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Yes, I know this has been slowly making its way around the net this week and when I first saw ti I wasn’t too excited about it. But then I took a little while and actually checked it out- it is kind of useful and definitely worth peeking at, especially if you are in New York, and get this, it even has some information on the boroughs.
Basically it is yet another Google map mash-up, but this one has implications beyond locating your favorite site in the Ghost Busters movies. This map mashes up New York with prices for Milk, Lettuce and a six-pack of Beer.
The project was conducted by the Brian Lehrer listeners of his WNYC radio show and the results are up on the WNYC website where you can find the cheapest places in your neighborhood to pick up any of those items. Some surprises, others, not so much.
The biggest disappointment I have to say is that the map is not more complete and the listeners don’t go to some of the supermarkets I go to, though now, having a better sense of the prices around me I might need to start going to different supermarkets
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Next weekend we have one of my favorite city wide events happening:
Open House New York is a day when a number New York buildings and sites throw their doors open and invite the public to come and see what they’ve got going on. This is the 5th year te program has been running and each year it just seems it get bigger and bigger.
In the past I have gotten a chance to visit: the “Hidden Harbors” around the city, the Marble Cemetery on 2nd Avenue (one of the oldest in the city), the Free Mason’s Lodge on 23rd Street and the High Line.
Almost all of the locations are free to visit, though some do require a reservation in advance and some of them fill up pretty quickly, though you have a slight advantage, the listings just went up today. It’s really worth checking out and there are some awesome places to see, so check their website for participating locations (and more will probably be added in the next week) and take a peak at some of the hidden treasures of the city.
I am hoping they again offer a chance to see the City Hall Subway Station alog gthe 6 line… Otherwise I might just have to illegally ride the train around the turn… Nah, I’m just kidding, I would never do anything like that
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Ever have trouble finding a parking space? Well, this Friday it is about to get worse, at least for the day.
Friday, September 21st is Park(ing) Day.
Back in 2005 an art collective called Rebar took over a metered parking space and turned it into a mini park for the day . They got such a positive response from the project that they have turned it into an international event, in cities across the US and around the world (which, I guess is a bit redundant since I already said it was an International event…).
Anyway, the basic idea is to find an empty metered spot and set up your park, just remember to feed your meter, as you are “leasing” the spot on an hourly rate (possibly one of the best deals in the city). Read more »
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Does anyone else remember the Time-Life Series “Mysteries of the Unknown“?
It was the one that had the long commercials asking how the Egyptians were able to build such incredible pyramids and the Sphinx and then commenting how the moon had similar structures on it. Basically the books, as far as I know (unfortunately, I do not have the complete 33 book set or even one of them for that matter), examined some world mysteries, some dealt with the paranormal, and (okay) most dealt with the paranormal. Some just doled out paranormal explanations for mysteries of the world. Well, I found a website that totally reminded me of the series.
I admit, I was always intrigued by the series (and, at that age, a little unsettled by it), which is probably why I just spent a bit too much time flipping through it today. Word Mysteries is broken down into a couple of different sections, each with a ton of writing on the topic (after a bit, I took to skimming).
Of particular interest was the map by Piri Reis from 1513, which accurately maps the coast of Antarctica, an area believed to be covered in ice for at least the last 6000 years, and the Baghdad Batteries (possible batteries dating back to 245 BCE) — some really interesting hard to explain things. The site goes beyond just these “mysteries” and also looks at some “Mystic Places” and Ancient Writing,” plenty of stuff to check out while wasting away an afternoon
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As frequent readers know, I went to Tokyo recently. Being completely unfamiliar with Tokyo and Japan as a whole I decided to check out a couple of guidebooks on the town. I checked out the usual big names for guidebooks: Rough Guide, Time Out, Fodors, Lonely Planet as well as a handful of others. In the end I settled on Time Out: Tokyo, Rough Guide Tokyo and a new guide that comes out later this month: Lonely Planet Tokyo Encounter. After less then a day in the city I closed Rough Guide Tokyo and ended up returning it which left me with Time Out: Tokyo and Lonely Planet Tokyo Encounter.
Now, before I say anything about either guidebook let me talk about Tokyo as a city: It is huge, it has no street names and only a couple of real tourist sites or identifiable landmarks. With (at my count) at least 4 different sets of trains (including the subway and monorail) owned by the government and various private companies it is not exactly the easiest city to get around.
Though coming from a city with a pretty complete and, supposedly, confusing subway system, I found navigating the Tokyo subways not nearly as difficult as you would think. Finding things on the street was a different story.
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