Be A Tourist For The Day

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I have lived in a few other states but nothing compares to good old NYC! That being said there are places that I have never visited in my home city, and the same can be said about most native New Yorkers. So, this past weekend we took a trip to a place I've heard about but have never been to. I blogged about it before so I figured I should go to Governors Island.


Although, Governors Island Ferry building is right next to the Staten Island Ferry building, I never noticed it before! It's actually very pretty. The trip by sea was very short, about 7 minutes not much time for sea sickness.:)Once we got back on land on the other side, we were greeted by a lot of lush green grass, and buildings all over the island.


You can bring your own bikes to the island or you can rent some on the island, if you don't want to do either there are buses that transport you around the island.


On the day that we went, which was this past Saturday there was the history and culture of the Native Indians who once lived there and the New York area. We went inside a Tee Pee, saw Indian made head dresses and dolls and we also enjoyed bags of Popcorn which is a Native American Original, distributed by
http://lakotafoods.com/default.aspx

I had to ask the bus drivers, considering the large population in New York and the need for more housing, who lives on the island? As I said there are a lot of buildings on Governors Island, yet no one lives on the island except the care takers of the island. From what I learned, the Cost Guard and there families use to live on the island up until 1996, but now a lot of the buildings are set for demolishing, making way for a big park.


We also enjoyed Miniature Golf, Free Kayaking and a great view of the Statue of Liberty. We had a great time at Governors Island! It's a great place to visit not only for the things to do, but for the history and scenery. Did I also mention that it's FREE! So, what are you waiting for?

Free To Do In NYC

I love summers in New York, there are sooooooo many things that are free and unique to do, you just have to know about them in advance to take advantage.



I'll do what I can to keep everyone informed of the up coming movies, tours, street fairs and food festivals. Here are a few active, adventurous and free things to do.



1. Every Wednesday night from April-October, there is free group in-line skating starting at Union Square 14th st. You can bring your skates, bring your friends and skate the streets of Manhattan for 2 hours. weskateny.org).


2. Alley Pond Park Adventure Course, has a zip-line, climbing and bouldering wall, a trust fall station, swings, nets, leaps and balance platforms. It's the first challenge course in NYC and state of the art challenge course in the United States. It's first come, first served for up to 40 people per session. It's located at union Tpke at Winchester Blvd, Bayside, Queens 718 217-4685. Sundays May-November http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/alleypondpark


3. Free Bike Fridays at Governors Island. Hand in your driver's license or credit card and get a bike for an hour. http://www.govisland.com/Visit_the_Island/this_week.asp


4. New York Outrigger, is a free weekly beginner session on the Hudson. You start off with your lessons on land, and then you have an hour on the water. Saturdays 10:30, 11:15, noon; April-October. newyorkoutrigger.org

In New York, Black Is Always The New Black!

I remember growing up as a child and purple was my favorite color until age 9, then red and by age 12 I became a Smurf and had a long love affair with the color blue all the way through college.

Well, I'm all grown up now and I can't say that I truly have a "favorite color" anymore. I use to hate pink, even though I had a few articles in that color, but I didn't go out of my way to wear it. Now, I love how I look in orange and yellow and even pink.

My how times have changed.

While going through my summer clothing, I noticed something a little disturbing, could it be that I have a new favorite color and didn't realize it? I found skirts, t-shirts, halter dresses, strapless dresses, long sleeve T's and halter tops, all in this one color. So, I had to ask myself, when did "Black" become my favorite color?

I use to laugh at New Yorkers who dressed in all black all the time, no matter the season, just because they liked it. Black is hot, and it absorbs the sunlight on those hot sunny days. It is also slimming and it does go with everything, but it also shows lint and dandruff more easily.

Well, I do like the way I look in the color and I'm not changing my wardrobe anytime soon, so "Rock on Black"

Snack On The Go!

I'm big into healthy snacks. I love nuts, raisins trail mix, granola, carrot sticks, fruit and the list goes on and on. So, I decided that I would try to bring a new snack to me and maybe to you at least once or twice a month, so here goes.

I went into Trader Joe's the other day, and I wanted something quick, healthy and filling. I came across these handy little bars, that at first glance look like candy bars, but there not.

LaraBars, are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non-gmo, vegan, and kosher. It has no added fillers, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavoring or supplements. In other words it has a lot of good for you natural stuff inside.

I know! I know! You're like, "Without all that bad stuff, does it taste good?" Well, I wouldn't be writing this if it taste bad..... Duh! Yes, the LaraBars are very tasty! I'm going back for more. Check them out the next time you shop.