New York

Last Radio Programs

2010-01-22T07:37:00.000-08:00

I hope you were able to tune in and listen to The Bite this week. Our guest was Sally Berry and we talked about marketing on social networks. If you want to learn more about Sally her contact is below:

Sally Berry, CMP
President
Bristol Creek Tourism Consulting,LLC
5408 Lower Egypt Rd.
Canandaigua, NY 14424
ph:(585)229-7030
sally@bristolcreekconsulting.com
www.bristolcreekconsulting.com
Twitter @sallykberry
Blog: www.sallyberry.wordpress.com

If you want to hear the episode click below.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btsq/2010/01/20/the-bite-with-eric-gordon

I mentioned on the January 13th show that my trip to Egypt was fantastic. If anyone is thinking about sending groups or FITs to Egypt, I can highly recommend The Touring Club of Egypt. They are a top notch company and very reliable. I know this from experience as in my old life I worked with them and know the owners for about 12 years. Please call upon them. You will be happy you did. The information is

Aly Sidky
Owner
Touring Club Of Egypt
8 Al Obour Buildings
Salah Salem Road, Nasr City.
Cairo, Egypt.
Tel: 26272222 / 24049110 / 24034761
Fax: 22635253
touring@touringclubofegypt.com
www.touringclubofegypt.com

If you want to listen to the Radio Show please click below
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btsq/2010/01/13/the-bite-with-eric-gordon

Tavern on the Green preps for final service

2009-12-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

Tavern on the Green preps for final service

Published: December 30, 2009 - 10:26 am
Crains New York Business

(AP) - Tavern on the Green, once America's highest-grossing restaurant, is singing its culinary swan song.

The former sheepfold at the edge of Central Park, now ringed by twinkling lights and fake topiary animals, is preparing for New Year's Eve, when it will serve its last meal. Just three years ago, it was plating more than 700,000 meals annually, bringing in more than $38 million.

But that astronomical sum wasn't enough to keep the landmark restaurant out of bankruptcy court. Its $8 million debt is to be covered at an auction of Baccarat and Waterford chandeliers, Tiffany stained glass, a mural depicting Central Park and other over-the-top decor that has bewitched visitors for decades.

Even the restaurant's name is up for grabs. At stake is whether another restaurateur taking over the 27,000 square feet of space, owned by the city, can reopen as Tavern on the Green.

For 75 years, since it first opened amid the Great Depression, the Tavern has attracted clients from around the world.

"This reminds me so much of Poland!" exclaimed Vermont resident Meg Kearton as she entered for her first time in late December. "It reminds me of a restaurant in Warsaw — the grandeur and the colors."

She came for lunch a few days after Christmas, taking in the Tavern's year-round wonderland of lights, flowers and ornamental curved bull's-eye mirrors.

Hanging over the main Crystal Room, an all-glass dining area, is a century-old chandelier made of green glass, said to have been owned by an Indian maharajah. A reindeer whose antlers are decked with red and green ornaments stands at the entrance, and outside is a huge King Kong topiary.

Former owner Warner LeRoy, befitting his heritage as son of a producer of The Wizard of Oz, searched the globe for the whimsical goods after he took over the Tavern's lease in 1973. He died in 2001, and his wife, Kay LeRoy, and daughter Jennifer LeRoy are now the owners.

As the end of the family's operating license approached, the city sought competing bids.

The LeRoys lost to Dean Poll, who operates the stylish Loeb Boathouse restaurant overlooking the Central Park's lake and offered to invest $25 million on Tavern renovations. The city awarded him a 20-year license in August, citing his vision and significant capital investment.

The LeRoys, employing more than 400 unionized employees with full benefits, couldn't match that. As the recession hit, they accrued more than 450 debtors.

A spokeswoman for the company running the Tavern on the Green auction said the LeRoys couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.

The decisive moment in the intellectual-property dispute comes in January. That's when a Manhattan federal judge will either side with the city and rule that the moneymaking name Tavern on the Green, valued at about $19 million, belongs to whomever operates the space or say the LeRoys own it.

If the city loses, Mr. Poll will use the name Tavern in the Park, creating a new menu of American cuisine with fresh seasonal ingredients and reopening by March, said his attorney, Barry LePatner.

"We're going to bring the park into the restaurant," said Mr. LePatner, by eliminating the thick shrubbery around the premises to reveal Sheep Meadow, where the animals grazed until 1934, housed in the Victorian Gothic shed that is part of the restaurant.

Everything that fills the current restaurant will be for sale starting Jan. 13, at a Guernsey's auction.

Some of the items were once a backdrop for private milestone events as well as public celebrations from film productions and political gatherings to the special carb-loading dinner on the eve of the New York Marathon.

Recently, as many as 1,500 meals could be served a day, with dinner entrees costing $26 to $42 on a menu heavy with meat and potato dishes, plus standard seafood and a few forays into foreign fare such as risotto.

Not everyone drips with praise for this "tourist trap," as one blogger on the Web site Yelp called it.

A fellow Yelp blogger didn't mince words: "Besides my risotto being just eh, and besides finding a small bug on my plate, I had a fiasco getting my jacket from the coat check."

That didn't deter a smiling Diane Allen-Smith from coming for a lunch with her husband in December, three years after their Tavern wedding, on a visit from Boca Raton, Fla.

"Our wedding food was wonderful," she said. "And we didn't have to do anything for the rest."

A New York magazine reviewer once asked, "So what if the Eisenhower-era menu is strictly an afterthought?"

But the things that annoy some about Tavern on the Green are exactly what made it irresistible to fans, including three generations of a family from New York's northern suburbs.

"My parents brought us here," said Lisa Holz, who brought along her daughters, 4-year-old Kayla and 7-year-old Lisa, and her husband and parents.

It would be her last time at the old Tavern on the Green, and she got sentimental.

"When I was little," she said. "I remember getting tears in my eyes when I looked at all the lights and colors."

©Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Times Square awaits city's call on no-cars test

2009-12-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

Times Square awaits city's call on no-cars test

By Lisa Fickenscher
Crain's New York Business

Published: December 23, 2009 - 9:58 am

As 2009 winds down, Times Square businesses are anxiously waiting for the city to make two key decisions that will have a major impact on the neighborhood.

The city's controversial experiment with pedestrian plazas on Broadway, which began in May, ends this year. And it is unclear whether the city will make the changes permanent, redesign the plazas or scrap the plan.

The plazas are the reason the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was moved this year from Broadway to Seventh Avenue. The parade route next year is also now in question.

“We will continue to consult with our city agency partners to determine the best path, but Macy's is keeping all of its options open,” said Robin Hall, executive producer of the Macy's parade. “We will reexamine all of the potential routes available, including Sixth Avenue, to ensure that we are able to deliver the best parade experience for the maximum number of spectators.”

The Times Square community, however, is not happy about the uncertainty.

Over the past couple of weeks a number of organizations, including the Broadway Association, the Times Square Alliance, the Mayor's Midtown Committee and the Times Square Advertising Coalition, have been meeting to discuss the parade route, according to Mike Stengel, general manager of the Marriott Marquis New York hotel. The business groups have also been writing letters to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, advocating for the parade route to remain on Seventh Avenue.

The parade decision will hinge, in part, on the future of the pedestrian plazas. A spokesman for the mayor said: “The city will look at [the pedestrian pilot] through the end of the year. The mayor will evaluate the program and make a decision. We haven't got there yet.”

At issue for businesses located in Times Square is whether the crowds of parade spectators, overnight visitors to the city and television viewers have a view of Times Square during the event.

Companies that own the electronic flashing signs say moving the parade to Sixth Avenue would have a negative impact on their business. Hotels located in Times Square also fear losing guests.

According to people familiar with the situation, Macy's favors Sixth Avenue because the parade would not have to make turns, as it did briefly on to Broadway this year. The turns in the route are seen as a safety issue by some.

Intermediaries sue New York City over new hotel tax

2009-12-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Intermediaries sue New York City over new hotel tax

By: Michelle Baran
Travel Weekly
December 22, 2009

Online travel companies, ASTA and the U.S. Tour Operators Association filed a lawsuit Monday against New York City, challenging the legality and constitutionality of the city's recently amended hotel occupancy tax.

The tax requires resellers of New York hotel rooms to remit a tax based on the full retail rate paid by the customer as a "condition of occupancy," including some service fees and charges. The amended occupancy tax went into effect Sept. 1.
The new tax "illegally attempts to extend the New York City hotel room occupancy tax to amounts charged by third-party travel intermediaries for their services," the lawsuit claims.

The case brought together the interests of online travel companies, travel agents and tour operators, all of whom have expressed outrage with New York’s newly amended hotel tax.
The lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court by several online travel companies -- including Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Orbitz and Travelocity -- as well as ASTA and the USTOA. The city and its finance department were named as defendants.

The plaintiffs claim that the amended tax is unconstitutional under New York state law.

Third-party travel intermediaries, including travel agents, tour operators and OTAs, "do not provide or grant hotel occupancy. They do not charge rent for their services. They do not typically buy, take title to, or obtain any possessory interest in any New York City hotel rooms," the suit claims.

The complaint goes on to state that "the amounts the plaintiffs earn for facilitating the booking of hotel rooms are not a 'condition of occupancy.'
"Indeed, travelers could book the exact same rooms directly with hotels without the use of an intermediary. The compensation earned by plaintiffs for serving as intermediaries who facilitate the booking of hotel rooms in New York City is therefore not properly subject to the occupancy tax."

Who Killed Rock and Roll?

2009-12-05T09:50:00.001-08:00

Rock and Roll Hall leaving NYC
Published: December 4, 2009 - 11:32 am

(AP) - The year-old New York City annex to Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will shut down Jan. 3.

A news release issued Thursday by S2BN Entertainment, a partner in the venture, gave no reason for the closing.

Rock hall Chief Executive Terry Stewart tells The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland the decision was made by corporate partners who had backed the $10 million annex in downtown Manhattan.

Backers had hoped to attract up to a half-million visitors annually but have not said what attendance was.

Messages were left Friday for both S2BN Entertainment and rock hall officials.

The collection displayed at the annex includes Bruce Springsteen's 1957 Chevy. The rock hall says some of the artifacts could become part of a traveling show.

©Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Art galleries create citywide event

2009-11-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

Art galleries create citywide event

By Miriam Kreinin Souccar

Published: November 13, 2009 - 1:30 pm

The art market is showing signs of a recovery, but New York's dealers aren't taking any chances.

A group of around 50 galleries is joining forces to create a new event called New York Gallery Week. The inaugural affair will take place over the weekend of May 7, timed to coincide with the beginning of the spring auction season.

The program will feature parties, panel discussions and gallery tours in an effort to get people to visit galleries rather than just coming to New York for the major art fairs like The Armory Show. The group of galleries, which includes big names like David Zwirner, is inviting curators from around the country to speak, and is working on a Web site.

“We're trying to invigorate people to come to galleries again and to invigorate sales,” said Jason Murison, manager of Friedrich Petzel Gallery, one of the event's organizers.

From Crain's New York Business.com

U.S. Homeland chief defends $10 travel fee

2009-11-10T09:05:00.001-08:00

U.S. Homeland chief defends $10 travel fee
Lawmakers warn they could impose similar fees on visiting Americans
By CONSTANT BRAND
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
updated 7:13 p.m. ET, Fri., Nov . 6, 2009

BRUSSELS - European Parliament lawmakers on Friday demanded that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ease restrictions for Europeans traveling to the United States, saying plans to impose a new $10 (euro6.73), entry fee are unfair.

Citizens from many European Union countries already have to fill in an online visa waiver form before they travel to the U.S., but could face an additional charge when they arrive, which many EU officials and lawmakers fear amounts to a new visa restriction.

"The measures ... are even harder than they were under the previous (U.S.) government and that for us is a contradiction that we in the European Parliament cannot accept," Austrian lawmaker Ernst Strasser told Napolitano during a special hearing with her. "We really have to insist on our European values, that European data protection laws and European civil liberties also have to be taken account of."

Dutch lawmaker Sophie in't Veld urged Napolitano to review a controversial anti-terror pact between the EU and the U.S. which sees the transfer of data collected on trans-Atlantic air passengers to U.S. authorities to make sure the data is not being misused.

Many European lawmakers also urged Napolitano to persuade the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to ditch the planned $10 fee.

Napolitano said she could accept a review of the existing transfer of airline passenger data deal, but rejected calls to drop the new fee, which the U.S. Congress passed in September, but still has to be signed by Obama.

"Unlike many of your countries, the United States does not have a separate agency to promote tourism and travel, and so the goal of this is to use that to actually fund and help tourists and travelers who wish to come to the United States," Napolitano said. "In that respect I think that it is not only reasonable but in these days of reduced government budgets, it's the way to fund that."

The United States began requiring people who do not need visas to enter America to register online at least 72 hours before travel and to renew their registration every two years. Under the proposed plan, visitors would have to pay the $10 fee when they register.

On top of this, Europeans along with many other international visitors to the U.S. face stepped up identity and travel checks that Washington imposed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Visitors already have to provide fingerprints to U.S. border guards when entering the country, and airlines they use forward data, including passenger names, addresses, seat numbers, credit card information and travel details.

EU lawmakers are angry because Americans visiting European countries such as France, Germany and Italy face no such fees or online checks.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

City, Tavern in dueling lawsuits

2009-10-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Fickenscher, Crains New York Business (

Published: October 22, 2009 - 3:19 pm

The question of who owns the famous restaurant name Tavern on the Green has become a legal football that has just landed in the lap of a bankruptcy judge.

As expected, on Wednesday the city sued the operators of Tavern on the Green, the LeRoy family, in U.S. bankruptcy court claiming that they had no right to seek trademark protection for the famed eatery's name because it belongs to the city.

Tavern quickly filed a counter suit, in which it argued that its trademark is ‘incontestable.'

In its complaint, the city claims that the trademark was obtained by the family fraudulently and without the city's “knowledge or permission” in 1981. It points to the fact that the restaurant has existed under its current name since 1934, long before the LeRoys began running the eatery in 1973.

Tavern on the Green filed for bankruptcy protection last month, claiming that its largest asset is the trademark it holds for the restaurant's name, which has an estimated value of $19 million.

The LeRoys also filed a second trademark in 2007 to use the restaurant's name on its cooking oils and other food products that it sells to consumers. The city is challenging that trademark as well, asking the court to cancel the trademarks or transfer them to the city.

The lawsuit, however, represents a reversal in the city's position over this issue according to Tavern's countersuit, also filed on Wednesday. It notes that the city's request for proposal in February, seeking bids to take over the lease of the restaurant, says that the city “does not represent that it owns the name” and that proposers “should be prepared to pursue its availability independently.”

In August, the city selected Dean Poll, owner and operator of the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, to run the restaurant. Some industry sources speculate that the city changed its position over the name, because Mr. Poll says he wants to use the name. It could become a sticking point between the city and Mr. Poll, who are negotiating terms of their contract but have not yet reached a final agreement.

According to Tavern's countersuit, the city first raised the issue of the trademark with the current operators in 2006, asserting then that the name did not belong to the LeRoys. But nothing came of those discussions.

“The city had no response to Tavern's” legal arguments, said David Kane, Tavern's lawyer in the trademark dispute. “The dialogue ended in 2006, and then in 2009 [in the RFP] the city said it didn't own the name. It's a huge change in their position.”

City sues Tavern on the Green operators over name

2009-10-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Fickenscher (Crain's New York Business)

Published: October 21, 2009 - 6:18 pm

The city sued the operators of Tavern on the Green Wednesday in U.S. bankruptcy court in an effort to regain control over the name of the famed eatery.

Tavern on the Green filed for bankruptcy protection last month, claiming that its largest asset is the trademark it holds for the restaurant’s name, which has an estimated value of $19 million.

The city claims that the eatery’s operator, the LeRoy family, is misleading creditors, the court and the public by laying claim to this asset.

The trademark, according to the complaint, was obtained fraudulently and without the city’s “knowledge or permission” in 1981.

Another argument the city is making is that the restaurant has existed under its current name since 1934, long before the LeRoy family began running the eatery in 1973.

The LeRoys also filed a second trademark in 2007 to use the restaurant’s name on its cooking oils and other food products that it sells to consumers. The city is challenging that trademark as well, asking the court to cancel the trademarks or transfer them to the city.

A spokeswoman for the LeRoys declined to comment on the lawsuit.

After putting the Tavern concession up for bids earlier this year, the city selected Dean Poll, owner and operator of the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, to run the restaurant.

More information on the Hotel Occupany Tax

2009-09-29T11:40:00.001-07:00

Now I have a phone number for a Mrs. Parker at the NYC Department of Finance. It is 212 232 1264. She is the person who can answer further questions. I have a feeling she might be very busy.

I have also spoken to NTA and they are still waiting for information from the NYC Finance Department to claify the audit procedure. I have listed some information and examples below to assist you. As a reminder the The hotel occupancy tax is 5.875% (.05875)

Example #1 (you know the amount of the hotel room)
If you are adding a margin to a net hotel rate (For example your margin is $25.00 per room), you multiply your margin by the occupancy tax (25 x 5.875% = 1.47). The amount of $1.47 is the tax for each room and for each night (8 rooms for 4 nights is $47.00)
($25 x 8 = 200 x 4 = 800 x 5.875% = $47.00)

Example #2 (you do not know the cost of the hotel room)
This is a bit more difficult. If you purchase a package at a net rate from a company like Beyond Times Square you do not have the cost of the hotel room, but you do know the amount of your margin. Of course you are not going to pay tax your entire margin, but a portion of it. The statement of procedure reads, “In this instance, a 15% markup on 70% of the average retail rate of a similar room may be used to compute additional rent.” This is the part I am still trying to get clarification on.

It sounds to me, that if you have a package with a specific hotel, you

1) To find out the gross rate of that hotel (check the hotel’s website and for our purposes, let say the rack rate is $300 per room per night).

2) You than need to take 70% of the $300, which is $210.00.

3) Then multiply that by your % margin (in this example I am using 15%), which gives you $31.50.

4) Then this amount of $31.50 (your hotel margin) needs to multiplied by the hotel tax of 5.875%. When complete the additional hotel tax per room per night is $1.85.

I hope this assist you with figuring out the new tax and when I have further information, I will post it to this blog.

REMEMBER IF YOU ARE GETTING A COMMISSION FROM A RESELLER YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY THE REMARKETER TAX

Information for September 23rd's Radio Show

2009-09-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you for listening today’s radio show. I think we covered some good information. To assist you with any follow up you might need to do, please see the links below. If you did not listen to the radio show, please click on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btsq and listen to our On-Demand Episodes

Press release from the NYC Park Department about the lease for the Tavern on the Green location
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_newsroom/press_releases/press_releases.php?id=20866

Finance Memorandum concerning the Hotel Remarketer Tax
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/pdf/09pdf/hotel_room_occupancy081409.pdf

Statement of Audit Process concerning the Hotel Remarketer Tax
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/pdf/sap/htx_2009-01.pdf

Form to register as a Hotel Remarketer http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/pdf/payment_operations/htx_certificate_of_registration.pdf

Form to send an email to Mayor Michael Bloomberg about the this tax
http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.bd08ee7c7c1ffec87c4b36d501c789a0/index.jsp?doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fmail%2Fhtml%2Fmayor.html

In my broadcast I mistakenly said the tax is 14.75%. That is hotel occupancy tax and sales tax combined. The hotel occupancy tax, which is what you are concerned with here is 5.875%

More information and some examples will follow soon

Radio Show information for September 2, 2009

2009-09-02T13:29:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone. We had a terrific show today, with our guest James Nevius. As I mentioned James is leading his walking tour of Dutch Colonial New Amsterdam on Harbor day (September 13th) in NYC. More information is located at http://www.insidetheapple.net/tours.htm

If you are interested in James or Michelle leading a walking or motorcoach tour for your group, contact us at info@btsq.com or 800.999.8160.

I literally ran into the office today from my plane from Norfolk, VA where I was attending the SYTA (Student Youth Travel Association) Conference. As always it was a productive conference and NYC was well represented. If you would like to learn more about STYA (if you sell student travel it is the association for you) visit www.syta.com or call me at 800.999.8160 and I will fill you in.

If you missed the show and would like to hear it, it is still available on our radio page www.blogtalkradio.com/btsq

Thank you for your support

Burn the Floor

2009-08-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Burn the Floor
With the today’s craze of Dancing with the Stars, You Think You Can Dance, and My Cat can Dance Better than Yours, it is no wonder that the dance Show Burn the Floor has come to Broadway. Inspired by the 50th Birthday Party of Sir Elton John (12 years ago) this sexy (very sexy) performance give a new spin on Ballroom dancing.

The show has performances by dancers from all over the world (USA, Australia, Germany + other countries) and the dances include Viennese Waltz, Jive, Paso Doble, Tango, Samba, Mambo, Quickstep and Swing. There was really nothing that did not amaze me. The moves of both the men and woman where just unbelievable as they torn things up for two acts.

There is really no better way to get an idea of the show than watching a video. Below is a link to a video sample:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dVAKSUct9c

Enjoy

Radio Show of August 12, 2009

2009-08-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks for listening to the show yesterday. If you did not you can always go back and listen at www.blogtalkradio.com/btsq Below is the information I mentioned on the show:

1) Coach Parking Regulations
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/charterbus.shtml

2) Information on Street Closings
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/home/home.shtml

3) Pizza
Joe's Pizza located on Carmine Street between Bleecker St and 6th Avenue

Pizza Suprema located on 8th Avenue and the corner of 31st Street next to the parking lot

Mariella's located on 8th Avenue between 57th and 56 Streets

Di Fara located on 1424 Avenue J, just one block from the Avenue J stop on the "Q" train.

Up coming Events in NYC:
Fashion’s Night Out, Sept 10: A citywide event to support local retailers. On September 10—the first night of Fashion Week—participating retail stores across the five boroughs will stay open until 11pm and offer an array of in-store celebrations and promotions. For more about this event, visit fashionsnightout.com.

Harbor Day, Sept 13: This one-day event in celebration of NYC’s revitalized waterfront and continued friendship with the Dutch will boast programming and activities spanning six major waterfront parks. This year’s Harbor Day is one of the culminating events of the NYC 400 week. Visit http://www.nycgo.com/?event=view.article&id=169368 and be on the look-out for more information about this exciting day of events!

Broadway on Broadway, Sept 13: The annual NYC event rich with musical numbers from Broadway shows performed on a giant outdoor stage, giant screens in Times Square, a sensational roster of celebrity performers, and a remarkable finale with heaps of confetti. We will keep you informed when more information becomes available!

Paul Rush's Blog

2009-08-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks for listening to the show today. Please read some more from the Secrets of New York at Paul's blog www.paulrush-newyorkstories.blogspot.com

Herring Festival

2009-06-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

I love herring. Pickled, smoked, raw, in salad, whatever. This fish of the North Atlantic has been a favorite of mine since I have been a child. Whenever I want it and want it fresh I go to Russ and Daughters on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They have been selling herring for almost 100 years. Whenever I go to my parents I have to bring them creamed herring with onions, or I might as well not go. :)

I was very please when I read about the Russ and Daughters Herring Festival. The festival was celebrating the fresh catch of the Holland Herring. I bought tickets immediately and my wife and I went this past Wednesday. I was in heaven. We walked into the penthouse room at the Roger Smith Hotel in Manhattan and we were submersed into a herring paradise with about another 100 herring lover. I am glad to see there were so many people there. As I explained above, I love all herring, Catherine is a little picky and sticks more the smoked and the herring and beets salad. I made a b-line right for the Holland Herring (a butter and fatty variety served just about raw except for some salt), got myself a plate (I am not an animal), three herrings and some raw onions. I like to each them the old fashion way, you pick the herring up by the tail and drop the body into your month and just bite it off (it bones and guts are already removed). Wow were they good. Writing my blog, I can taste them now. (I am drooling a little) We then feasted on smoked herring, salad, potatoes, aquavits and beer. It was great. I have never been surrounded by so much herring.

I was also glad to see some young people there munching away. It is important to pass traditions from generation to generation and this is one that should never die.

All and all I think it was a success and I am happy we were able to attend this very cool event. Russ and Daughters is a staple in NYC and it has become a one of a kind place (there used to be many many more appetizing stores in NYC, but times change). We do like to introduce Russ and Daughters to our guests and stop their on our Gourmet Shopping Program and our Noshing through New York Program.

EAT HEARTY

Poland in Brookyn

2009-05-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have not written for so long. It has been a busy spring season. This Saturday while Catherine studied at the library (finals week), I set out on my bike for Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Greenpoint is northern Brooklyn and borders Queen. It has gentrified somewhat but still has a very strong Polish community. I heard there are very good Polish bakeries and butchers in the area. That was my reason for going. I set out on my bike for the ride north from Bed- Stuy (Bedford-Stuyvesant, my neighborhood) to Greenpoint. (In NYC there are bike paths all over the city, so bikes can move easier with traffic. http://www.nycbikemaps.com/) When I arrived I noticed that many signs were Polish and the language on the street was Polish. I went to the bakery first. After watching a few other customers, I made my order. One loaf of egg bread (like challah) and a piece of something like apple pie/cake called Placek ze Jablka. The bakery was easy because everyone spoke English. I then walked into the butcher and I was transported to Poland (or as close to it as I have been). Nothing was in English. I hear no English. I look at the products being sold, but cannot tell what they are. I am looking at pictures to figure things out. There are about 15 different smoked sausages hanging from the ceiling and on the counter piles of steaming meats (pork loin, pork ribs, smoked and boiled bacon and more). I know I wanted something to take home and I looked over the different kinds of steaming pork (I got the smoked bacon, which I believe is called Wedzony Boczek Wiejski. I also know that I need pork shoulder, pork liver and fatback to make a pate (my first and it is I am cooking right now as I type). Now that I knew none of the staff spoke English, I thought this was going to be fun. I might end up with a pate of chicken and cow stomach. I asked a few people on line with me if they spoke English, but they did not know enough to help me. I finally asked a teenager. I figured she must know English and she did. She helped me with my order and was even able to explain fatback (if you do not know it is the fat along the back of a pig) then I looked around to see what else they had. It all looked wonderful, but only having a backpack and a bike, made me have to decide. I went with fresh sauerkraut and beet salad + the rest of my bounty. I paid my bill (which was incredibly cheap) and went on my way. It was a great experience and I plan on going back to get more. I will be sure to take a few Polish lessons beforehand. If you make it up there, these are two places I patronized. There are others

Polam International Butcher
952 Manhattan Ave # 30
(between India St & Java St)
Brooklyn, NY 11222

Rzeszowska Bakery
948 Manhattan Ave
(between India St & Java St)
Brooklyn, NY 11222

Thank God for Brooklyn

2009-03-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Mike came into NYC last weekend and wanted to do a few things besides seeing the Allman Brothers on Monday and Tuesday. (We had tickets for only two of the 15 shows, but two is better than none and what great shows they were especially Tuesday night).

So Mike definitely wanted to do a lot of walking which is a great thing to do in NYC and do it over the Brooklyn Bridge. He also wanted to visit the Brooklyn Brewery. All that sounded good to me.

So on the day he arrived, we parked the car at my apartment in Brooklyn and took the subway to Williamsburg. The Brooklyn Brewery is not like other breweries you visit. At many breweries, when visitors arrive the main thing is to get the guests on tours and then afterward give them free samples of beer. The Brooklyn Brewery is the opposite. You enter the brewery and you buy tokens for beer ($3.50 to $4.00 per token depending on how many you buy and a beer is one token) and then you hang out until the tour begins (at the top of each hour Saturdays only). We got our tokens (plural) and went to the taps. Mike and I were lucky because besides the usual five or six kinds of Brooklyn suds, they were serving Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Stout. It was a limited run and only served at the brewery and a few bars. It was great and we spent all of out tokens on it. We then got on the 4:00p tour, which is more of a talk given among the “guts” of the beer making operation. It was interesting and our guide told us the story of the Brooklyn Brewery and how it began. It lasted about a half hour and then it was time to spend our last tokens and go home. It is a good time and if you need more information, leave a comment on the blog and I will get back to you.

The next day Sunday, Catherine, Mike and I decided to do a walk. Cath and I live in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn which is a little over a mile from the Brooklyn Bridge. We set out from our place walking up Flushing Avenue which starts in a Hasidic Jewish neighborhood and being that it was Sunday, it was busy with people going about their day (For those who observe, the Jewish faith has their Sabbath on Saturday, so Sunday is almost like a regular day of the week, with kids in school, etc).

Walking up Flushing we walked by the Brooklyn Navy Yard (which is no longer a navy yard, but industrial complex and also has Steiner Studios) and Admiral Row, which are the dilapidated houses that once housed the top brass station in this Navy Yard. You can see by the photothey are in disrepair. There is talk about saving and restoring them, but there is also talk of tearing them down and building a super market.

Then we walked up to the Brooklyn Bridge. For those who have not done this walk it is spectacular. The walkway is above the cars so the view of Manhattan and Brooklyn is unobstructed. The are loads of people and everyone is enjoying themselves. Even NYCers who do this all the time find themselves gazing at the Hudson River with the buildings of Lower Manhattan towering over it. There are plenty of barges and tugboats on the river. For me I always get a kick out of the little boats pulling or pushing the boats. Mike was blown away taking pictures and looking out to the city. We made our way across and even a grumpy rollerblader did not break our stride. We spent the rest of the day just walking around Manhattan seeing what we could find.

Street Vendor Hot dogs

2009-02-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

I do not know if I know of a better quick meal on a spring or summer day in NYC, then a NYC street vendor hot dog (maybe two) with mustard and sauerkraut with a can of soda. Me and many New Yorkers have been eating street dogs (or dirty water dogs as they are affectionately called) forever. It is an institution. I think it is a must for each tourist to have one. I like mine as I mentioned, but there is also ketchup, onion sauce, and some street vendors have relish.

Some people do have an aversion to eating food from street vendors (the slang is “food off the street”). I can understand this. The carts are open, many of the servers do not wear gloves but many do, and if the food cart is not in a busy location there might be a low turnover of the food. With all that said, I do not think street vendors are worse than many restaurants in NYC or elsewhere. If you want to eat from a food vendor, but are weary, here are a few precautions you can take:

- Buy your hotdog or other food in a high traffic area, because of higher turn over
- Look over the cart. Does it look clean? Is there anything obviously unsanitary?
- Look at the vendors. Does he wear gloves? Is he mishandling food?
- Do you see uncooked hotdogs or other food sitting on top of the cart and not being stored in a cold place like the lower portion of the cart?

Knock wood , but I have never gotten sick from food off the street (hot dog, falafel or souvlaki), so bring on the carts it is hot dog time somewhere.

Subways and Hot Dogs

2009-02-21T13:00:00.001-08:00

I want to talk about two misunderstood things about NYC. Subways and street vendor hotdogs. I will start with subways. My next entry will be hotdogs.

I hear from some of our tour guests (I say “some” because we sell more metrocards to our guests than ever before and I am glad to say that more people are using the subway and buses) that they do not want to ride the subway. They say they are dangerous, they smell, I will get lost, I cannot learn how to use them and other excuses. That is all bologna.

The subway is a great form, not just of transportation, but also of art, music, dance and people watching. Many major cities in the world have subways by one name or another (Underground, Metro, MARTA), and feeling comfortable using subways will make you a better traveler.

The NYC subways of today are not the same as the subways of the 1970 with graffiti, and where crime was a huge problem. Now the trains are cleaner (not spotless) much safer (my wife rides at night with no worries) and ride smoother than they ever have. The L, 2, 5 and a couple of the other lines are very modern and have computer tracking systems, so more trains can operate per track The MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) is installing electronic signs in the stations of these lines and the signs tell riders when the next train will arrive. Right now the system us is installed on the “L” line and I think it is great because I can be impatient waiting for trains.

Below is some other information to encourage ridership:

1) Overall Crime in the NYC Subway dropped 3% in 2008 over 2007. Third straight year of decreases. (New York Post)

2) The MTA has a long running campaigns about subway safely, liter and being alert for any type of suspicious activities. These types of campaign were nonexistent 15 years ago.

3) A visitor to NYC can by an unlimited one week metro card for $25.00 (as of February 21, 2009) which entitles the user to unlimited rides on MTA buses and subway. If you are in NYC for 4 days and use the card three times per day, that is a little over $2.00 per ride. Four time per day and it is less than $2.00 per day.

4) Every day, each person who chooses to travel by bus or train contributes to a cleaner environment. That translates into approximately 700,000 cars kept out of New York City's central business district daily. It also means 400 million fewer pounds of soot, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and other toxic substances released each year into the city's air. (http://www.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffenvironment.htm)

5) Riding the subway is also a great place to see public art. Follow this link (http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/index.html), then click permanent art, and then click New York City Transit for more information

6) For music there is a great program called Music Under New York. Click here to learn more http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/muny

7) For maps and getting around you can visit www.mta.info for maps and service updates on the entire NYC transit system. Also the MTA has partnered with Google to provide directions using the subways http://www.mta.info/mta/google.html

Of course the subways are not perfect, and there are schedule and service issues that the City and MTA are grappling with. I hope they will find a solution besides raising fare. I ride subways and buses everyday and I am happy that my city has a great system. If not, I do not think it would be the great place it is.

If you enjoyed this an want to read more, please follow my blog and/or leave comments for others

Why Travel?

2009-02-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

I wanted to regress a little and give you some background of myself and why I am in the travel industry. My father with his brother and money from their mother, my mother and my mother’s mother started one of the first African Safari companies in the United States back in the late 1960’s. When I was born the company, Park East Tours, was one year old. As I grew up the company was part of my life. I remember my father traveling, writing brochures and talking to colleagues in Africa at 4:00 a.m (cursed time difference). Vacations to exotic African destinations were part of my childhood (Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco and Rwanda). My first job was a messenger during school breaks. I think I was 12 (The subway was 0.75 cents). I worked there over summers and then after college. Much of my family was there. Father, mother, sister and aunt. Working with family made for some stressful situations but some great times too. I enjoyed the travel business and decided to make it my career. Fast forward to 1997, I bought my father’s half of Park East and then a couple of years later in 2000 my uncle and I both sold our halves to another company. I worked for the new company for a while (It was called Grand Expeditions, but is now part of the Travel Industry Giant Tui), but working for someone else was not what I wanted. So at that point I thought about what I should do. I wanted to remain in the travel industry, but I wanted something closer to home (not that I did not love going to Africa a few time per year). New York was perfect. I was living here, I was born in Queens and spent many years of my life growing up in the city. So I thought of a name (several in fact) and created Beyond Times Square. Now it is the beginning of our sixth year and we continue the same idea we started with:

Beyond Times Square is a travel experience company specializing in the five boroughs of New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. We provide our group and individual clients with unique and memorable experiences in a friendly and professional manner. We achieve this by listening to what our clients want and incorporating their wishes along with our expertise into our travel programs and other products.

We look forward to exceeding your expectations and thank you for your support

Be well Eric

New Year

2009-02-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well it is a new year and now that the newsletter is being sent and our new website is coming online very soon, I will be updating the blog more often.

One topic that is very important now and always is the fact that tourism brings money into a local economy. People visit, they eat, they sleep, they buy, and they see shows and all of it contributes. With the financial sector in disarray NYC is losing a large generator of revenue and is looking to other industries to help generate $$$. (Bio Tech, Video Gaming, Higher Education and Tourism. This week in Crain's New York Business, they published a list of 14 suggestions to help the NYC economy. Three of them (20% of the list) pertained to helping increase tourism to NYC. Mayor Bloomberg does believe in the importance of tourism and last week attended the launch of the new NYC & Company website (www.nycgo.com) and opening of the new NYC and Co Visitor Center located on 7th Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets. The opening of the center fulfills a commitment the Mayor made in the State of the City speech, where he discussed the importance of making investments to promote culture and tourism in New York City. While at the event Mayor Bloomberg said “Our City’s travel and tourism industry is as important today as ever, and we’ve invested in new tools to attract visitors and formed innovative partnerships with brands such as Google and Travelocity to promote the City to people around the world.”

I think everyone in the city is starting to remember (if they have forgotten) how important tourism is to the city and I think now and in the coming months it will be clearer than ever.

Local knowledge through food

2008-09-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

I was in San Antonio last week for the Student Youth Travel Conference. It is a great show because everyone is so enthusiastic about the students. It is good to see current clients and meet new ones. We offered some new product and it will be up on the new website in a few weeks. We stayed in a very touristy area and the food was nothing special (many chains restaurant). We did go to a place called Roasario’s which had a lot of locals. I liked it. Our waiter (Adrian) told us (I was with some other NYCers) about a traditional weekend breakfast food called barbacoa. It is basically stewed cow tongue, cheek and brain. After it is stewed it is shredded. The take out places as called Peppe’s. My friend Kim and I went. It was not best part of town and we were the only gringos around. The place is only open on weekends from 6:00a to 10:00a, so we got there by 8:30a so we did not miss out. We were greeted with open arms. We got the barbacoa, tortillas, salsa and went back to our hotel and ate it in Starbucks. It as real good and real different. And when we had leftovers (even after I had three tacos of the stuff) we shared them with people who worked at Starbucks. It is a great way to experience the local culture. Next update will be about NYC.

2008-09-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my…It has been a while since I have written. Lots of stuff, but I will begin with the Helicopter ride. Debbie (from the office) and I took a Helicopter ride the other day over the Hudson River and Lower Manhattan. I have done it once before, but I will tell you it does not lose its magic. We cruised over the SI ferry and the Statue of Liberty. The pilot gave us a great view of the harbor with all the building at the foot of the Island. We saw Brooklyn heights. We had a perfect day, so we could see everything. We were up for about 8 minutes and had a ball. Looking down onto the monster buildings is really cool because you are so used to doing from below. I think a cool experience is: Start with a helicopter ride to get the overview of the city, and then come down and get on a harbor cruise to see the outer rim of the city from the eye level. When you are back on land do a walking and subway tour to get the real feel of NYC beneath your feet. It is the Air, Sea, Street and Subterranean NYC experience. Have fun.

Food Glorious Food

2008-08-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write about a food tour we organized for one of our group clients. It was for a motorcoach of 45 guests from Delaware. They arrived in Manhattan at 11:00a and we got started right away. On board the coach was Kevin (the Beyond Times Square guide) and the assistant who is in-charge of getting the food, handing it out (both on an off the coach), giving napkins, moist towelettes, etc. The group had a diverse mix of tastings: Italian, Greek, Chinese, Jewish & Chocolate. Six stops in all and enough for lunch. The stop at the dumpling stand in Chinatown was the most fun because we had about 200 dumplings, and we were standing on the this small street in Chinatown eating them (I wish I had a picture) + one of the women in the group spoke Mandarin Chinese, so she was able to speak to the shopkeeper about when she came to the USA and how she opened her business. At a couple of the other stops the group members went into the food shops and met the owners or had some time to browse (any buy). Everyone loved it and enjoyed their free time to explore in Little Italy.

When the group was read to set sail for home it was about 3:30p or 4:00p. I think everyone agreed they experienced a new side to NYC.

Shearwater

2008-08-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Last Night (August 9th) Catherine (my wife), Marine (my sister-in-law) and I took the 9:30p cruise aboard the Shearwater Sailing vessel (84 feet). It departs from North Cove in Battery Park City right near the Winter Garden. The restaurants and bars around there were crowded, and since it was a nice night all the outdoor tables were being used. We just hung out on a bench and took in the atmpsphere. When the ship was ready we got on board. I have sailed during the day on the Shearwater but sailing on it at night was a different experience. Just being in the harbor seeing Manhattan, NJ and Brooklyn all kit up was amazing, especially when they cut the engine and put up the sails. It was so quiet. No motor vessel offers such an experience. We could see a few stars, but Venus (I am 99% sure) was bright in the sky. We made it to Governor's Island before they shutoff the Waterfalls for the night. Seeing the falls at night with the lights only on the falls and not the structure, makes it looks like they were just coming out of thin air. I was excited to experience that. We sailed for about two hours. They had beer and wine available so we sipped a few drinks while we cruised. To top off a great night, the three of us made out way to Wo-Hop (17 Mott St) for what I think is the best food in Chinatown. (I am biased since I have been going there for more than 20 years).

Grayz

2008-08-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by saying that my favorite is restaurants in Manhattan is the Modern. I have never had a bad meal or experience. The food is always exquisite. Last night we went to Grayz (www.grayz.net) which is one block north of the Modern and it is a contender for the #1 spot. We went for restaurant week ($35.00 three course dinner)+tip+tax+ drinks (wines range from $35.00 and up up up... We had a bottle that was $35.00 and it was excellent It was from Spain, I have to find the name). Beside the three courses we also ordered a Weisswurst (German sausage) with mustard and homemade hot pretzels. I wish I could have it for lunch everyday was how good it was. The app was seasonal green with cheese spaetzle (two separate small plates), the entree was a Walleye Pike with orzo and a creamy foam. It was a mixture of light and heavy tastes. Dessert was a chocolate dome with braised cherries. Yummy. I had a cocktail called SSC (Salt, Sugar and Chili) which was a suped up margarita. All in all the dinner was a success and we look forward to returning. In other news me and my sister-in-law went to the new IKEA in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It is just like any other IKEA, cool stuff, not expensive, lots of people and long lines. I hope I do not have to return soon. We did walk over to the park by Fairway Supermarket and the Waterfront Museum. It was sunny so we just sat on a bench watch the ships cruise by and the Statue of Liberty was in the distance (best view of the SOL from land is in Red Hook). Until later.

Castles of Westchester

2008-07-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

I went on a trip to Westchester last week with a group of other travel people organized by the Westchester County Office of Tourism . Besides going to see several hotels in the area (Renssaince, Marriott and the Rye Town Hilton), we visited Kykuit (the Rockefeller Estate) and Lyndhurst Country Estate. Both were incredible. Lyndhurst is bit more laid back and you can go through the home with a guide (ours was great) or on your own. The each room is furnished and reflect the decor of one of the former owner (The most recent being the Gould Family). I think the stories about the people who lived there are the most interesting. It give you a glimpse into the past, but a more intimate past. I also think it is fun to picture the rooms with the former inhabitants sitting and reading or talking and seeing how they are different and similar to how we are today. See an hisotric home is more fun if you can really picture what went on. It brings it to life.

Kykuit was just an amazing experience. Everything The history of the home, the Rockefeller, the art collection the gardens, the cars, the carriage are just astounding. At Kykuit you cannot go through the structures on your own, you have to go with one of their guides. The woman who led us knew a lot about the art work, the family and the actual house (there are several on the property but we only saw the main and I am not sure if any other are even open for touring except the Coach House). The Rockefeller really knew how to spend their money on things that were beautiful. The gardens are like a royal court and the art collection (including sculpture) is of museum quality. The main house was really like nothing I have ever seen before and I was really awe-struck. I can go on talk about them, but you really need to go there yourself. You will be glad you did.

Amma

2008-07-31T05:46:00.001-07:00

Well it is restaurant week in NYC and we have been trying to take advantage of it as much as possible, but as always life gets in the way. I went last week with a friend to Nick and Stef Steak House next to MSG. We go every restaurant week just for the hell of it. In a neighborhood with few nice sit down restaurants it is a nice welcome. (That is changing. We just go an Uncle Nick's - Greek). Today I am meeting a friend at Frankie and Johnnies, which is another steak place and I enjoy the short ribs which are on the menu for lunch. But last night we went to Amma on 51st Street and 2nd Ave. I have been to this home cooking upscale Indian place before and it is always the tops. Their restaurant week menu is great (4 courses for $35.00++). http://www.ammanyc.com/menu.php. I do not have anything against the Indian places in Murray Hill or on East 6th. They are good, low cost and fun. Amma is a several levels up in flavor, creativity and price. If you like Indian food and want to try something higher end, give it a shot. I am sure you will be happy. I would love to hear about it. We are going to Grayz on Friday so stay tuned.

Waterfalls

2008-07-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

I went to experience the Waterfalls a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed looking at them from the eastern side of South Street Seaport. It gave me more of a sense of a change in my landscape. They do stand out. I then saw them later that evening from the Zephyr Cruise and again it was very cool, but when you are further away on the shore they hold more of a mystery. I think it was nice to compare the two different views. One thing before I even went to South Street Seaport that day, I was somewhere else in Lower Manhattan and I see my friend and business associate Carolyn. She was going to a cocktail party at a restaurant in South Street Seaport and asked if I wanted to come. I of course said yes (free drinks). Even though there are more than 8 million residents of NYC (even more during the work day) you still run into people you know just walking down the street. NYC is just like a small town, but everything is bigger.