Testing your New York City knowledge!

Sure, you've mastered complicated Subway transfer at 59th street and you know the best Happy Hour specials from Midtown to the Bowery, but how well do you really know NYC? Here are three basic trivia questions about New York City. Any proud true resident should go three for three. After all, these are elements of the city that you likely see every day. Good luck!

1. Can you pick out the official New York City flag?

Only one of the flags below reflects the current design implemented in 1977.

 (There are also flags for each of the five boroughs, but we've left them out of our examples just to make it easier)

2. What is the official New York State motto?

A) Freedom and Unity!	B) Excelsior(Latin for "Ever upward!")
C) Wisdom, justice, and moderation	D) Labor Omnia Vincit (Latin for "Hard work conquers all things!)

3. What is the State Fruit of  New York?

A) Pumpkin	B) Avocado
C) Wild Blueberry	D) The Apple

How did you do? Fret not: Answers will be revealed on Friday!

NYC’s High Line Park Trivia

As the weather gets nice, The Big Adventure wanted to drop some knowledge on you about arguably the most interesting, scenic and remarkably popular park in the New York City: The High Line. Built purely from community interest and some dedicated souls, we’re eager to get back down to the Chelsea/ West Village/ Meat Packing District sections of town to walk the walk this summer. 

We present seven facts about the High Line Park that we think you’ll find quite, er, elevating. Use this as High Line Park Trivia to stump and astonish your friends. Some High Line trivia for you: 

1)   Some area history, in 1847, NYC had street-level railroad tracks down Manhattan’s West Side. "West Side Cowboys" were put in place to ride horses and wave flags in front of the locomotives rolling heavy with Cargo.  Due to endless accidents between freight trains and street traffic, 10th Avenue became known as "Death Avenue”. Yikes. 

  2)  The High Line opened to trains in 1934 and ran from where Madison Square Garden stands today to Spring Street. It was designed to go through the center of blocks, rather than over the avenue and connected directly to factories and warehouses, allowing trains to roll right inside buildings.

   3)  When the park opened in June 2009, the park attracted more than 300,000 people during the first six weeks. Last year the High Line drew 3.7 million visitors with about half of the park's visitors being New Yorkers.

   4)  Leave the football at home: Rules prohibit “throwing or moving objects of any kind—Frisbees, balls, etc”. Most because one errant softball of the side may lead to a 12 car pile-up as your wayward ball shatters a taxi windshield. Dogs also are not allowed on the High Line, in part, because the path is quite very narrow and the concern is that pets on leashes would overcrowd.

  5)  One section has been opened, but two more stretches all the way up 34^th street to complete a 1.4 mile loop are expected to be completed. We’re just about the celebrate the one year anniversary of the second phase that opened on June 8^th, 2011.

6)   We might have stolen the idea from French: The city of Paris successfully converted a similar rail viaduct into an elevated park called the Promenade Plantée. However, the American version has been such a roaring success that projects similar to the High Line are in early development in St. Louis, Philadelphia, Jersey City and Chicago.

7)   (and most important) When one hears nature call when one happens to be on a 30 foot train trestle far from modern conveniences, it is good to know that restrooms are located at the 16th Street access point.

More info and details can be found here: High Line park official site 
  

And for all NYC Park Info, look here:New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

Complete itinerary for NYC March Madness Big Adventure on Saturday, March 10th

Since we’re just a few days out from our NYC March Madness Big Adventure next Saturday, we wanted to send out the complete itinerary for our day. We will be spending Saturday, March 10^th exploring the best of the crazy underbelly and things March Basketball throughout New York City. The Big Apple has never been short on madness, so planning this particular Big Adventure was easy. Our stops will all include a touch of Madness or March Basketball, or both. Whatever your pleasure, we have something tailored to you. 

We’ll be visiting well-known watering holes, tucked-away Irish Pubs, one of our favorite lesser known museums and, hands down, the best sports bar in Manhattan. We’ll be hosting the inaugural Big Adventure Hoops Fever basketball tourney, testing your knowledge in a ravenous game of Crazy 80’s trivia and will have the usual insane barrage of surprises and more.

We encourage you to pass this information along to anyone who might enjoy New York City’s lunacy. As per usual, feel free to join for only part of our Big Adventure or from beginning to end for a day we promise will be unique, affordable, social, and distinctly NYC. Whether you might be attending your first or your umpteenth Big Adventure, we think you’re in for a good time! Developing info (and a chance to RSVP) at facebook.com/TheBigAdventure

The Meatball Shop – 12:30 PM- 84 Stanton Street near Orchard Street on the Lower East Side. http://www.themeatballshop.com/ - (212) 982-8895

We’ll be starting the day by, well, going meatballs for meatballs. We’ll enjoy a hearty meal at one of the more recent popular food “Crazes” in NYC: The LES Meatball Shop. We’ll be loading up on a variety of meatball gourmet delights at some really impressively cheap prices. We’ll be arriving early to beat the crowds, kick off our Big Adventure and dine on some insanely good grub.

The Morgan Museum and Library– 2:00 PM- 225 Madison Avenue at 37^th Street. http://www.themorgan.org/home.asp - (212) 685-0008

Heading uptown, we’ll make a stop on MADison Avenue at the Museum founded by the Original Mad Money kind of New York maven: JP Morgan. The Morgan Museum and Library is a wonderful gem devoted to the written word.  Built over a hundred years ago as a private library for John Pierpoint Morgan (with a name like that, you know HE was in the 1%), the museum was recently renovated and is completely devoted to the written word and printed works. Their collection houses everything from a Gutenberg Bible to original Da Vinci drawings to authentic hand-written lyrics from Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind”, to first printings and manuscripts from just about every American author you can imagine. The most amazing gem is Pierpoint’s ridiculous and insane three story private 1906 library. We’ve seen Barnes & Noble stores that are smaller. The Big Adventure has secured a special Admission of $12 per person for our visit.  

Mad River Bar and Grille– 4:00 PM- 1442 3^rd Avenue at 82^nd Street – Upper East Side. http://www.madrivergrille.com/ - (212) 988-1832

We’ll head to the Upper East Side to take a load off at this always-friendly and spacious bar on 3^rd Avenue. We’ll take some time to enjoy drinks and some NCAA conference basketball on some quality TVs (seriously, these boob tubes are impressively sharp and clear). We’ll also put your knowledge to the test with some informal “Crazy 80’s Trivia.” We’ve had our staff of crack researchers working on these stumpers for eleven weeks. Challenge your noggin and enjoy good company in the early afternoon. Plus, Mad River has a solid kitchen to serve your belly.

Ryan’s Daughter- 6:00 PM -350 E 85th St near 1^st Avenue – Upper East Side - (212) 628-2613

From Mad River, it is just a short walk over to Ryan’s Daughter. The Best Irish Pub you’ve never visited, the place is warm, cozy and comes complete with new friends just waiting to be made. Ryan’s Daughter takes its name from the old Irish Legend of the Celtic Lord whose only daughter went mad with grief after watching her father fall from sheer seaside cliffs—she spent the rest of her days as a deranged wealthy land owner. Ryan’s Daughter will also be the site of the inaugural Big Adventure Hoops Fever tournament. Along with dueling dart boards and pool table, the bar comes complete with arcade-style Basketball Shooting Game. Will you be the one to take home the giant 4’ trophy we’ve crafted for the occasion?

The Sweets Food Truck

From Ryan’s Daughter, we’re going to use our skills and internet Savvy to track down another NYC Food Craze: the best Sweets Food Truck in NYC. We have some hunches on where to find ‘em, but will track down the tastiness on Saturday as we make our way to the next destination.

Lansdown Road - 8:30 PM -599 10^th Avenue at 43^rd Street – Hell’s Kitchen www.lansdowneroadnyc.com  - (212) 239-8020

In the evening, we’ll be visiting what we consider to be the best sports bar in New York City. It partially earns that title because if you could care less about basketball, it’s a wonderful bar. And if you like the hoops, we think we’ve picked the perfect place to watch the Big East Conference Tournament Championship Game (next to actually watching it 10 blocks away at MSG of course) at 9:00 PM. Quietly located over on 10^th Avenue, it boasts a variety of cheap drinks and a diverse crowd (we’ve met everyone from priests to Spider-Man on Broadway understudies there). We have an area reserved and look forward to dining on the legendary Scruffy Duffy wings, checking out the one-of-a-kind-ice bar and watching some intensely competitive hoops.

New York Beer Company -11:30 PM – 321 W 44th St - http://www.nybeercompany.com/ -212-245-BEER (2337) - It's thrilling that we're visiting this off-the-rocker locale for several reasons. First, since it is a brand spanking new (opened 10 days ago) still has that new bar smell and is eager to please. Second, their astounding variety of beers with delight and surprise. And the best part? Taps at the table. Pour your own beer with a built in tap right at your finger tips. Plus, "The Beer Market" where prices fluctuate up and down throughout the night. We have a reserved space in an already surprisingly large space.

We hope that you’ll join us this Saturday! We’ll be Tweeting throughout the day as well. If you do plan on coming, let us know via e-mail or the Facebook Event Page  so we can plan accordingly. See you on Saturday, March 10th

Become our Fan:http://www.facebook.com/TheBigAdventure

Send us an E-mail: Info@NYCBigAdventure.com

Follow us on Twitter 140 Characters at a time @NYCBigAdventure

Announcing: The March Madness NYC Big Adventure coming on March 10th.

It's coming! The March Madness NYC Big Adventure on Saturday, March 10th! We're thrilled to announce that The Big Adventure is planning yet another exciting, one-of-a-kind, unique day in New York that's going to celebrate all of the lunacy that can be found in the month of March. We’ll get started in the early afternoon and continue late in the evening. Join us for just one unhinged stop or the entire insane day.

Much more than just college hoops, we're working overtime to incorporate events, stops and doings in NYC that center around the insanity that can be the Big Apple. A glorious old bar in New York that's been the scene of many a Mad Men episode? Check. A restaurant serving up the latest food craze? Check. Visits to various "Mad" locations? You got it.  There even might be a mini-hoops tourney to see how well you can heave the rock over beers in a local pub.

And we're even making inroads make sure we have a spot reserved to watch the Big East Championship Game at the most friendly, easy-going place in the city outside of Madison Square Garden. No matter what your interest, we promise something for all on this voyage. 

As per usual, we'll announce a full itinerary and a few surprises a couple of weeks in advance of the event. All are welcome and we've have space on the court for all. Pass along the invite and send to whoever you think might be interested on another NYC Big Adventure that's designed to be unique, inexpensive, friendly and very NYC. Hope you can join us! (Note that some of our stops will be 21+).  

Feel free to RSVP if you think you might join us on Facebook The Big Adventure Event Page and E-mail us if you have any questions! 

NYC's Penn Station - Return to Dignity badly needed

The New York Times ran a splendid opinion piece last Wednesday that stoked the fire in our bell. Entitled “Restore a Gateway to Dignity", the article focused largely on the condition and future of our considerably-less glorious long-distancetrain station. 

"It’s time to address the calamity that is Penn Station." A-men. The Big Adventure could not agree more.

It breaks our heart every time we think about the egregiousness of the situation. New York City lays claim to one of the busiest train stations in the world in terms of foot traffic (over half a million daily passengers when you combine Amtrak, LIRR, NJ Transit and NY Subway ridership.) Yet Penn Station looks like a mutated cross between a shabby second-rate, tired, regional airport and an underground shopping mall that no one would ever want to visit. Only more depressing is that years ago, before Madison Square Garden IV moved in, a beautiful station once stood in that exact location. 

Best line of the article “To pass through Grand Central Terminal..is an ennobling experience, a gift. To commute via the bowels of Penn Station, just a few blocks away, is a humiliation.”

This is really an amazing read. The author proposes moving MSG to make space for a true train station, but beyond that the context, history and future of train travel in NYC is eye-opening and humbling: 

Read the Article Here 

El Sammy Sosa Deli - Things you find in the Bronx

Recently The Big Adventure found ourselves at the intersection of 187th and 3rd avenue in the Bronx. It was here we stumbled across a local bodega with a truly head scratching name: El Sammy Sosa Deli Grocery. 

This storefront was perplexing for a number of reasons. For starters, you don’t see many NYC delis named after baseball players. Much less one who played for Chicago for most of his career. Much much less a player who is the poster child for the steroid controversy.

Second, the awning and marquee on the deli (which feature Sammy in signature swing and pointer-finger-to-God-thanking-pose) appear to be brand new. Puzzling since Sammy Sosa hasn’t hit a single home run since 2005 and hasn’t been a star player in over a decade.

Our best guess is that since the bodega is smack dab in a Dominican neighborhood, the store might be paying homage to one of MLB’s "Greatest Dominican players". However, pretty sure that Albert Pujols Deli or Jose Reyes Grocery has a better ring to it.

We didn’t actually go in and ask about the name which, a week later, is kind of driving us nuts. Right now, our biggest mystery in the Big Apple is why the owners chose the name El Sammy Sosa Deli. 

Steak 'n Shake coming to New York City....sorta

It is happening. You can almost hear the transplants from Texas to Illinois to South Carolina squealing with glee: In 24 Hours, after 78 years, the first Steak 'n Shake will open in NYC. 10:00 AM tomorrow (Thursday, 1/12) morning.

The amazing news is that when the location opens on Thursday morning, they will give away free Steak 'n' Shake meals for a year to the first 150 people in line.

The bad news is that it is opening near the heart of Times Square at 53rd and Broadway. Rrrrriiight next to David Letterman's Ed Sulivan Theater. (Sorry, Rupert Jee). Meaning it will undoubtedly attract mostly tourists - many of whom will live ten minutes from The Shake in their own town. And it will only resemble a true Steak 'n Shake if you squint very hard. This “Steak ‘n Shake Signature” plans on only offering Shakes, Burgers and Fries. Meaning that when it comes to the similarities to Shake Shack, now that pupil has become the master. And have already confirmed that they will be selling wine by the glass (not joking.) and they will not be 24 hours.

So, for a true fan of this burger joint, it appears that with this kind of mutated borderline monstrosity, Steak ‘n Shake is only kind of opening in New York City.  And, yeah, even after saying that we’ll likely still stop in and get a Steakburger, Cheese Fries and Vanilla Shake.

Steak ‘n Shake Signature |1695 Broadway in Midtown |10 AM- Midnight

Read the NY Times Article Here

And The Gothamist Piece Here

Listing of 2011 Display Windows

A Guide to the 2011 Holiday Display Windows at shops throughout New York City 

Flipping through the pages of our trusty Time Out New York Magazine (Holiday Issue on Newsstands now) we found the pub has once again posted this comprehensive list of NYC retailers with Holiday Windows. Following up on yesterday’s post about Bergdorf’s spectacular windows, this should give you a solid overview of retail stores throughout Manhattan who are putting their backside into decking the halls to create amazing displays. 

If you're visiting from out of town or trying to capture the spirit of the season in The Big Apple, taking to time gaze at the windows is a free, fun activity that is worth your time. Choose your route carefully - many stores are close in proximity to one another on and near 5^th Avenue in Midtown. With a little skill, you can knock out half a dozen locations in under 45 minutes and dodge some crowds. Check out the handy map below.

 Tons of images from windows (and this info) can be found at Time Out New York's Holiday Guide

 
Bergdorf Goodman - 754 Fifth Ave at 58th Sts (212-753-7300, bergdorfgoodman.com). –Winner of The Big Adventure’s Vote for Best Windows!

Dylan’s Candy Bar - 1011 Third Ave at 60th St (646-735-0078, dylanscandybar.com). 

Henri Bendel - 712 Fifth Ave at 56th St (800-423-6335, henribendel.com).

Lord & Taylor - 424 Fifth Ave at 39th St (212-391-3344, lordandtaylor.com).

Barneys - 660 Madison Ave between 60th & 61st Sts (212-826-8900, barneys.com).

Bloomingdale's - 59th St and Lexington Ave (212-705-2000, bloomingdales.com).

Macy's - 34th St and Sixth Ave (212-695-4400, macys.com). .

Anthropologie - 50 Rockefeller Plaza between 50th and 51st Sts (212-246-0386, anthropologie.com).

Tiffany & Co. - 727 Fifth Ave between 56th and 57th Sts (212-755-8000, tiffany.com) 

Saks Fifth Avenue - 611 Fifth Ave between 49th and 50th Sts (212-753-4000, saks.com).

Cartier - 653 Fifth Ave at 52nd St (212-446-3400). 

Fendi - 677 Fifth Ave between 53rd and 54th Sts (212-759-4646, fendi.com).

Louis Vuitton -1 9 E 57th St at Fifth Ave (212-752-4835, louisvuitton.com).

Enjoy the NYC Holiday Windows 2011!

The Big Adventure's NYC Winter Guide 2011

It's starting to look a lot like…The NYC Big Adventure Winter Guide

With the arrival of the giant 74 foot-tall Tree into Rockefeller Center last Friday,It is starting to look a lot like Christmas in New York City! Decorations are going up all over town and The 78^th Annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular is seducing spectators thrice daily and some stores even answering the consumer call to open stores at 9:00 PM on Thanksgiving Night (blegh).

Aside from the cold and forthcoming snow slush, it certainly is one of the most wonderful times of year in the Big Apples (and, of course, one of the most tourist heavy). Over the next few weeks, The Big Adventure will be occasionally sharing some of the best Holiday Season To-Dos in New York City.

Thought we would start with a blast from the past by recounting our past Winter Big Adventure from a couple of years back. The stops still hold and this would make a tis-The-Season great self-guided Adventure:

 The NYC Big Winter Adventure

Lunch at Havana Central at the West End  Up at 116^th and Broadway -one of the most amazing restaurants in the city. Don’t settle for the other two locations. 

See A College Basketball Game at Columbia University-  Right across the street. You don't get a chance to witness true Division 1A College B-ball often without paying through the nose. Tickets are as little as $10. Cheer on the exciting Columbia Lions and their mascot Roar-ee (sad) 

Grand Central Model Train Display - At the Transit Museum Annex in Grand Central. For the kid in all of us. In this year’s festive display, model trains start off in a living room on Christmas morning, shuttle through a miniature NYC and assorted pastoral tableaux before arriving at Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. Fun! Maybe there will be a NJ Transit train that stops and shuts down periodically with little angry passengers inside.  

 

Grand Central Kaleidoscope Light Show- How do you make practical use of the busiest and largest train station in America? By illuminating the walls with a spectacular Holiday light show throughout the concourse. This is quickly becoming one of the New York’s premiere holiday “Must Sees”

Delicious Holiday Drinks and Food at Maggie’s Place -Across from Grand Central at Madison Avenue at 47^th Street–Maggie’s is often voted as a top stop for holiday drinks which range from their Famous Irish Coffees that use rare whiskey to Hot Ciders and a legendary Peppermint Paddy -a flirty hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps that’s served with a candy cane. More Holiday treats abound.

New York Midtown Holiday Window Gazing  -Finally, Walk up 5^th Avenue to see the best holiday storefronts in the world from Saks Fifth Avenue to Henri Bendel to Bergdorf Goodman to Barney’s and more. You can try and guess just how much that 34 carat diamond in the window of Tiffany’s costs. End at FAO Schwarz or take a load of at the shady but fun Subway Inn Bar. 

Nothing on that list tickle your fancy? More Holiday Big Adventuring to follow...

The Big Adventure Guide of Things to See & Do in NYC - A few more of our favorite bars

The Big Adventure recently hosted an event in NYC that brought scores of people to town. We had gathered some recommendations of various places to see and go for first time visitors and seasoned travelers alike. In the end, we had a list of restaurants, bars, activities, and museums  that are unique to New York City,relatively inexpensive and eye-opening. In short, A Big Adventure "Best Of" list. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing some of our suggestions here…

A few more of The Big Adventure's most beloved bars throughout Manhattan... 

  

Parkside Lounge

317 E. Houston Street (between Attorney Street and Avenue B)

www.parksidelounge.net

Ah, we love this place. It is a quality dive bar and we’ve never had a bad time. If you’re feeling adventurous, we guarantee you’ll meet some characters. Easy going staff, incredibly reasonable prices (Parkside Ale will run you $3 and tastes like it) and old school pac-man table game and pool table make this place straight up fun. But, beware, the quality of the bathrooms is indicative of the bar.

Blind Tiger Ale House

281 Bleecker Street (between Jones and Commerce Streets)

www.blindtigeralehouse.com    

 

This world famous West Village pub is interesting and unique.  It’s all beer here – not a drop of liquor to be found. They specialize in craft beer while regulars join a club that challenges them to drink every beer offered over the course of the year.  Great open air bar, nice summer spot on Bleecker, but often not much seating in the evening –prepare to stand.  Great afternoon spot, though!

Crocodile Lounge

325 E 14^th Street (between 1^st and 2^nd Avenues)

www.yelp.com/biz/crocodile-lounge-new-york

Who would have thought of the concept? We didn’t believe when we first went: For every beer that you buy, you get a free pizza. Seriously. Carnival like atmosphere means everyone is always smiling. And, really, who doesn’t love a free pizza with their beer?

Pine Tree Lodge

326 E. 35^th Street (between the tunnel entrance and 1^st Avenue)

www.pinetreelodgeny.com

Missing your trip to Canada this summer because you came to NYC? The Pine Tree Lodge is full of Great White North ambience without being to kitschy. Upon entering, you feel like you should be shaking off the cold and hanging up your skis and parka. Grab a drink, smile at the mounted elk head wearing a life jacket and relax in the parlor complete with Bear Skin Rug and, of course, Big Buck Hunter. 

Coming this weekend - Just a few more bars to share (because there is much drinking to be done in NYC)