The Big Adventure's 2011 Guide of Things to See & Do in NYC Starts Here...

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 visits 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 Bite To Eat?

Baoguette

http://www.baoguette.com

61 Lexington Avenue (between 25^th & 26^th Streets – other locations as well)

Unique, delicious and affordable lunch stop that combines Vietnamese flavors on a traditional fresh French baguette. If you’re looking for something new to try that has incredible flavor, this is a perfect stop for a quick bite.

Eataly

http://www.eatalyny.com/  -

200 5^th Avenue (between 23^rd and 24^th Street)

Food Network star Mario Batali prefers the phrase “food temple” to food hall, when describing his Italian restaurant/grocery/wine/beer store.  It is organized around food groups and the recipes tend to rely on sustainable, Slow Food sources, and many of the ingredients are for sale throughout the huge store. The idea is to taste a little (or a lot), become educated about the food, then buy the ingredients and cook them back home.  Good luck and happy eating!

Dylan’s Candy Bar

www.dylanscandybar.com/

1011 3^rd Avenue (at 60^th Street)

Opened by Ralph Lauren’s daughter, this four-floor Mecca of sweets has expanded over the years to be one of the top destinations for allll things candy in NYC. If you’re looking for a new sweet treat or nostalgic long-lost candy from your childhood, Dylan’s Candy Bar is worth the trip. Check out the celebrity autographed bags of candy on the lower floor.

Serendipity 3

www.serendipity3.com  

255 E. 60^th Street (between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenue)

World famous for their Iced Hot Chocolate and sensational variety of Hot Fudge Sundaes, this Upper East Side staple is as delicious as it is crowded. Beware long lines, and, yes, they were shut down by the health department (again) last summer, but these are minor details if you’re just showing up for the amazing desserts (skip dinner) and cute atmosphere. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale would approve.

More food options to come on Wednesday....

 

Discount Tickets Dialog In The Dark as it opens in New York City

 The Big Adventure has found that one of the more interesting things about New York City is that there is always another organization trying to present a new type of tour with a unique twist..

This forthcoming "Dialog In The Dark" New York City exhibit is designed to simulate a day in the city from the perspective of someone without sight. "An indoor sensory tour" hosted by blind guides, visitors will be taken through a specially built and totally darkened space. Then, with the help of trusty cane, visitors will rely on their senses to try and perform daily routines and recognize famous elements that they might encounter throughout New York.

Billed as a tour of NYC "where site is strictly prohibited", the program has already run in dozens of cities across Europe and Atlanta. Dialog In The Dark looks like an authentic, educational, intriguing and compelling - but will it be any good? We're a bit skeptical but also keeping an open mind. Especially since it seems like they are sincere in raising awareness on blindness an committed to creating opportunities for the vision-impaired.

The exhibit opened in NYC in late August at South Street Seaport. Rrrriiight next to the Bodies Exhibit which tells you a lot right there. Adult tickets start around $23, but if there is one thing we know savvy locals and tourists enjoy its coupons and discount tickets to NYC attractions. To that end, discounts to NYC Dialog in the Dark can be found at our beloved Goldstar  through at lesat the end of January 2012. Also, we've found other similar coupons around the web on several other site with a little savvy searching. (LocalFox Deals  had some quality offerings, but they appear to have sine gone under) 

Click here for a Dialog In The Dark Ticket Deal and if you visit let The Big Adventure know what you think of the new exhibit.
 

A Tale of Two Rents (or "We're not gonna pay...")

Interesting Big Apple statistic brought to you by this week’s New York Magazine that made us raise our eyebrows:

Average rent for a non-doorman one-bedroom Manhattan apartment when the Broadway Musical RENT closed in September 2008: $2,820. 

Average Rent when a RENT revival began last month: $2,937.

Man, we pay a lot of cheddar for our homes in this borough (Although, to be fair, The Big Adventure has lived in four apartments across NYC and has avoided getting close to that “average”)

On a related note, if you are interested in seeing the Off-Broadway Revival of RENT at New World Stages we suggest that you try your hand in the Lottery. Over a decade ago or more, RENT was a pioneer in Rush Ticket sales for Broadway shows for deserving, eager younger fans who couldn't to drop a lot of cash for the full price seats.

Lottery seats to the revival go for $25, but you'll need a little bit of luck and timing on your side and can only grab them the day of the show

Get all the details on the official site here.

An Inside Look at the MTA's Arts for Transit

It can be a bit difficult to wrap one’s head around the scope and size of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The behemoth government organization is responsible for the transport of over 11 million people each weekday. Yet somewhere in the middle of hustling between subways, tracking the balance of your MetroCard and dodging the shady looking character at the edge of the platform, there is a good chance that you’ve missed some of the quality art that has been commissioned solely for NYC Subway, Long Island Rail Road and Metro North Stations.

Arts For Transit was founded over 25 years ago by the MTA in order to install quality, permanent works in scores of stations on nearly every subway line in the city and several regional rail stations. The official Arts for Transit site best sums up their mission: 

“The founders of the New York City subway believed that every design element in the system should show respect for our customers and enhance the experience of travel. As the century-old transportation network is restored and renewed, these decorative elements of the past are preserved and protected as contemporary art and design are introduced.”

In short, since the general populous of NYC have spent so much time on the subway over the last 100 years shouldn’t there be something nice to look at? Since public transit is such a large part of our life, shouldn’t it reflect some of our culture?

The Big Adventure strongly recommends picking up the detailed brochure “Art En Route: A guide to art in the MTA Network" (Click for a PDF version)” for a mere fifty cents here and here.

Some of the installations are endlessly compelling and sensational while others are simply more functional than anything else. Some works are even still being installed as the program continues to grow. Given the need for art with the ability to withstand the wear & tear of a 24-hour system, most artists have done their work in mediums of Laminated Glass, Faceted Glass, Mosaics of all sort, murals, skylights and the occasional sculptures. Not a painted canvas to be seen. We’ve mentioned one of our favorite station’s art located at 14th and 8th once before on our blog.

Thanks to the MTA's interactive site, you can get the full skinny on The Art in Transit projects in all of the Subway Stations throughout the system. Just click on the line you’d like to know more about. We think you might be surprised about which art has been unassumingly lurking near your train stop.  As we continue to discover, sometimes the best of NYC is right in front of your face:

 http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct

Bryant Park Moviegoers Unite!

 We stumbled across this great article in the New York Times on the  HBO  Bryant Park Summer Film Festival and we're slapping ourselves for not mentioning this-near-after-work-summer-institution-sooner. 

The screenings on the giant lawn have a way of taking Midtown by storm for almost 20 years now each and every Monday Night during the summer. Not to be confused with simply viewing a film outside, each week brings an entire, communal, packed experience to Bryant Park - no matter what the movie is that week. Like many things in New York that are popular, free and fun - it can get crowded:

Read the full article here

The Big Adventure recommends getting your best lawn blanked and catching one of the two remaining screenings tonight (High Sierra) or next Monday (Dirty Hairy)...but show up early to makes sure you can get a space. And be prepared to do the dance.

Film Festival Hotline: 212-512-5700

No chairs, tables, dogs, plastic sheets, tarps, bags, or pads are permitted on the lawn.

The gravel area surrounding the Lawn opens at 4:00pm. The Lawn opens at 5:00pm. Find a fast friend and be prepared to SPRINT for a spot! Then enjoy a picnic till the film starts. That's good living.

New York City's next Big Food Craze? We Predict: Waffles!

Behold! This is the first in what The Big Adventure is predicting to be the next trend in New York foodstuffs. After giant cupcakes, meatballs stores and signature hamburgers have descended on the city we present::Waffles

What's not to love? An entire versatile category that fits the mold of food for the New Yorkers on the go. Breakfast, Lunch and Dessert Food options that are limited only by imaginations (and types of syrup and fruit). Truck pioneer Wafels and Dinges is taking their act to the great lawn in Central Park soon. And one of the most compelling restaurants we've visited outside of NYC in the last year was a waffle joint with lines out the door.

Can a late night storefront, cleverly named location on the LES be far behind? Or a themed restaurant presented by Danny Meyer opening just outside of Union Square?

Track down Wafels and Dingels on the go as they continue to generate the hype and delicious waffles: http://www.wafelsanddinges.com/.  Hey, they even have a clever blog.

Tickets to a taping of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire in New York City

Every now and again, The Big Adventure likes to remind all about  the understated value of attending a television show taping in NYC. It's a unique experience, completely free and relatively exciting. The only challenge can be finding when and how to get tickets. (On a side note, you can now apply for tickets for Season 37 of the Television Institution Saturday Night Live through the end of August)

Lately, our e-mail in box has been bombarded by the ABC studio who is gearing up to start taping new episodes Who Wants to be a Millionaire. They are looking hard to find tons of folk to be in the studio audience to see WWTBAM (as all the kids are calling it). Free tickets. Exciting game show drama. And a chance to audition for the show after the taping. Decided we could help all out by re-posting all of the information below.

Also, now that Meredith Vierra gets to sleep in every day, we think this season will be better than ever. And for those who have been out of the loop for the last nine years, yes there is a day time version of Millionaire and yes, it is hosted by that one lady who used to be the sane one on "The View."

JOIN US ON THE ROAD TO RICHES IN A BRAND NEW SEASON OF MILLIONAIRE!

                                                                                                              

Be our guest and attend a live taping of “Millionaire”—your chance to watch Meredith in person & audition to be a future contestant!  

“Millionaire” begins taping Season 10 with host Meredith Vieira in New York City this August. Tickets are now available and  dates will be posted 2-weeks at a time. If the date you’d like to attend isn’t listed at this time, keep checking back. Click on the link for details: http://www.dadt.com/millionaire/tickets.html

If you have additional questions, please contact us at (212) 456-1494