June 22, 2008

If you have questions, do your homework before booking a trip

There are, at minimum, three questions embedded here: When will I find the best weather? The lowest prices? The smallest crowds?
First, weather: Several Web sites, such as www.weatherreports.com, give average monthly temperatures for areas all over the world. Story

Restaurants Prepare for Big Switch: No Trans Fat

Say you are given a choice of two cookies. One is made with butter, the other with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Both have the same amount of calories from fat. Which do you choose?
If you picked the butter cookie, you can keep eating. But the one made with P.H.V.O., as it is known in the trade, is forbidden come July 1, when the final stage of the New York City health department's ban of artificial (but not naturally occurring) trans fat in restaurant food goes into effect. Story

May 18, 2008

The NonGuidebook Version of What to Do (and Not Do) in NYC

Its that time of year: New York City is flooded with tourists. Thanks to the weak American Peso, the place is just thick with 'em.
There are lots of standard guides you might find helpful to use (i.e., NYC Guide for Tourists), but they are primarily designed for that gullible visitor, the double decker riding, Hawaiian shirt wearing, one born every minute visitor -- the Rube. Story

May 11, 2008

Small business helps boost Sam's Club sales

Cheap fuel, low food prices and a focus on its small business customers are helping Sam's Club boost the amount shoppers spend in its warehouse clubs despite the tough U.S. retail climate, according to its chief executive officer."
In an environment where people are more price conscious -- in the case of small business, where pennies matter -- we do better," Doug McMillon said on Thursday, adding: "Our transaction size continues to grow compared to last year." Story

May 7, 2008

Jury in New York City convicts fan of stalking Uma Thurman

A former mental patient obsessed with Uma Thurman faces up to a year in jail after a jury convicted him Tuesday of stalking and harassing the actress with a barrage of frightening advances.
Jack Jordan, a 37-year-old out-of-work lifeguard and pool cleaner, showed no emotion as the jury forewoman said he was guilty of stalking and one count of aggravated harassment. Story

May 5, 2008

A DAY IN NEW YORK: Active

What to do?
· Bite of the Apple Tours (212-541-8759, http://www.centralparkbiketour.com) runs daily, year-round bike tours in Central Park. I took the movie-themed tour, though it incorporated other sights and information about the park. The guided excursion costs $40 and includes bike rental; general tours cost $49. Story

May 1, 2008

The Ultimate Reality Show

Putting the Excitement Back Into Science


Kids love science. I know this because I walk the halls of the American Museum of Natural History every day, and I see young people who are excited to learn about the world around them
Story

NYC MAY SALES & EVENTS

Start out May by attending some fun events or just shopping! We have select sales & events from brands like Smashbox, Rachel Roy, Tibi, Sigerson Morrison, Rag & Bone, Uniqlo and more!
Who: AEFFE Showroom
What: Sample sale - Alberta Ferretti, Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino, Pollini & more
Where: 30 W. 56th St. Fl 1
When: 5/7-5/10Story

April 28, 2008

Deals: Bombay Spice, Cadillac Ranch, New York Pizza Dept.

Bombay Spice Grill & Wine
Everything is affordable at this recently opened restaurant, which prides itself on healthful dishes, nearly all of which are under $10 and 500 calories.
The restaurant also carries over 40 varieties of wine, which are $6 a glass, $9 a flight and $20 a bottle. During the daily Tapas Hour, wines are just $4, as are tapas, such as chickpea ceviche and chicken or beef seekh kebab skewers. Story

April 25, 2008

Man, 84, Is Charged With Spying for Israel in 1980s

For more than two decades after he allegedly furnished an Israeli operative with secrets about U.S. nuclear initiatives and sensitive weapons programs, Ben-Ami Kadish lived unnoticed by law enforcement authorities in suburban New Jersey.
Until yesterday, that is, when Kadish, 84, was arrested at his home, taken to a federal courthouse in Manhattan and charged with four counts of conspiracy allegedly for serving as an foreign agent and allegedly for lying to the FBI about a recent telephone conversation he had with his alleged Israeli handler. Story

April 12, 2008

Madonna expanding her New York home

Pop diva Madonna may not find New York exciting, but that hasn't stopped her from buying another mega apartment in the city to expand her pad that overlooks Central Park.
The 49-year-old singer has settled her beef with the co-op board and has put out a contract on a 7 million dollar apartment in Harperley Hall where she has lived for 20 years, reports the New York Daily News. Story

On the road...; New York City - 'My kind of town'

In my opinion, there's no place in the world like New York City. My first visit was on a school trip in high school, and I have gone back twice. The most fun was the trip I took with five of my girlfriends.
With great entertainment, fabulous shopping and some of the most famous tourist attractions, it's no wonder that more than 840,000 Canadians visit New York City each year. Story

Ansonia Smoking Lawsuit Is Settled

The war of the cigarettes is over at the Ansonia.
The lawyer-couple who sued their neighbor at the historic Upper West Side apartment building because, they claimed, she was jeopardizing the health of their 4-year-old son with her smoking, have agreed to drop the lawsuit. Story

April 10, 2008

This Spring, Recycle Your T-Shirts in Style

Barneys, Loomstate and Sundance Channel Make it Easy
A fresh take on recycling is coming to all Barneys New York stores this spring. The iconic, upscale retailer is partnering with Robert Redford's Sundance Channel (which is kicking off season 2 of "The Green" programming) and celebrated green fashion line Loomstate in an initiative that's just in time for Earth Day. Story

Deluxe: Leaving New York

The migratory patterns of Manhattan restaurateurs have always cut a northward swath into Fairfield County, where the living is purportedly easy, the fish in the Sound are jumpin' and the cotton...well, there ain't no cotton in Connecticut, but you get the picture.
Right off the top of our Porgy and Bess-addled brains, we can think of several chef-owner types who've left the Big City to open successful restaurants in the towns and small cities of Southern Connecticut. Story

April 6, 2008

The Scion, the Stitch, and the Wardrobe

Custom-tailored suits, with their carefully sculptured contours and other personalized details, have become a rarity over the last half-century.
The author, a noted clotheshorse who was named to this year's International Best-Dressed List, bemoans the decline of this intimate craft, which was mastered by several generations of his male ancestors, including his Story

Restaurants may be forced to use 'traffic light' labels on menus

Ministers consider introducing New York scheme to highlight unhealthy food in fight against obesity.
Restaurants could be forced to introduce a "traffic light" labelling system on menus to help curb rising levels of obesity, it was revealed to The Independent on Sunday last night. ~Story

When In New York, Do As The NYers Do- Tourism Guide

There are so many wonderful things to see and places to visit in New York City, how do you choose what to tour? Here is a list of a few great CHEAP things to see. Things actual New Yorkers do.

The Bronx Zoo - truly a gem, this is a HUGE zoo, with animals in their 'natural' environments. There is a petting zoo area for children (more like a petting farm, this features goats, chickens, cows and the like.), and most of the zoo exhibits are stroller and wheelchair accessable. Story

April 5, 2008

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Where is a book-loving soul to go now?

Dutton's Brentwood Books, among the best-known and best-loved of Los Angeles' independent bookstores, will close on April 30. It is hard not to take this as a sign of the times.

Over the past few years many local independent bookstores have gone the way of the local movie theater, the local hardware store and the local stationery shop -- disappearing -- as much victims of a changed retail and commercial real estate environment as a victim of our changing consumer and lifestyle habits (more on that later). Story

Cameron Diaz leaving Los Angeles for New York

Los Angeles does not seem to please Cameron Diaz anymore, for the actress is now planning to shift base to New York.
The 35-year-old actress thinks that LA is full of fame-hungry wannabes flocking to the city of stars in the hope to become a part of showbiz. Story

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Renee Zellweger - Zellweger's laundry clashes with New York Neighbours

RENEE ZELLWEGER is the scourge of her New York City apartment block - because she appears every six months and blocks the laundry room. Story

NYC crime skyrockets in first quarter

Murders jumped 24.7% to 111 from 89 during the first three months of 2007 compared with the year ago period, while rapes were up 13.8% and robberies rose 4.5%.First came the mortgage crisis.
Then the announcements of Wall Street layoffs. And now, in what could be another blow for the city economy, major crime has skyrocketed this year. Story

March 29, 2008

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Creating music to change, awaken people

You attend a concert, listen to the music, think "Oh, that's nice," and then head home.
But do you really hear the music? Does it touch you? Does it prompt you to learn or experience more? Story

A touch of Europe turns downtown street into a child's playground

Four years ago, Centre Market Place was a neglected, half-abandoned stretch of gun shops and tenement apartments next to the 1909-built Police Building between Broome and Grand Sts.
One block from Little Italy and Chinatown and two blocks from Nolita and SoHo, the little street was a half-blight in the shadow of one of New York's most majestic architectural, full-block structures that Winona Ryder, Calvin Klein and Christy Turlington called home. Story

New York City by bus: $1

Low-cost coach company Megabus is betting low-income travellers will jump on its cheap seats.
Low-cost airlines such as WestJet helped to pioneer the concept of a flying bus, but now some motor coach companies are fighting back with cheap seats of their own. Story

Samovars, Pizza Bars and Sleeping Cars

While a new generation of young Russians flee to Western shores to try out their luck and apply well-honed skills from prestigious international business schools, reaping lucrative rewards in the process, offspring of that older wave of pre-Revolutionary Russians, like Kato Hetschinof, still believe in Russia's largely untapped business opportunities.
When it comes to the restaurant and catering industry, Hetschinof, a Russian American and a true veteran among expat businessmen in Russia, is adamant: "Russia is still an empty market, still wide open." Story

Taste of New York

Heidi's offers brooklyn-style sandwiches
Tucked away on Manthey Road west of I-5 in Lathrop, Heidi's Brooklyn Deli sits next to a vacant building that looks like it will someday serve as a furniture showroom. Getting to it is a bit tricky. Story