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!

Best Guinness in New York City (just in time for St. Patrick’s Day)

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."

That being said, we thought we'd pass on this article from the NY Daily News that lists some top bars that serve the legendary stout from St. James Gate:

Best Bars in New York City for a Guinness

Some of their NY Daily's selections include:

• Dalton's Seaside Grill - Way out on Rockaway Beach, but the trip is apparently worth it

• The Beekman - Billed as "An Irish Pub in Downtown Manhattan"

• Tracks RAW Bar and Grill -Sure, great, if you like your bars underground and in a filthy train station with no windows, but hey, maybe that's just us

• Irish Heaven -  In the heart of Sunset Park Brooklyn, they boast pints for $4

• The Dead Poet - Which is coincidentally one of the Big Adventure’s beloved Upper West Side bars. We just recently enjoyed a few pints in a futile attempt to get our name on the wall.

Also, Time Out New York just published this list of The best Irish pubs which includes  Molly’s Pub and Shebeen, Ceol in Cobble Hill and An Beal Bocht in the Bronx.

Additionally, The Big Adventure would be incredibly remiss if we didn't mention a few of our own:

• Paddy Reilly's Bar - The All-Guinness bar at 2nd Ave and 29th in Kip's Bay serves nothing but Guinness on tap and constantly entertains with live music.

• Stout- Near Madison Square Garden, probably one of the largest bar/restaurant spaces in Manhattan with a delicious menu to boot. Our guess is they pour more Guinness than 50 small neighborhood bars combined. 

• Doyle's Corner - In the middle of Astoria, our heart will always sing for thee. More than any other pub in the city, Doyle's feels like home to the Big Adventure.

 Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the Big Adventure!

Best Place For A Guinness on St. Patrick's Day 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."

That being said, we thought we'd pass on this article from the NY Daily News that lists some top bars that serve the legendary stout from St. Jame's Gate:

Best Bars in New York City for a Guinness

Some of their NY Daily's selections include:

• Dalton's Seaside Grill - Way out on Rockaway Beach, but the trip is apparently worth it

• The Beekman - Billed as "An Irish Pub in Downtown Manhattan"

• Tracks RAW Bar and Grill -Sure, great, if you like your bars underground and in a filthy train station with no windows, but hey, maybe that's just us

• Irish Heaven -  In the heart of Sunset Park Brooklyn, they boast pints for $4

• The Dead Poet -  Which is coincidentally one of the Big Adventures beloved Upper West Side bars. We just recently enjoyed a few pints in a futile attempt to get our name on the wall.

Additionally, we would be incredibly remiss if we didn't mention a few of our own:

• Paddy Reilly's Bar - The All-Guinness bar at 2nd Ave and 29th in Kip's Bay serves nothing by Guinness on tap and constantly entertains with live music.

• Stout- Near Madison Square Garden, probably one of the largest bar/restaurant spaces in Manhattan with a delicious menu to boot. Our guess is they pour more Guinness than 50 small neighborhood bars combined. 
  

• Doyle's Corner - In the middle of Astoria, our heart sings always for thee. More than any other pub in the city, Doyle's feels like home to the Big Adventure.

Happy St. Partick's Day from the Big Adventure!