nyc — pleasure in simple things

Tag: nyc

the best park in nyc

September

I can’t deny that Central Park is magnificent, but it is not my favorite park in New York City. For Friday field trip today, I am sharing a glimpse of my favorite park in the city. It not only provides an amazing display of shrubs, grasses, trees and perennials that rival any public garden, but also provides a unique view of the city from 30 feet above the ground!

Running from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street, the High Line is a one mile New York City linear park built on a section of an old railroad spur. This unique park, 30 feet above street level, contains innovatively designed seating areas and beautiful plantings in addition to expansive views of New York City and the Hudson River.

The park provides a view of life in New York like no other.

office along the High Line NYC pleasure in simple things

A view of an office from the High Line in New York City.

Seasonal blooms (click here for September list), art on display, and scheduled activities are all part of the High Line culture. Dining is also an option during a visit and a fun way to take a rest and admire views of the Hudson River.

It is an exciting time to be a High Line fan, because on September 21st a new High Line section, from 30th Street and 10th Avenue to the curve near 12th Avenue, and up to 34th Street will be opened to the public. I can’t wait to check out the new design features and plantings in the new Rail Yards section!

original rail tracks on the High Line in NYC pleasure in simple things

Cleverly designed seating amid the original rails on the High Line in New York City.

If you should visit New York City, be sure to include the High Line in your schedule of activities.

Thanks so much for stopping by for Friday field trip. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to find pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Finding Silver Pennies, and Crafts a la Mode.

1 comment » | field trips, garden, travel

super bowl 2014 review

February

For Friday field trip today I am sharing a few photos from my trip into New York City last weekend to celebrate Super Bowl XLVIII. Also, I am including some links to my favorite Super Bowl moments – none of which are clips of the actual game!

This year, the pregame frenzy associated with the Super Bowl was amped up in our area…for the very first time, the Super Bowl was played in the Northeast – my part of the country – hosted by New York and New Jersey. So, of course I couldn’t resist checking out all the excitement associated with this nationally recognized sporting event and cultural phenomenon we call “the Super Bowl.”

No, I didn’t attend the game – I traveled into New York City to check out all the pregame craziness! And, craziness there was!

Craziness was witnessed from the time I got onto the train in Connecticut heading to New York City, where people were popping opening bottles of champagne at 9:45am – drinking to celebrate their favorite team’s anticipated win the following day!

And in New York City, Times Square hadn’t seen such action since New Year’s Eve…where the entire area from 34th to 44th was turned into ‘Super Bowl Boulevard’ celebrating all things football. The week-long schedule of events culminated on Saturday with contests, freebies, interactive booths, visiting NFL players signing autographs for the crowd, and a photo ‘op’ with the Vince Lombardi trophy (stand in line to get a photo with a hunk of metal shaped as a football…I don’t think so!).

There was a time when I would watch the Super Bowl every year. Not to watch the game, mind you. I couldn’t miss the commercials! Or, the halftime show. Now the commercials are all available on YouTube before the game is even played…and, the halftime show is just as accessible online after the big contest. This eliminates any reason for me to actually tune in to see ‘the big game.’

And if you were wondering, no…the ‘Puppy Love’ commercial was not my favorite commercial. I like an ad that uses a little humor, is cleverly done, and best uses talent that makes sense in promoting the product. These were my top three favorites in no particular order:

Top Super Bowl 2014 Commercial Ellen,

Top Super Bowl 2014 Commercial Tim,

Top Super Bowl 2014 Commercial Anna.

There was also one commercial that was notable and worth watching…it starred the 10 year old Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis (who was gifted a Maserati for her role in this ad)…awesome job and wonderful photography. You can see the Superbowl XLVIII Maserati commercial here.

As for the halftime show – this year, the Bruno Mars concert was definitely worth a watch in real time – Congrats to Pepsi and Bruno for an awesome halftime performance! No wardrobe malfunctions or gimmicks here…just straight up talent and a wonderful display of showmanship:

Some Bruno Mars Super Bowl performance highlights are here.

A real cool part of being in New York City Saturday pregame – aside from all the energy surrounding me – as I battled the crowds to get back to Grand Central Station to head home, I was able to watch the Super Bowl inspired contest results determining what colors would light the Empire State Building.

All week prior to the ‘big game’, the colors illuminating the building were determined by tweeting NFL fans. Each night, the colors (I have admitted I am color obsessed, so this was right up my alley.) displayed on the building were determined by the largest number of tweeting fans…orange and blue if Broncos fans tweeted the most…blue and green if Seahawks fans tweeted the most.

Here is the closing ceremony light show for the Seahawks:

You can see the Empire State Building Super Bowl XLVIII Light Show here.

So that’s my Super Bowl 2014 review…hope you enjoyed it…if you expected game highlights, sorry…that’s not my thing. I only enjoy watching football games where I know the people playing. ;) Not that I would mind knowing Eric Decker personally!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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top ten coolest people i met countdown

June

friday field trip

A photo of Star Jones – #2 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown.

So many exciting people to meet and fun things to do in New York City this past week! I really couldn’t pin down a Friday field trip, so I decided to do a countdown of the ten coolest people I met on my three day field trip to NYC. Are you ready?

#10. #9. #8. Hercules, Mercury, and Minerva

Yup, I am talking about the gods! Hercules, Mercury, and Minerva are the three gods depicted on the statues surrounding the clock on the facade of Grand Central Station facing 42nd Street. I actually took some time to look up and notice the clock…it definitely fits in the cool category (I know, I know…these three are not exactly ‘people’, but it’s my list :) ) I can’t believe how many times I have been in and out of Grand Central in my lifetime and have never really taken the time to notice the details on this amazing piece of work. At the time it was unveiled in 1914, it was considered the largest sculptural group in the world! Cool!

#7. The Hawaiian Airline Dancers

Hawaiian Airlines has staged a little piece of Hawaii on the streets of Manhattan as a part of a promotion to celebrate the start of direct, non-stop flights from New York to Honolulu. Hula dancers performing to traditional Hawaiian music really set a mood of the tropics, but it is the fragrance of all the real flower leis that just put the whole sensory experience over the top for me! Like many others passing by, I could not resist stopping to enjoy…and, I put my name in to win a drawing for free flights to Hawaii…aloha!

#6. Keenan Cahill

Keenan is an internet celebrity that became famous from lip-syncing popular songs on YouTube. If you don’t know who he is, you probably don’t know who ‘David going to the Dentist’ is either. He lipsynced his first YouTube video in 2010 to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. He has had some big name singers (rapper 50 cent for example), join him in his videos. He lives in Illinois and traveled to New York City this past week to speak at a social media conference, giving advice to a roomful of techies on how to achieve what he was able to at 14 years old. What is supercool about Keenan? He put himself out there and did what he really wanted to do, in spite of what anyone else thought or advised. In the process, he became an internet sensation by combining genuineness, a love for music, and a great sense of humor. His confidence and spirit get him on my list as #6. Keep singing Keenan :) !

A photo of internet celebrity Keenan Cahill. #6 on the “Cool People I Met” countdown.

#5. Ina Garten

With so many celebrity chefs today, Ina stands out as someone that ‘keeps it real’. Always cooking great food, simply and deliciously prepared, joining Ina (via Food Network) in her home to watch her cook for her husband, Jeffrey, or some of her friends, is always a treat. As lovely in person as she is on her television show (with a face full of adorable freckles), it was definitely a thrill to meet Ina Garten (who grew up and was married in my home state of Connecticut) and she comes in at #5 on my cool people list.

A photo of Ina Garten – #5 on my ‘Cool People’ countdown.

#4. Tim Gunn

Always impeccable and oozing with swag, Tim Gunn is #4 on my countdown of cool people I met this week. He was cool when he mentored young talent on the television show Project Runway (as a former faculty member of Parson the New School for Design) and he remains cool now, in all he does. You can catch him on daytime television giving “Timterventions” on his show The Revolution. You got it going on Tim!

A photo Tim Gunn – #4 on the countdown.

#3. Roble Ali

This hot, young chef is currently starring in the show Chef Roble & Co. where he and his team cater events for big name clients and celebrities in NYC. But, that is not why he receives #3 on my ‘cool’ countdown of the week. He attains this honor for judging the Teen Battle Chef LIVE in Harlem last Wednesday night. Teen Battle Chef is a program where young people learn to cook and explore culinary careers, nutrition, food systems and gardening education, while ‘battling’ obesity and chronic disease. Chef Roble helped confirm to the students that it is ‘cool’ to be interested in preparing and eating healthy food.

#2. Star Jones

Star Jones also gets on my cool list for supporting the Teen Battle Chef event in Harlem. She served as the emcee for the evening and did an amazing job of conveying the importance of eating right by speaking candidly about her own personal story of being overweight (over 300 lbs.) and requiring open heart surgery. Kudos to Star for using her personal story and her no-nonsense demeanor to help inspire others, while lighting up the evening with her sense of humor and sparkling personality.

Photo of Star Jones at Teen Battle Chef in Harlem – #2 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown.

I am blessed with some really great friends…one of them works in health and wellness and invited me to attend Teen Battle Chef that was being held in Harlem this past week, sponsored by her employer, Emblem Health. I had never before spent any time in Harlem and hadn’t heard about the event I was attending, but it seemed to contain all the ingredients I love: celebrity chefs, education, and the chance to meet new people. I was in! I managed to negotiate my way to Harlem (thanks sweet, young girl from the performing arts high school that I met on the subway) and find my destination.

#1. Harlem students participating in Teen Battle Chef.

There is no question that the coolest of the cool I met this week were definitely the students that participated in the Teen Battle Chef in Harlem (I couldn’t pick just one) and they came in as #1 in my countdown. What a fun night I had with them all! I was lucky to get the chance to sample the creations in the appetizer category and the students were eager to explain the nutritional value of each ingredient. (Send me an email if you would like me to send you the recipe for my favorite – “Carribbean Salsa”.)

Every person that helped create and implement this program (an extra-curricular activity at school) and competition is #1 in my book…this includes Lynn Fredicks (founder of FamilyCook Productions), Former First Lady of New York State Michelle Paige Paterson (sparking the idea for bringing the program to Harlem), and all those that supported it – including Former Governor of New York, David Paterson and celebrity chefs Walter Hinds and Marcus Samuelsson. Bon appetit!

A photo of #1 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown – the Harlem students committed to learning about healthy eating.

Congratulations to the students of Harlem for their committment to help their friends and family make healthier food choices to prevent unhealthy weight and associated diseases! Super cool!

Hope you enjoyed the Top Ten Coolest People I Met Countdown for this week’s Friday field trip!

3 comments » | celebrity

fun for free

April

thank you Jimmy Fallon!

I am at a point in my life where I have no expendable income. Like so many parents, I am helping my twenty something’s with college to get a good start in their lives and I’m pretty caught up in paying all this ‘good start’ off! This leaves no budget for non-necessities…..least of all for any entertainment expenses. So I am always on the lookout for any good fun for free.. my most recent excursion?

I attended a taping of “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon!” Jimmy Fallon happens to be my favorite comedian and I am a big fan of his late night television show. My favorite segment of the show is ‘thank you notes’ and I was able to score tickets for a Friday episode –the night ’thank you notes’ is a regular segment.

My favorite of Jimmy’s thank you notes at the taping I attended:

“Thank you Swanson’s Hungry Man Microwavable Meals for showing me that steak, mashed potatoes, and a brownie can all be cooked the exact same length of time.”

To attend the taping, I hopped the train and made a trip to “30 Rock” the address made famous by Tina Fey’s comedy show. I recently read her memoir “Bossypants” which made the trip to 30 Rockefeller Plaza all the more ‘fun’.

An added bonus… a beautiful spring afternoon in the city. (Athough the show airs after midnight, it is taped earlier in the afternoon)

Even though it was such a warm day, the ice skaters were still out since the rink stays up until mid-April.

The taping was incredible! What a show! So much more entertaining than watching the show on television and much cooler than I ever imagined. It’s not like I have never been to a taping…..I have been to SNL, quite a few David Letterman shows, and even Rosie back when she had a show. But, this was definitely my favorite of the bunch!

When we got seated in the studio we were greeted and entertained by a comedian. ‘The Roots’ , the house band, performed a number for the studio audience after the warm up by the comedian. If you have ever seen the show you know what an incredibly talented bunch of musicians make up the band. Next, our announcer and Jimmy’s ‘sidekick’ Steve Higgins introduces himself to everyone and, before you know it, the show begins. The day I attended, the guests were Christian Slater and Bethenny Frankel.

Jimmy is the best. I really encourage anyone that is ever in the New York area to attend a taping – you can get information on obtaining tickets on his website. If you aren’t one to stay up late and watch the show, you can always watch episodes….full episodes or segments… on the show’s website: www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com . (I highly recommend the Bruce Springsteen Friday episode if you opt to watch an episode…he performs three songs…. if you are not into Bruce, any episode is good)

Thanks so much Jimmy for a wonderful ‘fun for free’ experience!!

After the taping, as I left the studio, I was walking behind Bethenny….as she started to head out of the building, I heard her talking on her cell phone to Jason (if you have ever seen her reality show, you recognize that name as her husband’s)… I had my camera in my bag, so as I walked out the door, I snapped a photo….

My paparazzi moment: