I’ve been somewhat lost on the bagel front ever since H&M Bagels closed on the upper west side of NYC. But yesterday I stumbled into Absolute Bagels on Broadway near 107th street and was impressed with the bagels, not to mention the lox-cream cheese and bagel sandwich. So all is not lost. A little further south as I was walking down Broadway on a spectacular spring day, I happened upon Rita’s frozen custard – and since frozen custard something I rarely find these days, I bought a small cone. Yum. I walked all the way from 108th to Central Park (with a stop at Pinky’s for a splurge mani-pedi because my back was aching and I needed to rest for a bit) then back west to Lincoln Center where I took the #1 train to meet my brother and sister-in-law and her mother for dinner at an excellent Korean restaurant, Do Hwa, at 50 Carmine Street. Now I understand why they like Korean food! (we had very good bbq beef, bimimbob, a pancake with kimchi in it, and beignets, oddly, on the house.)
Category Archives: 2) Frequent Destinations
Antiques in eastern Iowa!
Squiers Manor Bed & B
Newly married and new to Iowa (way back in 1990), we used some of our wedding gift money to buy some furniture at Banowetz Antiques in Maquoketa, Iowa. We still use the chair, end tables, dresser and dining room dresser, which have not only added character to our home but proved very functional. (They must have made stuff well 100 years or so ago.) So the news that Banowetz is not going out of business – as I’d once heard – is good. They’re having a “grand re-opening sale” at their new location at 123 McKinsey Drive in Maquoketa april 14-29. If you want to stay overnight, check out the Squiers Manor B&B, a gorgeous place the Banowetz family operates in town that,yes, is full of antiques. And it is Squiers (named after J.E. Squiers who built the brick Queen Anne style mansion in 1882.)
getting from Newark Airport to Manhattan’s upper west side
Time to contemplate for real getting from Newark Airport to Manhattan’s upper west side since I’m going there next Thursday and it still looks like the Air Train is the best bet in terms of speed and price although I’m tempted to try the shuttle bus option on the way back to the airport. No way I’m paying $50-70 for a taxi.
Here’s what I picked off of, about.com (i think):
- Air Train: The Air Train offers connecting service to NJ Transit and Amtrak trains which will bring you into Manhattan. Surprisingly, this can actually be much quicker than taking a cab or bus, and it is much more affordable. $11.55 one way will bring you from Newark Airport to Penn Station. AirTrain connects the NJ Transit “Newark Airport Station” to the airport terminals. Consult the schedule to determine the schedule of connecting trains. Service is available from 5 a.m. until 2 a.m.
- Private Shuttles: Several companies offer shuttles to Manhattan, including:
- Newark Liberty Airport Express : Available from 4 a.m. – 1 a.m., these shuttles leave every 15-30 minutes for midtown Manhattan and every 2 hours to downtown Manhattan (from 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.). One-way fare is $13, but you can save by buying round-trip tickets, as they are $22. One free child under 16 is included in the fare. You can choose to disembark at Grand Central, Port Authority or Penn Station, in addition to midtown hotels. The ride takes about an hour. Return schedules and more information are available on their website.
- Super Shuttle: Available 24 hours a day, this shuttle provides door to door service for your party. Fares are $15 – $19, depending on destination. No reservations are required to get from the airport to your destination, but they are required for your return trip to the airport. Consult their website or call 1-800-258-3826 for more information. Book your SuperShuttle Transfer through Viator.
Filed under New York City
a longtime fan of Iowa’s Loess Hills
While I’m at it, here’s a travel story I wrote about the Loess Hills many years ago for the DMRegister.
Loess Hills, Iowa (Sylvan Runkel Preserve)
A new observation area offers a glorious panoramic view of the short, soft hills.
By BETSY RUBINER
9/4/1997
Moorhead, Ia. – Talk about a deck with a view.
If you’re looking for a new way to take in a beautiful expanse of Iowa’s Loess Hills, check out the huge observation deck recently built near Preparation Canyon State Park, off Highway 183 between the small towns of Pisgah and Moorhead.
Several times the size of your average suburban back-yard number, this simple wooden deck sits on a hilltop overlook long known to locals as “The Spot.”
For good reason.
The spot offers a glorious panoramic view of the short, soft hills that are considered a geographical wonder. A narrow band of mini-mountains stretching from just north of Sioux City south to the Missouri border, the Loess Hills were fashioned from silt deposits or “loess” blown in from the Missouri River floodplain more than 14,000 years ago.
To find another area like it, you’d have to make a much longer trek – to China’s Yellow River.
Before the observation deck was built this spring, locals “used to just crawl up on top of the hill and sit there,” says 41-year Moorhead resident Pat Severson.
For good reason.
The spot marks the convergence of five different ridges. On high, the land seems to stretch forever, free of the stain of civilization. Sure, to the west, farms dot the Missouri Valley flatlands. But it’s still easy to pretend you’re all alone with the birds.
The deck extends outward, offering the kind of aerial view you get flying in a plane over Iowa. Looking down, you see a bumpy quilt, with alternating patches of lush green woods and grassy fields.
Getting to “The Spot” is half the fun. Driving south from Moorhead on Highway 183, you turn right on a road still described by locals as “the second right” even though it now sports a sign designating it as 314th Street (for the edification of the emergency medical service).
At the top of the hill, you jog to the right. (If you go left, you’re in the 344-acre Preparation Canyon State Park, the site of an 19th century Mormon settlement that’s now popular for hiking and picnics.) Soon after, you take another right onto a gravel road marked as Oak Avenue.
This puts you pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
But what ho! It’s a really big deck!
If you’re lucky – and chances are you will be – you’ll be the only one there. It’s so quiet you can hear the wind.
The deck is also wheelchair accessible, thanks to a long wide ramp winding up to it. There are also several benches on the deck from which to contemplate the view.
This spot really isn’t that hard to find but it’s wise to have more than a few gallons of gas in your tank when touring the Loess Hills. You may want to call the visitor’s center in Moorhead, in advance, to get a map of the area or drop by for one.
The map plots out several scenic loops through the Loess Hills; offers tips on highways most suitable for bicycles and cars; and marks Loess Hill attractions, large and small, from the De Soto National Wildlife Refuge to an abandoned country school.
Diligently detailed, the map also comes in handy for the adventurous traveler who likes to get lost. Plenty of remote roads winding through and around the Loess Hills will give you that impression. But just when you think you’re lost, you’ll come to an intersection – complete with street signs – and discover you’re not lost at all.
What ho! You’re at the corner of Olive Avenue and 235th Street. And there it is on the map.
Filed under Iowa
Iowa Loess Hills Prairie Seminar – one-of-a-kind seminar in a one-of-a-kind place
Okay there is one other place like Iowa’s Loess Hills but it’s far away in China. Considered a geographical wonder, the hills are a narrow band of mini-mountains stretching from just north of Sioux City south to the Missouri border, fashioned from silt deposits or “loess” blown in from the Missouri River floodplain more than 14,000 years ago.
We took our kids when they were little to the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar in western Iowa with two other families and it was, to say the least, memorable – we learned how to cook on an open fire, all about the flora, fauna and animals of the prairie, how to search for fossils. We camped, we ate a church supper in town and at a cookout under the stars. One parent and several kids even got lost for a few hours while on a hike! Very glad to see the seminar is still up and running. Word has it there’s a Missouri River Ecology boat tour, which sounds pretty cool. For info about the 2012 seminar and to register visit the Programs and Services section of the Northwest AEA website at:
Filed under Iowa
London’s East End adventures
My dear friend Suzette and her family are house swapping with a family in London’s East End (the English family gets San Francisco in exchange – not so shabby) so here’s some East End recommendations: (borrowing heavily from the NYTimes travel section)
– Walking tour of the (former) Jewish East End. I don’t know if this is still available. We did it, um, 20 years ago and there was little Jewish stuff left but what was there, often nearly hidden, was fascinating – including the remnants of an old temple (as I recall) and a still operating kosher restaurant. Look in TIME OUT for walking tours. OR check this out: http://www.londonjewishtours.com or http://www.contexttravel.com/city/london/walking-tour-details/east-end-sunday-market-walk
– Brick Lane – this is now lined with East Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants. It used to be a Jewish area and there still is – or was as of three years ago – a beigel (cq) restaurant (as in bagels…Not Detroit quality but not bad at all.) This is also the place to get a “salt beef sandwich” (aka a corned beef sandwich.) see: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2687.htm
– Can’t remember the Bangladeshi restaurant we went to. This street and area nearby also has some funky vintage shops and galleries. This is the setting for Monica Ali’s novel “Brick Lane” (which is a decent movie too.) more info see: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/05/arts/05bric.html
– And then there’s all the new Olympic stuff to check out. for more details see: http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/travel/touring-londons-east-end.html?pagewanted=all
Filed under London
A Costa Rica transportation tax for a Des Moines to Newark flight – HUH?
I swear, this do-it-yourself online plane-ticket reservations stuff is so confusing. Yesterday, I finally settled on taking a Des Moines to Newark flight on United in April after weighing various other options to get to NYC. (LaGuardia was more expensive; the flight to Newark is direct! etc.) The ticket was $359 when I first spotted it. (Not cheap, I know.) An hour or so later it was suddenly $396. I wondered why. So I looked at the fine print and saw that the ticket price was still the same ($338) but the additional taxes/fees had increased from $21.60 by $37. So I looked at the breakdown of the taxes/fees and saw that it included a $15.75 “Costa Rica transportation tax.” Say what?
Then all of a sudden the original $359 fare popped up onto my screen so I just grabbed it – no questions asked. Grrrr
Filed under airfare, New York City
getting to manhattan from Newark airport
There are he low-cost, low-stress, low-impact way to Newark Liberty.
There are now direct flights from Des Moines to Newark Airport and it doesn’t look too taxing (or expensive – if you skip the cab) to get to Manhattan from Newark. Haven’t been to that airport since the 1980s when I used to fly – okay this will date me – People’s Express.
Here’s the scoop on the AirTrain:
Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, AirTrain provides easy connections to NJ Transit and the rail lines that run on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line. AirTrain also offers a simple way for passengers to get to and from Manhattan and points north, or Philadelphia and points south. It also connects passengers to airline terminals, rental car facilities, hotel shuttles and central parking lots. Best of all, you never have to worry about traffic conditions.
Filed under New York City, Uncategorized
ragbrai 2012 – the 40th great ride across Iowa!
- Sioux Center – Saturday, July 21
- Cherokee – Sunday, July 22
- Lake View – Monday, July 23
- Webster City – Tuesday, July 24
- Marshalltown – Wednesday, July 25
- Cedar Rapids – Thursday, July 26
- Anamosa – Friday, July 27
- Clinton – Saturday, July 28
Other highlights along Highway 6 east through Grinnell, Brooklyn and Homestead Iowa!
During our next road trip along Highway 6 in central Iowa, I must remember to check out:
In Grinnell, Relish, an interesting-looking restaurant in a spruced up old Victorian house at 4th and Park. Apparently it’s brand new and touts its “local foods, global flavors.” Word has it you can find out the name of the farmer who raised the cow you’re eating… (During our visit last Saturday, we had very good coffee and cappuccino in town at Saints Rest coffee. Near closing time at 5 p.m. the nice kid working behind the counter offered coffee on the house.)
In Brooklyn, (Iowa), the Brooklyn Pharmacy building – which appears to be a good antique shop – and SkyDive Iowa– an outfit just outside town with the catchy phone number 522-JUMP.
In Marengo, we found a new antique shop that was open at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night – it’s called Country Arts and Antiques and had some cool stuff including art by local farmers and an ancient leather steamer trunk.
We also drove along the quaint main drag of the small village of Homestead, in the Amana Colonies, which had more tourist draws than I remembered from visits long ago, including an inn, b&b, cider mill and restaurant.
Filed under Iowa, Uncategorized
TakeBetsywithyou 