Travel Tidbits: Famous Faces Try to Lure Tourists to New York and Touring North Dakota on Two Wheel

What do actor Kevin Bacon, MTV personality Coltrane Curtis and musician Itzhak Perlman all have in common? They want you to visit their favorite Big Apple haunts. And thanks to a new ad campaign you’ll discover where these famous faces hang out in the city during their downtime. Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb, MTV fashion VJ Coltrane Curtis and Perlman are among the famous New Yorkers who have joined the newly expanded citywide welcome campaign for foreign travelers. The idea behind the new project, according to tourism officials, is to provide insider tips from celebrities and local experts about … Continue reading

Dining Behind The Wheel

Did you know that the average American spends 100 hours a year commuting to work? So, what of those parents who do double duty commuting to work, carting children around to various extra-curricular activities, running errands and in some cases using the family vehicle as a means to lull a cranky baby to sleep. How many hours a year do they spend in the car? A lot. I should know. Our family spends way too much time in our vehicles. Which is why such a great appreciation for the individual who invented the car cup holder. I once saw a … Continue reading

Riding the Bus

They’ve spent years singing about its wheels going round and round, but now the day has come for your little one to take his first ride on a big yellow school bus. More and more parents of preschoolers are opting to have their kids use a bus as the primary vehicle to get to class.  Depending on the location of your child’s preschool, older siblings might be able to ride alongside their younger sister or brother. Regardless of whether or not all of your children ride the same bus, now is the time to prep your preschooler on the rules associated with … Continue reading

Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The Richard Petty Driving Experience

Disney World (or any of the Disney parks) is pretty much the ultimate family vacation spot. I can’t wait to make my eventual jaunt to Disney World, but I am putting it on hold until I have kids old enough to go, because it seems like the ideal trip for a family. That being said, there’s plenty for adults to do at Disney World. There’s all the fancy dining restaurants (like Victoria & Albert), the full-service spas, and of course, enjoying the regular park experience just like everyone else. So today I’m starting another recurring column, one that I’ll bring … Continue reading

Stay Awake (and Alive) on the Road

It’s a holiday weekend here in the United States — and lots of people are taking an end-of-summer trip. The roads were extra crowded yesterday and this morning as people headed out of town for summer’s last hurrah. One danger of road trips is getting sleepy when you’re behind the wheel. And it isn’t just vacationers who are at risk! Folks who work third shift, people who drive long distances every day, and people who don’t get enough sleep are at risk for heavy eyelids while on the road. Here are some things you can do to help stay awake … Continue reading

Summer Travel: Tourism Heats Up in New York

Summer is typically the time of year when New Yorkers leave the city in droves and tourists take over the streets of Manhattan… and the Bronx… and Brooklyn… and Queens. I can’t say I blame the city’s residents… or the tourists. Each summer my family would fly from our home in Hawaii to New York to spend time with my grandparents in the Big Apple and at the Jersey shore… and we weren’t alone. Millions of other families did the same and are still doing so to this day. With an extra hundred thousand clueless travelers congesting city streets on … Continue reading

Summer Road Trip: Tires

Despite gas prices nearing record levels studies show many families are still planning to hit the road this summer. As such I have decided to write a series of blogs providing tips on how you can stay safe while on driving to your summer vacation destination. Today, I’m focusing on car care–specifically tire care. While it is important to remain vigilant about the condition of your tires throughout the year it is especially critical in warm weather because long trips, heavy loads, high speeds and higher temperatures all put additional stress on your tires. Before you head out on the … Continue reading

Protecting Your Family While Traveling on Wet Roads

April showers bring… hazardous driving conditions, which could lead to potentially deadly accidents if you are not properly prepared. Common sense tells you that the first thing you should do when you find yourself driving in the middle of a spring or summer storm is to slow down. However, there are a few other simple ways you can protect your precious cargo during the rainy season: WINDSHIELD WIPERS Equip your vehicle with a good set of wiper blades. When was the last time you replaced your car’s windshield wiper blades? Car care experts recommend they be changed at least twice … Continue reading

Post Thanksgiving Turkey Tales

Regular readers of this blog know that I have a thing for eating contests. While I have never personally participated in one, I find myself strangely attracted to the sight of people shoving endless amounts of food into their mouths at high rates of speed. Thanksgiving meals are similar to eating contests only minus the speed. Which is not to say that Turkey Day was minus an eating contest this year. Thanks to the Food Bank of New York City and one major league eater fans of eating contests could get their fill watching Tim Janus devour a Thanksgiving meal … Continue reading

The Perfect Pie Crust

I am vehemently opposed to reinventing the wheel. So when it comes to pie crust, we use the recipe from The Joy of Cooking. Deluxe Butter Double Pie Crust 2 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of salt 1 cup cold butter ¼ cup shortening 6 to 8 tablespoons of ice cold water Start by mixing together your dry ingredients. You can sift them together. . .but I really find it makes little difference. Tip #1 Add the fat very quickly. If you’re using the recipe in this blog, add the butter first (mixing it in as … Continue reading