My sister, Linda, and her daughter, Tori, had heard rumors. They were in New York City for a week to see some Broadway shows and do all the normal touristy things. But most of all, they were there to shop.  According to rumor, diminutive Chinese women stand on the sidewalk in front of their shops in Chinatown, whispering furtively to passers by, offering to sell high-quality knockoffs of brand-name purses.

Hoping for the best, they walked around Chinatown, slowing their pace and listening very closely whenever they passed a shopkeeper lingering on the pavement. Once, twice, three times their hopes were dashed. Just another rumor with no substance, they decided. They were headed back to the hotel when Tori stopped in her tracks.

“Did you hear that?”she asked her mother? “I’m sure that woman whispered the word purse.” Read the rest of this entry »

In recent decades, major sports teams have been selling naming rights to their stadiums. San Francisco’s historic Candlestick Park was renamed 3-Com Stadium, the Arizona Diamondbacks play in Bank One Ballpark, and Heinz Stadium is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bowl games sell corporate sponsorships (i.e.: the 96th Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi or the Valero Energy Alamo Bowl) and although they often turn event names into lengthy, tongue-twisting titles, the sponsorships also provide much needed revenue. It is precisely this revenue source that prompted officials in New York City to consider selling naming rights to some very unconventional facilities.

Faced with a massive $2 billion deficit, New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority began searching for corporate sponsors for – of all things – the city’s subway stops. For five years the MTA offered corporate naming rights to the underground but there were no takers – until now. If the $4 million deal is approved, Barclays Bank will be added to the already lengthy named Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue subway stop in downtown Brooklyn. Although in this case the sponsorship may make sense (the subway stop will serve Barclays Center, a new sports arena scheduled to open in 2012), it certainly begs the question of whether traveling around NYC will still have that authentic New York flavor when conductors find themselves announcing “McDonald’s Big Mac Lincoln Center,” or “Yahoo! Rockefeller Center.”

Recently I wrote a travel article on the top ten waterfalls in the U.S. for the Uptake.com attractions blog. A few days later I received an email from Jesse Baier, who is employed by Delaware North Companies, the company that provides food, concessions and guest services for Niagara Falls State Park. Jesse had read my waterfall article and wanted to pass on some interesting historical information about Niagara Falls:

“When winters are cold enough for Lake Erie waters to freeze, ice flows down the Niagara River and over the falls, jamming and growing constantly until an ice bridge, spreading from the Canadian to American sides of the falls, is created. At 30 to 100 feet thick, the size and duration of the ice bridge vary from year to year. It has been illegal for almost a century for anyone to set foot on the ice bridge. Tragically, in 1912, Read the rest of this entry »

Despite patchy fog and spitting rain this morning, the views from the Interstates of eastern New York were spectacular. From the Hudson Valley, past the Catskills, and up to Albany, the fall foliage was at its peak. North of Albany, many of the trees had already been stripped of their leaves, and I began to worry that the fall colors at my intended destination for the evening – Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains – would be past their peak. I will simply say – not so! I think the following photos speak for themselves:

Lake George Adirondacks New York fall foliage

Lake George Adirondacks New York fall foliage

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Yesterday I was 1 for 2. Originally I had planned to return to I-95 North and and take the I-495 loop around Washington, D.C., but my friends in Fredericksburg, who travel this route every day, told me that traffic begins backing up 30 miles outside of D.C., which is only 50 miles away. Since my ultimate goal was to head north into Pennsylvania and New York, I instead chose to travel the smaller westbound country roads that would take me to I-81. I left at 6:15 a.m. in the pre-dawn darkness. By the time the sun came up I was passing through rolling Virginia farm country with well-kept barns and immense green pastures shimmering with dewdrops. I crossed over the Shenandoah Mountains, enjoying the occasional brilliant red or pumpkin orange tree that popped out at me as I rounded the curves in the road through the National Forest.

Adorable little town of Luray, Virginia

On the downhill side, signs began to appear for Luray Caverns. Having been a rock hound all my life, I have long been fascinated with caves. Some years ago I camped in Shenandoah National Park and drove a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had spotted Luray caverns during that trip but was unable to visit due to time constraints. Thankfully, I have no time constraints on this trip. As it was too early for the caves to be open, I diverted into Luray Village in search of a wake-up cup of coffee. Not only was this an adorable little mountain town, I also discovered a gem of a bakery where I stuffed my face with fresh-baked raisin scones and the most delicious Read the rest of this entry »

This is one of the wildest things I’ve ever seen. Last month, more than 200 “agents” of New York City based Improv Everywhere converged on Grand Central Station. On the dot of 2:30 PM, the “agents” froze in place for five minutes. One man dropped a briefcase full of papers on the floor just before the appointed time. Another couple held a five-minute long kiss. Still others froze in the midst of kneeling, removing clothing, or eating. The normally crazy-busy Grand Central Station slowed down a bit as onlookers tried to figure out what was going on. Check out the video below. Click