The Floating Pool Lady is a seven-lane freshwater floating pool that is located on a barge just off of Barretto Point Park in Bronx.  The pool has all of the amenities as your neighborhood pool, including a pool house, locker rooms, and restrooms, however the view of the Manhattan may just be unparalleled. 

Location:  Barretto Point Park at Tiffany Street and Viele Avenue, Hunts Point, Bronx (map) 718-430-4601

Getting There: 2, 5 to Prospect Avenue; 6 to Hunts Point Avenue.  Then take the summer pool shuttle to the Barretto Point Park.

Hours:  Monday–Sunday 11am-7pm.  Until September 1, 2008. 

Photo credit: flickr

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

1. Rockaway Beach, Queens   Watch the longboarders catch some of New York’s best waves at this surfers delight.  Close to the city, Rockaway Beach Park offers a quick get-away.  Free admission.  A to Broad Channel then S to Rockaway Park-Beach 116th St. 
2. Jones Beach State Park, NY   If you don’t want to wade in the surf of this 6.5 mile beach, try the calmer bay beach or one of the two pools.  Summer concerts in the outdoor amphitheater.  $8/day, LIRR to Freeport then JB62 to Jones Beach.   
3. Long Beach, NY   A few years ago, on my first trip to Long Beach, I exclaimed “I feel like I’m in California!”  Located on the Atlantic Ocean, the town of Long Beach has a great laid back beach vibe and  enough white sand that will make you feel like you’re in Hermosa Beach, California.  $6/day, LIRR to Long Beach 
4. Brighton Beach and Coney Island, Brooklyn   The neighboring communities of multi-ethnic Brighton Beach and all-American Coney Island have a little something for everybody.   Russian and Ukraine eateries line the boardwalk of Brighton Beach while you can get a Nathan’s Hot Dog in Coney Island.  B, Q to Brighton Beach. 
5. Spring Lake, NJ   So quaint, this town deserved its own post earlier in the month.  Located just two hours south of New York on the Jersey shore, this idyllic stretch of white beach is the longest non-commercial Boardwalk in New Jersey.  Private beach, but hotels and B&Bs have passes for guests.  Jersey Transit to Spring Lake.  
6. Atlantic City, NJ   The classic South Jersey getaway, A.C. has undergone a transformation, of sorts.  You can’t help but think of the glorydays of Atlantic City when you walk wooden boardwalk.  Frequent bus departures from Port Authority on Academy Bus Lines and Greyhound Bus Line.
7. Great Kills Park, Staten Island   A great swimming beach, nature trails, fishing, and a marina with a public boat launch comprise this Staten Island recreation getaway.  S78 from Staten Island Ferry Terminal. 
8. Ocean Beach, NY   One of the most happening towns on Fire Island, Ocean Park is one step below the Hamptons.  LIRR to Bayshore then water taxi to Ocean Beach.  
9. Orchard Beach, Bronx   This man-made beach neighbors the forest and marshland of Pelham Bay.  Walk the promenade or catch one of the free concerts that take place throughout the summer.   Bus: Bx12, Bx29, Bx5, Bx52
10. Hampton Main Beach, NY  Located in East Hampton and nestled between other notable beaches, Main Beach has long had the reputation for being the best of the bunch.  Click here for transportation option to the Hamptons.

Photo credit (top to bottom): Rockaway Beach, flickr; surfer at Long Beach, flickr; Spring Lake boardwalk, personal collection; Atlantic City boardwalk, flickr; Main Beach, flickr

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

For those of you who don’t follow urban myths and baseball superstitions, here is the short of it:  In August 2007, a construction worker buried a Boston Red Sox jersey in the ground of what would be the future visitors clubhouse at the new Yankee Stadium.  This information, which came to light just last week, caused panic in the community.  A second worker was quoted in the New York Post as saying, “I don’t want to be responsible for sinking the franchise. I respect the stadium.”

As the week continued, there were many question surrounding the story, which seemingly had no answer.  Was there really a Red Sox jersey interred in the new stadium?  Or was this just pure fiction, an evil ploy by the Boston Red Sox to plant seeds of self-doubt in the Yankees?  The story oscillated between truth and fiction for the remainder of the week.

The case was solved on Sunday morning with a jackhammer, two construction workers, and multiple members of the media.  An “excavation ceremony” was held, the construction workers hammered through two and a half feet of concrete to dig up… a Boston Red Sox jersey. 

The #34 David Ortiz jersey is now on its way back to Boston where it will be auctioned off for charity.  The Bronx district attorney’s office is deciding whether the original construction workers who buried the jersey committed any criminal acts.  And the rest of Manhattan is left wondering how much over budget this stunt puts the new $1.3 billion Yankee Stadium.

Play ball!

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

Tonight’s opening film, La Noche de los Inocentes (The Night of the Innocents) (Cuba/Spain/Italy), opens with a badly beaten man in the emergency room of La Habana hospital.  Everyone assumes that he’s been assaulted for being a transvestite, but as the night continues, mysterious characters “come out of the woodwork.”  The movie may sound suspiciously like a telenovela on Univision, but it won the prestigious El Mégano prize at the 2007 Havana Film Festival in Cuba. 

Other films in the 2008 HFFNY include:

Quien Soy Yo? Los Niños Encontrados de Argentina (Who Am I? The Found Children of Argentina) (Cuba)  This film introduces audiences to the children– now young adults– of the disappeared of Argentina’s Dirty War (1976-1983).  The children were kidnapped from their families and given to those that supported Jorge Rafael Videla’s military regime.  Of the over 500 stolen children, over 88 have been reunited with their real families.  Director Estela Bravo will be present and there will be a special appearance by Estela Carlotto, President of the Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers.

New Children/New York Youth Program (New York) is a collection of shorts directed by young Latinos in New York City.  They discover filmmaking as a tool to make sense of and communicate the experience of growing-up a Latino immigrant in the U.S.

Não Por Acaso (Not By Chance) (Brazil) follows two control-obsessed characters, Enio and Pedro.  Both live in their own worlds in order to find fulfillment in life until the day that Enio’s ex-wife and Pedro’s wife die in an accident.  Both men are in despair until Enio meets his long-lost daughter and Pedro meets Lucia, a young woman with whom he attempts to recreate the past.  Faced the decision between their obsession with control and new opportunities, the men must choose a path and learn that nothing is by chance.        

A number of screenings are free and will be open to the public.  Check the HFFNY schedule for more information.  The screenings will be at multiple venues in Manhattan, Bronx, and Queens.  For a full schedule of film, venue and ticket information, visit the Havana Film Festival website.    

I will be in attendance at this weekend’s screening of Fidel, a film which is part of the Estela Bravo Retrospective: Witness of Her Time program.  Check back Monday, April 14th for my thoughts on the film.

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

This Monday, March 31st the Yankees begin the 2008 season with a home- opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.  This will be the final year the Yanks will be playing in the 1923 “House That Ruth Built.”  The new $1.3 billion Yankee Stadium (as seen being constructed in the above photo) is nearing completion and will host the Yankees beginning the 2009 season.

Photo credit: flickr 

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

Eggcellent Easter Egg Hunt | South Street Seaport (map) | Saturday, March 22, Noon-4pm   This Trinity Church-sponsored egg hunt will also have games, crafts, live music, and snacks.  Free

Spring Fling Egg Hunt | Brooklyn Bridge Park (map) | Saturday, March 22, 11am-2pm  Over 15,000 multi-colored, candy-filled eggs will be hidden across the city section of Brooklyn Bridge Park and the adjoining Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park.  There will be separate hunting areas for older and younger children and special musical guest, high-energy kid rock band AudraRox.  Free 

Prospect Park Egg-O-Rama | Prospect Park, Brooklyn (map) | Saturday, March 22, Noon-4pm  Get an ‘egg-ucation’ about eggs.  Learn where eggs come from and what role they play in a bird’s life then stay for fun, games, magic, face painting, the bunny hop, and special treats.  Free

Annual Spring Egg Festivities at Bartow-Pell | Bartow-Pell Mansion, Bronx (map) | Saturday, March 22, 10:30am-1pm  Hunt for eggs in formal gardens of this Bronx mansion then enjoy light refreshments and get crafty at the art tables.  Don’t leave without having your picture taken with a Spring Bunny.  B.Y.O.B. (Bring your own basket!)  $12 per child  R.S.V.P. registration requested 718-885-1461

Photo credit:  Flickr

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, and later, the movie Adaptation, starring Meryl Streep and Nicholas Cage, brought the mysterious world of orchid-collectors to the mainstream, forever changing how people view these fascinating flowers.

This year marks the 6th annual Orchid Show hosted by the New York Botanical Society.  The show is set against the backdrop of Singapore, the tiny island nation that exports 10 million orchids annually.  On display are favorites such as Darwin’s orchid, the vanilla orchid, the butterfly orchid, and miniature orchids, as well as some reclusive, little-seen varieties.     

Location:  New York Botanical Society, 2694 Dr Theodore Kazimiroff Blvd, Bronx (map) 718-817-8700

Getting There: 

• Metro-North Railroad (20 min from Grand Central):  Take the Metro-North Harlem local line to Botanical Garden Station. Walk across Kazimiroff Boulevard to the Garden’s Mosholu Gate entrance.
  
• Subway:  B, D, or 4 train to Bedford Park.  Then take the Bx 26 bus east to the Garden’s Mosholu Gate entrance.  Or walk eight blocks down the hill on Bedford Park Blvd to the end (approximately 20 minutes). Turn left onto Kazimiroff Blvd and walk one block to Mosholu Gate entrance.

Days and Times:  Tuesday through Sunday 10am-6pm.  Closed Mondays.  Through April 6.

Cost: Adults $20; Students and Seniors $18; Children (2-12) $7

Photo credit: flickr

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Post from: The New York City Traveler