absolute as some of the celebrators make it sound. The final June 2017 step depends on a reform of the European wholesale roaming market in which carriers pay each other for roaming use, and is also subject to limits for those who roam "too much." Here's a quote from one of the Parliament members who was a leading proponent of the law (which also originally included provisions for net...
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Re: Miscou Island Lighthouse, New Brunswick, Canada (Where Gumbo Was, #134)
Very interesting!! Such a beautiful location too!
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Re: Miscou Island Lighthouse, New Brunswick, Canada (Where Gumbo Was, #134)
Interesting story. A little known bit of Canadian history. Thanks. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
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Re: Limone, Lake Garda, Italy
We used to see them only when visiting California, but the California-grown ones (and some from Mexico) are now available regularly in New York, too.
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Re: Edinburgh, Scotland for 2.5 days....help!
Hi Chickpea, Your hotel is very central as you say. There is a regular bus service to certain attractions. We visited in January and had no problem with entry to attractions, the Castle, National Gallery etc. I would only suggest that you check out the individual attractions websites to obtain tickets in advance if you wish. Hope this helps, Paul.
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Re: Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, Manitoba (Where Gumbo Was #184)
Boat builders recruited from the Scottish Orkney Isles built the first boat about 1749, for use on the Albany R. In competition inland with the NWC on the Saskatchewan R in the 1790s the York boat offered the HBC a distinct advantage, since it carried twice the cargo of a "Canot du nord"
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Re: Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, Manitoba (Where Gumbo Was #184)
Thanks for your comment, Garry. The York boats were important to the development of the prairies, as was the Red River cart. You find examples of both at this historic site.
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Re: New book celebrates Yellowstone, National Parks Centennial
That looks like a must read book about my favorite US National Park! Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
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Re: Visiting My Backyard—Riverside Park
Glad kids are still using the park. I also think I going to parks is an important part of growing up and in most cases very safe. A few years ago FBI statistics showed crime was at a 40 year low in a lot places in the US, but perception was crime was the highest its ever been. The rates might of gone higher a bit in the last few years but crime is still at historic lows.
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Re: Visiting My Backyard—Riverside Park
It was my backyard, too, for quite a while. We lived at 99th St and West End, a short walk away in the late 40s and early 50s, and my uncles used to take me for walks there. My father tried to teach me to ride a bike there (our family story is that I learned, but he didn't teach...go figure). Later, I went to Columbia for several years; aside from anything else, it's where I escaped from tiny apartments and roommates to spread the Sunday NY Times out on a bench. Glad to see it's alive and...
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Re: Visiting My Backyard—Riverside Park
It's always gives a "feel-good factor" to revisit the playgrounds of our childhood. I remember the field where I hit my first six runs in cricket. To do it today I would have to hit the ball through 16 windows. Time and bad City Planners can be so cruel.
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Re: Made in Romania-Beauties from Romania
Yes here is the description: 0:00- 0:04- Apuseni Mountains 0:04-0:14- Dragan Valey 0:14-0:24- Danube Delta 0:24- 0:31- Sighisoara City 0:31- Danube River 0:48- Constantin Brancusi's art- "Coloana Infintitului" 1:05- Sibiu county 1:44- Bran Castle- Brasov County 2:06- Huniazilor Castle- Hunedoara 2:22- Peles Castle 2:30- Brasov County- Central Square, and The Black Church 3:14- Sarmizegetusa- The Capital of antique Dacia 3:24- Bucharest- the capital of Romania I think that's it
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo #14
That sure looks like a sewer to me to. I know they have sewer tours in London and Paris because my bro's been on them, but not sure how you'd tell one from the other. Not sure about other cities in Europe. New York is supposed to have interesting sewers, what with all those crocodiles and snakes and gators people have flushed down their drains .
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Re: See Them While You Can: 10 Wins for Historic Preservation
Note that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private organization. I think that's key in this era of government cutbacks and a congress unable to accomplish anything to speak of. If the National Park Service is unable to maintain it's infrastructure then one can only imagine how little care might go into preserving bits of our cultural heritage lacking big names, such as those on the list above. Commercial interests also have a place in accomplishing what government and...
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Re: World's scariest hiking trail?
To be precise, the Hua Shan trial has two sections. The longer scarier section with local advise to be done during night is now equipped with Gondola. Only the hard core climber will try that section now. There are park ranger standing by the entrance to screen if some one is really fit for the climb (after seeing the trial in person, i realized that the screen is not just for increasing the Gondola revenue! ). Not be too relaxed yet, even after the Gondola ride, to reach the tea house, one...
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Re: Everglades raccoon
The snake is doing the job that he was designed to do. Unfortunately, he is doing so far from his native habitat and finds the native south Florida species easy prey. This python is in the park as the result of accidental or intentional release. Yes, people take their hungry, unwanted pets to the park. The National Park Service is working hard to try to manage the situation. h ttp://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/burmesepythonsintro.htm
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Re: Everglades raccoon
The park rangers have told me that (unofficially) they have given up all hope of eradicating the Burmese python from the ecosystem. They're here to stay.
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Re: Everglades raccoon
Invasive species cause havoc not just with cute native species, but also agriculture, people's health and livelihoods. The Park Service has a number of interesting management programs, including a parntership with Florida Fish and Wildlife. Fish and Wildlife has a Pet Amnesty Program so that people can rehome unwanted exotic pets, rather than thoughtlessly placing them in the wild. The exotic animals are offered to adopters, who are given instructions on proper care. Fish and Wildlife offers...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 7.5
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: It seems to be "Leopold", a symbolic 1890's photographer, by David Clemons, Higgins Point, Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho. Well done Port Moresby. However there is a minor point about the location. Higgens Point (yes, this is the correct spelling) is about 0.2 mile southeast of the location of the statue. The statue is actually located on the 34 acre Coeur d'Alene Parkway, a thin strip of park land running along the Centennial Trail for about 1/2 mile...
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Re: Biggest Apple Ever: NY Gets 54M Tourists, Expects More!
Are you sure that number is correct? Paris does just over 20 million visitors a year.
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Re: Biggest Apple Ever: NY Gets 54M Tourists, Expects More!
We'd have to compare the methods used by the two cities in counting. Tourism figures are notoriously difficult (are business travelers disaggregated? Regional visitors? etc.) It's possible that if Paris used the NY methodology, it would have a much larger figure.
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Re: Biggest Apple Ever: NY Gets 54M Tourists, Expects More!
Originally Posted by PHeymont: We'd have to compare the methods used by the two cities in counting. Tourism figures are notoriously difficult (are business travelers disaggregated? Regional visitors? etc.) It's possible that if Paris used the NY methodology, it would have a much larger figure. Gotcha. A bit of an apples and oranges comparison. Sort of whether to count all migratory birds or only the snowbirds.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct 8, 2013: Cologne, Germany
The picture reminds me of similarly-colorful rows of small buildings in Nyhavn (Copenhagen) and on Bryggen (in Oslo). There must be something to the width-and-taxes idea, because it's certainly been true elsewhere. In New York, from colonial times until the early 20th-century, the number of windows affected the property tax rate, and it was only 2009 when the city ended the practice of basing the water rates on "frontage."
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Re: La Dolce Vita (Part 5) Venezia (Venice)
Thanks for your comments, PHeymont. The cruise ships are BIG business in Venice, and certainly allow a lot of people to enjoy the destination if only for a day. But there are easily places the ships could park that wouldn't hurt the delicate lagoon, then shuttle people into the city.
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Re: Ellis Island Finally Open a Year After Superstorm Sandy
This is good news. Makes me want to go to NYC just to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Staying in the UK is no more expensive than being a tourist in the USA. You wont get a month in London. Same as me travelling from the UK to New York. Silly Prices ! So decide on what you want to do over here and start planning, Have a look at the YHA web site. Youth Hostels Association. Forget the Youth reference. My Kids aren't Youths anymore. And I use them too! They are used by Travellers like yourself - and me - across Europe. They are Family groups and Ramblers ( Countryside Walkers)...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hank, While you're in London you can get a Coach (Bus) Tour that will show you Stonehenge and Bath and The Cotswold Villages - very pretty and very old. Leeds Castle (not in Leeds, close to London). Stonehenge is not an overnight stop - remember what I said about distances in the UK being smaller? If you need to fill a gap take the Train (or Bus) to York. Very old - lots of History and a Museum that will take you back 150 years walking the streets of Victorian England. Go into Old Shops and...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Everyone's been very helpful! I can't tell you what a great welcoming and helpful group of people you are. My uncle is an employee of Delta, so he has some kind of free ticket that requires me to fly on Delta only (no partners). I will have him check into the dates. I like the idea of flying up to Manchester, slowly working my way to London then returning from Paris. I think going to Amsterdam is more than I can bite off now, plus I want to spend the time seeing stuff, not traveling all the...
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Re: Frommer's New EasyGuides: A Future for Print
I know Paul - I'm just being a bad traveller ! It's like folks go to France and complain that Parisians don't smile! But they do when they know you! I just find big cities much the same. Like Havana is the same as any other overgrown City in the Caribbean! Crumbling Spanish Architecture. Dominican Republic is another good example. I must be getting Claustrophobic Paul ! Give me the wide open spaces of Delaware State Park and I'm in heaven. Some days I have the whole Park to myself. Solitude...
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Re: The Valley Island of Maui: 2) Haleakala National Park
US Immigration is a bit of a hassle, although most Canadians receive about a smooth a ride as possible. In most Canadian airports, you can actually clear immigration within Canada, rather than the USA (infinitely preferable because the lines are so much shorter). Not sure if that's true of Montreal, though. Thank you for your kind words about the Hawaii blogs. Hawaii is a special place. I've always gone and explored it by myself, so in this setting I tend to drift to isolated places that are...
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
Thanks, PortMoresby! And we've not even been to the sacred tooth relic in Kandy, the medieval ruins of Polonnaruwa, the beautiful hill country filled with tea plantations and "The World's End", a wildlife safari at Yala National Park, nor any of the nice beaches (but keep reading -- reports on these are coming). Sri Lanka is a great destination, especially now that the civil war is over. I was doubly lucky to not only be able to visit a dear friend there but to have time to leisurely explore...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
England is only as big as Florida ! I haven't seen a Guide book that sub-divides us! Wales is full of Castles, Mountains and Lakes. Tourists often divide England between the North and South. The North is often cooler and wetter than further South. But your Dollar will go twice as far up here in the North! And we're much friendlier. Have a look at places you'd like to visit. York (the old one) will keep you busy for 2 days. Train or Bus from Liverpool. Or a day or two in Europe from Liverpool...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hi guys, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It was good to be with my family again. Visiting and catching up with everyone took longer than I'd thought, but did do a little research into the trip and came out with this plan. Basically, with GarryRF's advice, I think I'll focus my time in the north to save money cause my budget is limited. After that I'll finish my vacation in London and Paris. I need to find places to stay but more important now just to frame the trip. The details I...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
In Europe, I have had good luck finding value accommodations at Booking.com and Europe-Stays. com. Those sites list hostels with their ratings and prices. A quick peek for June shows several promising choices for around $ 21 USD per bed per night. Unless you just want company, you might budget hotels pricing similar to the hostels. They often charge per person, not per room, which is a big help for the solo traveler. Tune Hotels will work for the London part of your trip, but they are not in...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 22, 2013: Fantastic Skylight in Barcelona
Thanks for the photo Pheymont. I adore ornate ceilings. Something from the past you don't get repeated today. This is in the Cunard Building in Liverpool. Built in 1914. Before it moved its HQ to New York in the 60's.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 22, 2013: Fantastic Skylight in Barcelona
That's gorgeous! By coincidence, I was in Cunard's New York booking hall from about the same period last week...it is now a bank. I will try to find a picture.
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Re: Idaho's Craters of the Moon National Monument
Thanks for reading the piece and for your comment, GarryRF! The "Yellowstone" hot spot has migrated over the past thousands of years from eastern Oregon, across southern Idaho and now sits right under Yellowstone National Park. Actually the hot spot hasn't move at all, the earth's places move away from the hot spot, but it's just another way of thinking about it. I'd be careful about being around an active volcano but don't mind hanging around places like this or much of the Hawaiian...