Annoyingly enough, suffering through Subway Fare Hikes in NYC seems to be beccoming an Annual Event

So, as we all know the MTA has delivered another small kick in the crotch with the third fare hike in four years. Just for perspective we wanted to point out that the Unlimited Monthly Metrocard was only $70 in 2005. That's 1/3 of the $104 price that goes into effect December 30th.  But hiding between the headlines of another round of higher prices, was this mostly missed bad news regarding the new fare structure:

"The MTA will no longer sell One-Day Fun passes or 14-day MetroCards, Bonuses on pay-per-ride MetroCards will plummet from 15% to 7% - and will start after riders spend $10, up from $8."

Getting rid of the One-Day Fun Pass? Bad form, MTA, bad form. The One-Day Fun Passes that sell for around $8 is a fantastic option for out-of-town visitors. It allows them to pay one fare early in the day and not sweat riding the rails all the way till 3:00 AM on the same card. For the adventurous and capable, it is the equivalent an unlimited cheap taxi fare throughout the city. An awesome option for groups too. The MTA says that the tourist-friendly MetroCards have become too friendly for subway scammers who buy in bulk and then sell at $2 a swipe at the stations. Which is...well...a lame excuse.

While not the worst news of the fare hike, it just sucks. We get the tough times and we still think the NYC Subway is one of the top transportation options in the country. However, it is looking like suffering through Subway Fare Hikes in NYC and all the perks we’re loosing is starting to become an annual event. (We care less about the 14-day MetroCards disappearing. Apparently less than 2% of riders buy them. Besides, have you ever met anyone who used one?)

Read More: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/10/07/2010-10-07_mta_set_to_approve_subway_bus_and_commuter_train_fare_hikes.html

 

A Space Shuttle In New York City?

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Both the Astronomy geek and the NASA nerd in The Big Adventure think that this news is nothing short of frickin' awesome: The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum is lobbying/bidding to add one of three soon-to-be-retired NASA Space Shuttle to its permanent collection of exhibits. The always savvy US Government decided that after Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis fly their last missions next year, each would be sold to spend their twilight years in museums across the country.

According to recent updates, there is a solid chance that the Intrepid Museum in NYC could land one of the shuttles. You know, no big deal, just going display the pinnacle in technology and space exploration from the last thirty years. Keeping their eye on the prize, the museum even has a couple of sketches showcasing how they anticipate the exhibit will look. The Big Adventure would prefer the shuttle be standing in launching position on the Hudson shoreline visible from miles around rather than in it's landing position, but we'll take what we can get.

Currently the Intrepid Museum is housed largely on the giant retired aircraft carrier of the same name which floats in the Hudson River on the West Side of Manhattan right at 6th Street. (Worth a visit from March to October, but go early in the day to avoid the influx of tourists - it gets way too crowded). One cool connection that is apparently helping to keep the city's bidding hopes alive is that years ago, The Intrepid was used to pluck NASA astronauts out of the sea after splashing down in the ocean. The history, folks, The History!

if the Intrepid Space-Air Museum does end up with a Space Shuttle, you can bet your bottom dollar that a visit will be included as part of a Big Adventure. We just hope that robot Jinx doesn't accidentally send us, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston and the rest of the Space Camp crew into space -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDQxc9yLH3A. 

Some more info for ya can be found on the Intrepid's site. http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/shuttle/
And get the whole story here From this NY Daily News Article from 10/1

Top Ten...well...Everything!

Because the time has come, The Big Adventure is putting together a quality list of the Top Ten NYC Bars/Food Stop/Hot Spots from alllll of the various Big Adventures we've hosted thus far. We plan to release the detailed list of the ten later this month. But first we'll go through the required amount of quality internal debating, negotiating and slapping. In the meantime, we want to know what are some of YOUR favorite stops that the Big Adventure has made over the last four years?

NYC October "Must Do" Event #2: Halloween at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

The Big Adventure Presents: NYC October "Must Do" Event #2: Halloween at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Okay, so we know this is may be a few weeks early, but you certainly don't have to wait till All Hallows eve to visit the world's second largest Cathedral.

If you've never been, let it first be said that this place is Amazing with a capital A and three Zs. Located a bit uptown and a touch off the beaten path at 112th and Amsterdam on the Upper West Side, this building complete with intricate details and ginormous halls is impressive no matter your faith. Construction began in 1882 (and, officially, is still not complete) and currently houses 121,000 sq ft of working church and captivating historical religious icons and ephemera.

But t he reason you should make your first visit in October is because they are hosting a series of activities including ongoing, inexpensive tours by knowledgeable guide, A Procession of the Ghouls (??), Following a screening of the file  The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1921),  The "Crypt Crawls" and a chance for all-ages to learn more about the stunning gargoyles. All in all, this sounds to us like just one big bowl of fiber enriched Awesome-Os. Halloween 2010 at St. John The Divine

The Big Adventure isn't big on promises (we're better at the whole letting people down thing), but we promise the photos from the amazing Coney Island and Carnival Big Adventure will be online by Tuesday, 10/5. In the meantime, we ask...nay! we implore...you to upload and share any wonderful digital photos you may have from the Coney Island or any other Big Adventure. Think of it as community service to free your photos for public and mass consumption...

NYC October "Must Do" Event #1: 29th Annual Korean Parade

The Big Adventure Presents: NYC October "Must Do" Event #1: 29th Annual Korean Parade, Saturday October 2nd.  Pop quiz, hot shot: What is the number one Asian culture in NYC in terms of number of people and events? If you said Korean, give yourself a gold star and move to the head of the class:

Korean art, culture, sports and bad ass civic pride will be on spectacular display as the Korean Parade marches down Sixth Avenue right next to (shocking) Korea town this coming Saturday, October 2nd.

The event, organized by the Korean-American Association of Greater New York, includes the Parade as well as Korean Music and Food Festivals. Bring on the bibimbap! More than 200 organizations and a whopping 5,000 people are expected to march including some well known Korean musicians and artists. As this event looks pretty awesome, this is sadly he best link we could find to the event. Korea Parade

The Best Bathrooms in New York City

"Trust me, this is the best bathroom in midtown! On the left--exquisite marble! High ceilings. An' a flush, like a jet engine!"  -George Costanza 

Ah, sure there are hundreds of lists of restaurants, parks, attractions and more, but when was the list time someone took the time to focus on what was important: The place you most want to go when nature calls. 

Yelp.com has devoted an entire section to inside..ahem...streaming reports on the best spots to take care of business. See the link below, but here are the Top Ten facilities for a big flush in the Big Apple:

1. Bar 89
2. Inakaya 
3. Morimoto
4. Peep
5. Foley's - Not one to quote someone's personal review, but this was too good not to share: "The urinals are from the old Waldorf, before it moved. They're enormous, and you feel like you're in some sort of pod while you're peeing."

Best Bathrooms throughout New York City

And, of course, sometimes you just need a clean bathroom. We've become experts on those too....Manhattan's Cleanest Bathrooms