Three Unique Views of New York City

Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

A stroll down Times Square, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and a visit to the Empire State Building are the typical locations people check out when visiting New York City. While there is nothing wrong with playing the role of a tourist in the Big Apple, you might want to take a break from the norm and check out these three unique views of the city that never sleeps.

230 Fifth (230 Fifth Avenue): The Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock might offer some spectacular panoramic views of New York City, but do they offer a delicious brunch, a year-round heated outdoor bar, and a rooftop garden? Well, if your looking to check out Manhattan from the view of a bird (with an adult beverage or two in hand), 230 Fifth is a “must visit” for any visitor. With rave reviews from the likes of the New York Times and NBC New York as the best rooftop view in all of Manhattan, this is by far one of the coolest places to get away from it all down below and get sauced in the process over brunch (a win, win in my opinion). In order to splurge here you might consider staying at the super-affordable Gershwin Hotel nearby.

The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel (Atlantic Avenue and Court Street): Did you know that the world’s oldest subway tunnel is not accessible via a train? Instead, you will have to meet up with a group at a corner in Brooklyn for a tour that starts off with a climb down a manhole. The once monthly 90-minute trek through the 166-year-old half-mile long abandoned tunnel is narrated by guide Bob Diamond. You will learn a lot along the way from Diamond about the history and one-time importance of the station that was supposed to link New York and Boston. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes (no high heels ladies) and to bring a flashlight. After wandering around underground, come up for air and and check-in down the road at the Nu Hotel.

Staten Island Ferry: (1 State Street Plaza): Many Big Apple insiders still consider the Staten Island Ferry as one of the best and affordable ways (it’s free!) to get an awesome view of Manhattan’s skyline. The Staten Island Ferry might be used mostly as a means of transportation each weekday morning and evening for thousands of Staten Island residents working in Manhattan, but it is also an enjoyable ride for visitors to the area by way of the Upper New York Bay. The five mile water ride takes about 30 minutes each way, so you can enjoy a fun day with family and friends, get that spectacular snapshot, and still be back in time to enjoy plenty of other attractions around the city. The ferry departs in Manhattan at South Ferry, so for a walkable hotel nearby check out the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park or the Wall Street Inn.

Tags: brooklyn, new york, Travel

Guest Nomad: Public Art in San Francisco

This week’s Guest Nomad is Kirsten Alana. Kirsten is a recently-single photographer and avid traveler who learned the hard way in 2009 that the secret to happiness doesn’t include only fulfilling the expectations of others, while ignoring her own desires.

She now tries to live each day as if it were her last, fully pursuing her love of adventure while also trying to serve others in big and small ways wherever her travels take her. You can check her out online at her website and twitter account.

As the daughter of an artist who did many murals on many buildings during my growing-up years, I’m intensely fascinated by public art. Just ask some of the brides and grooms who I’ve posed in front of graffiti.

Show me a mural on the side of a building and I get a little giddy. That is a backdrop just waiting to be taken advantage of in my opinion. Never mind that actual graffiti is still considered destruction of property to many. I’m a fan!

So, it is probably no surprise that I make it a habit to take a walking tour of every city I visit and one of my main objectives is to find all the public art I can.

Museums are wonderful, and I most certainly visit those whenever possible, but public art has one advantage over most museums: it is free. And usually charged with political and/or social opinion that I almost always learn from.

During a recent trip to San Francisco, I was quite pleased to find it a town of abundant public art. No matter the neighborhood – from Dolores Park to The Mission, everywhere I walked I was able to find public art to marvel at and photograph.

While some art was more hidden or subversive, some was blatant and often famous in one way or another. Some murals directly paid homage to famous artists, such as Frida Kahlo. Some art was evocative of historic periods long past, like the age of Art Deco.

I even had one extensive conversation with a shop-owner who seemed more proud of the mural on the side of his building than he was of the shop he owned.

As a photographer, and a woman descended from artists, it’s mostly likely not shocking that I have this fascination. But I hope you will agree, looking at these images, that public art is something we should cherish and try to preserve whenever possible. I also hope it will make you more aware of art in the places you travel to and live in.

Tags: art, california, san francisco, Travel

One Year Anniversary…

While I have been blogging for more than a year now, it was not until one year ago this week that “TheBrooklynNomad.com” officially was launched.

After tinkering around with a pretty embarrassing looking blog by today’s standards on Yahoo site builder, I moved over to blog spot in February 2009. About three days later I learned about Word Press and ditched a blog that really had a boring look to it.

I thought of a name for my blog and well “The Brooklyn Nomad” was the only one that stuck. I kind of regret putting the “The” in my URL as the name “Brooklyn Nomad” is long enough on its own, but I have grown to get used to it.

When I actually started my blog in late February of last year, the full URL was “TheBrooklynNomad.wordpress.com.” Yikes. I quickly decided to upgrade to Word Press’ paid version and chopped off that pesky addition to an already wordy blog name.

I also changed the template to a boring and basic template to the one you see today. I am currently in the process of upgrading and giving my site a face lift with a unique template in the weeks to come. Life unfortunately got in the way of debuting it on my one year anniversary (which for anyone that cares is March 5).

Since my site has been running over the last twelve months, my life has changed dramatically. I was a freelance writer just scraping by and impressed when I got more than 20 unique readers in a day (although 15 of those were probably from me checking the site).

But after four weeks of updating my site daily (sometimes two or three times in one day) I saw the numbers increase. Then people actually started leaving comments (fortunately they were all positive).

Next step was to get myself noticed online. So I begrudgingly opened a Twitter account. Actually I had an account for a few months but never used it. I honestly did not get Twitter and thought it was just some way in which people could tell the world that they were going to have Chinese food for dinner or were tired after a long day at work.

But I started to notice something. As my site grew in readers, so did my followers on Twitter. I then started “Stumbling” and “Digging” my work and before I knew it, my blog had some pretty reasonable visits each day.

Then just a few days before my 29th birthday I received an e-mail from Napa Valley, California. It was a resort and spa that actually wanted me to come visit them and write a review of their property. Huh? Me? Really?

While I was flattered that they thought enough of my site to want to put me up for three days with full use of their spa and complimentary meals, I was just not able to fly myself round-trip cross country. So I had the tell them, “thanks…but just not now.”

I am still friendly with the management at the resort and am hoping to FINALLY make the 3,500 or so mile trek to the great state of California by the end of this year with my wife.

Speaking of my wife. This poor woman has had to put up with my obsession with travel for years. So when this blog started getting me some more freelance work and plenty of opportunities to travel around the world, I thought she might pack up and get going. Instead she has been a big fan of my work and amazingly supportive of my nomadic ways.

She and I are also pretty excited to welcome into the world our first born child this April. Little Nomad or Baby Nomad as many of you have nicknamed him will have his passport by Christmas if I have it my way.

I am not going to babble on and on like this is some sort of acceptance speech at an award show  nor will I name a list of people that have been so great to me over the last year or so.

But all I want to say is thanks for checking out my site, make sure you click on my ads so that I can feed my baby and I hope you enjoy reading my travel experiences, New York tips, and hotel reviews as much as I love to write about them.

Travel often!

Tags: brooklyn, new york, nomad

Sunday Travel Shot: Lone Cypress in Pebble Beach, California

Lone Cypress in Pebble Beach, California (Photo courtesy of Kirsten Alana)

Tags: california, pebble beach, united states

Saturday Travel Shot: Zagreb, Croatia

Zagreb, Croatia (Picture courtesy of flickr Roberat

Tags: croatia, europe, Travel, zagreb