Frequently Asked Questions we get about NYC!

Combing through the ole e-mail inbox, we get a ton of questions from travelers, visitor and others just seeking something specific in a NYC experience that is inexpensive, unique, and a little bit off the beaten path. We thought that we would post some of those here!

What Times Do the Lights Go On at The Empire State Building? Since The Big Adventure is often asking "Why is the Empire State Building this particular color tonight?” we’ve always found this handy: The official daily lighting schedule for the Empire State Building. You can preview the ESB color scheme for upcoming weeks and check out the lighting occasions over the course of the last year. Of course, the standard colors of white, white and more white make up the lighting pattern about half of the time. But the ESB can also accommodate blue, red, green, yellow, orange, pink and purple as well. Want to take it a step further and become a "Lighting Partner" with your own private colors? The application is right there on the site. Who knows? Maybe you can have it the building lit in your favorite colors on your birthday.  Where can I find The Best Guinness in NYC? Who has the Best Pint of Guinness in New York City? Well, we've enjoyed enough of Ireland's best stout in enough bars to be smart enough not to get tangled up in this debate: There are too many great bars, great bartenders and just amazing locales in the city to coin on as "The Best."  We created a whole list that you can review here! Is there gold in the New York City federal reserve? Are you planning a heist? In fact, there is! More so than in Ft. Knox and almost anywhere else in the world! You probably didn't know that the NYC's Fed Bank is one of 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve system.  Mostly because that's not very interesting. You also probably didn't know that downtown New York City is home to the largest gold deposit in the world. The vaults at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York holds more than 200 billion dollars of gold most of being held for foreign countries. Well, you might have known that if you saw Die Hard III.  The best part about it all is that you can actually visit the vaults where all of the gold is tightly guarded and kept safe. The Federal Reserve offers free tours daily of the bank. We suggest a visit a while back! Read all about planning your trip here. What was the last movie to run at Radio City Music Hall? Strange that multiple people asked this, but who are we to judge the knowledge that others seeks. The answer is Caravans starring Anthony Quinn in 1978. There have been some special exceptions since then, but it has be 35+ years since the venue was used as a part-time movie house.  We wrote all about the fascinating history of Radio City Music Hall here! Your Adventures look like a lot of fun! Can you help me plan a day in NYC that is exciting, unique, inexpensive and custom for me and my crew? Yes! We'd be happy to take our encyclopedic knowledge of NYC and help give you pointers and tips. We've spent years combing the streets and digging up countless gems.  E-mail us at Info@NYCBigAdventure.com or send us a message on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheBigAdventure and we'll make it happen, Cap'n!

The NYC Subway Museum - A set location for our "Greatest Hits" NYC Big Adventure on June 30th!

While we are not quite ready to share complete final agenda for our “Big Adventure’s Greatest Hits” day on Saturday, June 30^th (Soon! We promise!), we do have a stop or two all lined up. For example, you can bet your last MetroCard Swipe that we’ll be making a return visit in the afternoon to the New York City Transit Museum known better as The Subway Museum!

We first visited the museum in Brooklyn way back on our 24-Hour Big Adventure, it quickly became one of the more-talked about highlights of the day. Housed on two-levels in a decommissioned station, the Subway Museum is one of our favorites. It ranks among the most interactive and captivating museums in the city. With admission setting you back only seven clams and housing a pristine collection of old Subway Cars that you can walk in and out of, this place qualifies as a “can’t miss.” So, we’re not going to miss it.  

It’s also the perfect place for us to pick up those Subway Token Cuff Links that our wardrobe has been missing. Here is some info we posted a while back on why we consider this, hands down, the most underrated museum in New York City. 

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The Met? MoMa? The Guggenheim? They’ve got nothing on The Subway Museum.

Housed in a 1936 decommissioned, but still operational, subway station in downtown Brooklyn, the New York Transit Museum is perfect for visitors of all ages. Upon shelling out the nominal entrance fee of $7, you can enjoy the permanent collection and temporary exhibits all dedicated to the buses, roads, bridges and, of course, the 106-year-old Subway System. We personally love the collection of turnstiles through the years (man, those things used to be easy to jump) and old subway tokens.

By far the best part is the Subway cars from the last century that live on two working subway tracks on the lower level. You can meander through every car; each reflects a different era and each is in immaculate condition. To complete the experience, the cars even have print ads and subway maps relevant to the years the car ran. For as much time as most New Yorkers spend on our respective subway lines, this place is a must visit.

Located at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights (below ground)

http://www.mta.info/mta/museum/