mark your calendars!

Urban Park Rangers Program - Camping in NY Urban Parks Lottery

Urban park rangers are offering great activities for the summer, but my favorite is the lottery to be one of 30 people (30 “families”/households) to be randomly selected to camp out  - tent camping, smores, stargazing, night hikes - in various nyc parks.  

Note:

registration for Central Park opens on July 28, for August 7th

registration for Prospect Park opens on September 8 for Sept 17

and so on … check out the website for your choice park

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Sometimes I forget why I feel the need to do this but then I come across something that I cant believe I didn’t know about, that I don’t want to forget about, and that I feel the need to share with others - Ally Pond Adventure Park in Queens, NY.

The park - full of ropes courses, zip lines, slingshots, etc - appears to be about 30 to 90 minutes depending on traffic, from Manhattan out into Queens, by car. Or, take the E or F subway to Bus Q46.  Free for families and individuals on Sundays, at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm from May through November. There is family camping, corporate or group training and retreats available as well.  

And, you can read lots about it from NY 1, NY Times, and Daily News. 

I feel like it could be crowded, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take, I guess. I mean, there’s obviously a whole park to explore just in case.  

 718-217-4685 - adventure center rangers

click the pic above for a list of all the year round green markets in the five boroughs

Best Food Neigborhoods in New York City

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Russian & Turkish Baths in East Village, NYC

Going to the Russian Baths this weekend reminded me that there are activities to do in NYC that take you away from the every day.  Open since 1892 (my grandfather used to go - really, he did), this bath house offers steams, saunas, a small cold pool, a relaxation roof deck, food and juice bar and best of all a lot of old world charm you can’t get at other bath house spas.  It is tight, full of people (only coed during certain hours), borderline skeevy and wonderful.  Good to know:  the platza oak leaf treatment is not as scary as it looks and leaves (no pun intended) your skin smooth and muscles limp and no treatment costs more than $55.00;  don’t let them bully you into paying more than necessary in treatment gratuities or water bottles.    That Boris will take you for all you’re worth if you let him!

Maybe this good old bath house is not for you. You wouldn’t be the first to say so.  In the sauna there is plenty of talk of other options:  Wall Street Bath & Spa (Spa 88) is newer and cleaner; Spa Castle in Flushing Queens is a Korean Spa Extravaganza; Great Jones Spa Water Lounge is lovely but small, expensive and quiet.

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