Author Archives: Victoria Kitsos

36 Hours on the Brooklyn Waterfront.

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New York City is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world, from the famous attractions of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and much more. With all of this come the noise of sirens car horns screaming people, the typical hustle and bustle of The Big Apple. You want to go on a vacation that is peaceful and tranquil and where you can go with that special someone, or even your family. We’ll solve it by crossing over the Hudson River into Brooklyn, where you can see all of these wonderful attractions, without the hustle and bustle. Enjoy kayaking down the Hudson while helping out the ecosystem by picking up any trash, and volunteer to plant trees and other plants to the beautifully transforming parks in the Brooklyn neighborhoods. The activities that Brooklyn Bridge Park has to offer is great for any one, wither you have kids or its just you and your husband. Enjoy many vegan restaurants with locally grown vegetables from urban roof top gardens. You can even go to the theatre without stepping foot out of Brooklyn. Enjoy the Brooklyn waterfront especially during the spring and summer months to experience Brooklyn’s full potential.

Friday

1. Nu Hotel. | 9 a.m.

Check into Nu Hotel on 85 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. This Green hotel has many amenities for your every need. Such as free wi-fi to stay connected with family and friends, personal shopping and delivery from Whole Foods in Brooklyn. You can even loan a complementary NU bike for all your needs to travel all over Brooklyn.              bikes

Photography Credit: NU Hotel.

2. Brunch at M.O.B. | 12 p.m.

After checking in you can go to M.O.B. restaurant to enjoy a vegetarian breakfast. From the hotel simply ride your bike to 3rd avenue, and Atlantic Avenue. In this restaurant you will find a few brunch options (available only Saturdays & Sundays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.) If your palate is craving something sweet try out there Silver Dollar Stack of Wild Blueberry Pancakes  ($ 11) topped with pecan praline, fresh bananas, and NY maple syrup. But if you aren’t feeling much of a sweet tooth try there Roast Corn & Shiitake Scramble ($ 14) made with tofu, a unique red bell pepper sauce, sautéed kale, sweet potato home fries, and a light drizzle of sour cream, served with a side of warm house baked flat bread. For a refreshing drink wither order the Mimosa for $11 or any of their smoothies and cold pressed juices for $6.

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Photography Credit: Yelp Reviews for M.O.B.

3. Seining the River Wild. | 3 p.m.            

Head down to the Empire Fulton Ferry, and learn about the remarkable creatures, and nature on the bottom of the East River. The East River scientist humanely catches the animals and releases them back into the water after a quick observation. This activity helps us learn and see that the river isn’t just a body of water with nothing in it, but after seeing that there are actually animals in the water teaches us to help our ecosystem. It shows us beauty that we never see.  

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Photography Credit: Brooklyn Bridge Park Webpage.  

4. Brooklyn Flea. | 5 p.m.            

When you walk along Brooklyn Bridge Parks you may notice a lot of people walking around especially with goodies in their hands. That is because they went to the Brooklyn Flea, on Pier 5 you will find over 100 vendors selling antique re-used and recycled materials. This is a great way to find gifts for those back home or just for you. Lounge around and go shopping while helping support local business, and recycling materials. Then head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and the stars.

5. Siggy’s Good Food. | 7 p.m.

Go to Siggy’s Good Food at 76 Henry St Brooklyn, NY 11201 (between Orange & Pineapple St); by taking the A or C train to High St. Enjoy a healthy organic meal in a great atmosphere. Start off with getting the Grilled Baby Artichokes Plate ($12), grilled whole baby artichokes served with roasted red peppers, Greeks Kalamata olives and parmesan cheese (Gluten Free). Then get their Green Alien Quencher ($7) made with cucumbers, kale, mint, pineapple and orange juice. Also try their Roasted Herb Sweet Potatoes for a little bit of sweet ($6).

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Photography Credit: Yelp Reviews for, Siggy’s Good Food.

6. Journey to the Stars. | 9:30  p.m.            

After enjoying your meal and before heading back to your hotel for a good night’s rest go to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1. There you will find an event going on with people all over. During this night specialists come out with their telescopes to show people how the stars look at night in the city. With these telescopes you would never think that you were in NYC where we can only see a few stars at night. But these high performing telescopes help us see what is above us and takes us on an amazing journey. Saturday

7.  Nu Hotel. | 11 a.m.            

Order breakfast in from Whole foods and have it delivered to your hotel room. Stock up the fridge in your room with foods you enjoy at home. This way you can save some money, and have a bite to eat in your hotel room after a morning workout in the hotels gym to start off your day.

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Photography Credit: NU Hotel.

8.  Paddle along the waterfront. |  2 p.m.

If you’re looking for an adventurous activity to do while still helping out the community, go kayaking along the East River. Take a brief bike ride down to Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, located between Piers 1 & 2 of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Paddling is held in between the bay of Piers 1 and 2 Saturdays (from 10:00AM to 3:00PM)  and every Thursdays (from 5:30PM to 6:45PM), there is a 20 minute limit a day but it’s always FREE! All they ask of you is to collect any trash you may see, and to enjoy the miraculous views of Manhattan. To get to the Boathouse ride your bike from the hotel, then enter Pier 1 of the Park at the end of Old Fulton Street (next to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory) and walk south 200 yards, on the cross roads of Elizabeth Pl. & Old Fulton St.

9. Bay lander. | 4  p.m.

Enjoy a free public tour of a historic U.S. Navy vessel that was originally deployed during Vietnam and later used to train U.S. helicopter pilots. You can learn more about the historic times that happened during the wars, and learn how it felt to live on a ship like the navy men had to.

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Photography Credit: Brooklyn Heights Blog.

10. Mamu Thai Noodle Truck. | 6  p.m.            

Without leaving Brooklyn Bridge Park Grab a bite to eat in Mamu Thai Noodle Food truck. Try their Pad Kee Mao noodles with tofu ($ 12). On a hot summer day wash it down with Thai iced tea ($3) a nice cool treat to balance the heat of the noodles. Bring them down to the waterfront and enjoy!

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Photography Credit: Yelp Reviews for, Mamu Thai Noodle Food truck.

11. Barge music. | 9 p.m.            

Wind down a little and enjoy the summer breeze off the East River and the beautiful music played at the barge, enjoy this event for free. It’s a great way to end your journey through the Brooklyn waterfront, while enjoying the fantastic views of Manhattan.

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Photography Credit: Barge Music Webpage.

Sunday

12. Green Team. | 11 a.m.

Although you are on vacation you can help make Brooklyn Bridge Park become Beautiful by volunteering, just contact Sarah Ward, Volunteer Manager, at (718) 412-1031 or sward@brooklynbridgepark.org before your arrival. By becoming a volunteer and joining The Green team you have the opportunity to provide horticultural care to the park including planting, mulching, and removing invasive plants for free. This adds life to the park this program also helps to teach children about the environment, and what it means to us.

13. Pilates with the Fitness Guru. | 12:30 a.m.

            Head down to Brooklyn Bridge Park, for a Pilates class with a fitness guru (free). This is a great way to start off your day and get the blood pumping through your body.

14. Snack Time. | 2 p.m.

Go to Vegetarian Ginger to enjoy a quick delicious snack to boost your energy back up. Located on 128 Montague St 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (between Henry St & Clinton St in Brooklyn Heights). Order the Sweet and Sour Soy Protein, comes with brown rice ($5.97). Also try the spring roll ($1). This meal is light so you will have enough space till dinner, but yet it is so filling and gives you that extra boost of energy.            

 

  1. Homepage- NU Hotel Brooklyn, (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://nuhotelbrooklyn.com/
  2. Homepage- M.O.B. Brooklyn (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.mob-usa.com/
  3. Homepage- Brooklyn Bridge Park (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/activities
  4. Siigy’s Good Food (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.siggysgoodfood.com/
  5. Homepage- Brooklyn Bridge Park Boat House (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.bbpboathouse.org/
  6. Brooklyn Heights Blog, Bay Lander (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/68929
  7. Yelp reviews- (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.yelp.com/biz/mamu-thai-noodle-truck-brooklyn
  8. Homepage- Barge Music (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://bargemusic.org/
  9. Homepage- The Green Team (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/brooklyn-bridge-park/events/2014/08/23/green-team
  10. Brooklyn Bridge Park, The Green Team (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/events/green-team
  11. Yelp Reviews- Vegan, Kosher (n.d.). Retrieved December, 14, 2014, from http://www.yelp.com/biz/vegetarian-ginger-brooklyn

Eco-tourism On The Brooklyn Waterfront.

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By: Veronika Shalska, Jeffery Grannum, Marilyn Marte, Victoria Kitsos, Dylan Dai.

Definition of Eco-Tourism-  Even though Eco-tourism is primarily associated with endless spaces of destinations where its flora and fauna are key attractions, the Brooklyn waterfront can be a good substitute for those who want to enjoy natural environment within urban limits. Eco-Tourist love to go to natural environment’s that are being threatened and go support those environment’s as much as they can. By going to Brooklyn Bridge Park these tourist can be involved with the ecosystem of the Hudson River. For years it has been said to be one of the most polluted waters. But now that’s all changing, with all the teaching programs and fun activities they have to offer.

Brooklyn Bridge Park- By: Veronika Shalska.

Eco-tourism main’s purpose is to educate the tourists about the ecological conservation, and to focuses more on individual values. The International Eco-tourism Society (TIES) defines Eco-tourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people’’ basically Eco-tourism deals with living parts of a natural environment where flora, cultural heritage, and fauna are the main attractions in a tourist place. Therefore Brooklyn Bridge Park is huge on saving energy. This park encourages people to travel by walking, biking, taking the ferry, or taxi water throughout the park in order to save gas, energy, and decrease pollution. This park also provides a sustainable energy source there are a lot of storage tanks built underground where it holds thousands gallons of water for the purpose of conservation. This park is all surrounded by natural environment. The park also has an energy center that has solar energy panel that provides about 80% of the energy needed in the park. All these elements provide a complete package for tourism, especially for Eco-tourism.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Program- Jeffery Grannum

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy (BBPC) has made a major commitment to transforming the Brooklyn waterfront. That commitment has resulted in a seamless blend of modern landscaping and beautiful plant life. Trees and plants from across North America, like the iconic red and green crimson clover, were carefully chosen to match New York City’s climate. The park and its vegetation are also a huge source of ecotourism. The park relies on volunteers to guide free tours of the parks. This not only showcases the waters diverse and beautiful plant life but also brings attention and more importantly business to the waterfront.

One of the activities is visiting the park to learn about marine life. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy offers education programs that introduce children and adults each year to the habitats of the New York harbor and East River estuary. Marine scientists use a seining net to catch and identify the remarkable creatures of the East River. Since the program began, participants have discovered a variety of marine life including oyster toad fish, horseshoe crabs, lined seahorses, and jellyfish.

Columbia Waterfront Park – By: Marilyn Marte.

A planned green space on a roughly two-acre property that extends from Kane Street to Degraw Street on the west side of Columbia Street. The park visitors became enthusiastic volunteers to help with spreading compost, laying seed, and covering the seeded area with jute mats. Columbia Waterfront Park is part of the Initiative’s effort to restore native plant communities and the ecosystems they support.

Salt marshes on piers are biologically productive ecosystems. Planted with Smooth cordgrass, the marshes create a fantastic habitat for ducks and other waterfowl that eat and live in the grass, along with many crustaceans and bivalves. The spiral pool at Pier 2 creates a gently descending, stabilized entry point that allows visitors direct access to the water. It also serves as a boat launch. The beach areas at Main Street are currently home to the largest diversity of species. The gentle slopes allow species to flourish within the inter tidal area. Granite steps to the water allow access for visitors.

The Red Hook Boaters- By: Victoria Kitsos

 While kayaking on the Hudson River you get to enjoy beautiful scenery, from the skylines of New York City, to the Statue of Liberty.  This is all free of cost. The only thing they ask for when you go kayaking is to pick up any trash that you come across. This is not only an inexpensive way to see the views of the city, but you get to help our ecosystem grow. This opportunity is available from June 7th to August 31st. Every Saturday from 10:00AM to 3:00PM and Thursday from 5:30PM to 6:45PM. This activity is one of the few activities that help to benefit our ecosystem. There are tour boats that travel all up and down the harbor to see the exact thing you can see when you go kayaking. The only thing is they are polluting the water because those boats run off of fuel. By doing this you can help not only make the waters cleaner but our educational programs can benefit from this too, by searching the ecosystem for fish instead of finding trash.

Brooklyn Waterfront Green-way– By: Dylan Dai.

A 14-mile landscaped route for pedestrians, runners and cyclists that will connect neighborhood parks and open spaces from Green point to Bay Ridge. It will incorporate green infrastructure elements and function as a commuter and recreation route for Brooklyn residents and tourists alike. Five miles of the Green way are already in place, including Kent Avenue, Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Columbia Street, and the northern end of Van Brunt St . Two additional miles along West Street and around the Brooklyn Navy Yard are now being designed.

 

 

Victoria Kitsos Electronic Profile Submission

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I was always encouraged by my family to try new foods. Still to this day I am a very adventures person. I love to try new foods even if they might seem, or look weird. I was born and raised in Queens New York. I went to Long Island City High School, and there is where it all began. I was mentored and trained by two wonderful teachers, Mr. Matsis and, Ms. Molite. They saw the passion and love I had to learn about cooking, and told me about C-CAP.C-CAP is a organization that looks for young high school students who dream to become chefs or a part of the culinary industry.

I’ve done a lot of competing to get where I am today. I am a firm believer of will power, as long as you set yourself a list of goals and remind yourself that you can do this, I believe that you will. I was given many opportunities to do workshops that trained me on safety and sanitation, knife skills, basic skills, and job skills. I was also trained with people skills, such as how to handle a sticky situation. When I worked in NBC Commissary in Rockefeller center I put those skills to the test. I had to deal with a lot of people some doubted me and told me I’m in the wrong career path, after hearing that for a while I really thought I was. But I didn’t let that discourage me and I worked my way through it. Because some people like, Executive Chef. Steven Mule a NYCCT graduate thought I was going to be perfect in this industry. I told him about my goals and dreams. He put me to work at the grill station, deli, hot station, cold station, prep cook, and catering. After working here it really opened my eyes to all that I can do. Before I started working here I made a list of goals and planned on achieving as much as I could. When it was time to go back to school I sat down with Chef Mule and talked to him about the next steps in my career. Here is where I was convinced City Tech would be my new home.

For every stage in my life I make up a list of goals. Currently some of my goals are to continue to gain experience working in all types of settings in the industry. That way I can find out what exactly I want to do in the future.

Victoria Kitsos

1 Reply

I was always encouraged by my family to try new foods. Still to this day I am a very adventures person. I love to try new foods even if they might seem, or look weird. I was born and raised in Queens New York. I went to Long Island City High School, and there is where it all began. I was mentored and trained by two wonderful teachers, Mr. Matsis and, Ms. Molite. They saw the passion and love I had to learn about cooking, and told me about C-CAP.C-CAP is a organization that looks for young high school students who dream to become chefs or a part of the culinary industry.

I’ve done a lot of competing to get where I am today. I am a firm believer of will power, as long as you set yourself a list of goals and remind yourself that you can do this, I believe that you will. I was given many opportunities to do workshops that trained me on safety and sanitation, knife skills, basic skills, and job skills. I was also trained with people skills, such as how to handle a sticky situation. When I worked in NBC Commissary in Rockefeller center I put those skills to the test. I had to deal with a lot of people some doubted me and told me I’m in the wrong career path, after hearing that for a while I really thought I was. But I didn’t let that discourage me and I worked my way through it. Because some people like, Executive Chef. Steven Mule a NYCCT graduate thought I was going to be perfect in this industry. I told him about my goals and dreams. He put me to work at the grill station, deli, hot station, cold station, prep cook, and catering. After working here it really opened my eyes to all that I can do. Before I started working here I made a list of goals and planned on achieving as much as I could. When it was time to go back to school I sat down with Chef Mule and talked to him about the next steps in my career. Here is where I was convinced City Tech would be my new home.

For every stage in my life I make up a list of goals. Currently some of my goals are to continue to gain experience working in all types of settings in the industry. That way I can find out what exactly I want to do in the future.