“Adventure in New York City”

New York City is known to be the Big Apple. New York City is one of the world’s leading metropolises for art, fashion, food and theaters. It is made up of 5 boroughs Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. Each borough is filled with its own Beauty and fauna and unique history. New York City is home to one of the largest immigrant population in the United States of America which Is about 3.1 million immigrants. The most common immigrants are the West Indians, Jews,Africans, Middle eastern,Chinese and Italians. New York City is filled with Adventure tourism in many possible ways from food to hospitality.

Where to go in New York City?
Bronx Zoo

Bronx Zoo is located in Bronx,NY. It is one of the largest and oldest zoo in the United States of America. Bronx zoo is 265 acres of park lands, naturalistic habitats separated by the Bronx River and is home to 4000 animals from 650 species. I suggest you pick a day to spend at the Bronx zoo to see all the exhibits and animals shows . Tickets cost $34.95 for adults, $31.95 for Seniors and $27.95 for Children.

Prospect Park

Prospect Park is located in Brooklyn,NY. Prospect Park is a smaller version of Central Park which has its own zoo. Prospect park is great for picnics, birthday parties, barbecues, weddings, paddle boating, jogging and biking. Around the park are fun harmless animals such as ducks, squirrels, chipmunks and birds. Prospect Park zoo tickets cost $9.95 for Adults, $6.95 for Children and $7.95 for Seniors.

Coney Island

Coney Island is a residential neighborhood located in Brooklyn,NY. It is 442 acres of relaxation and entertainment each summer. It consist of a boardwalk, beach and Luna park, a amusement park featuring the famous cyclone roller coaster that celebrated its 100th birthday anniversary recently. Coney Island is great for family, friends, adults, children and toddlers. There is something for everybody.

What to eat ?

Many cultures are represented in food. The popular ones are Halal, Caribbean, Italian and American . It would be a food Adventure if you try all these cultural dishes below…

Chicken Over Rice-Seasoned Chicken spread over a bed of yellow rice and topped with white sauce, hot sauce or barbecue and served with a side of salad. The real halal food is served from the halal food vendors in Midtown Manhattan. They are located almost at every block in Midtown Manhattan. Chicken over rice cost $7.00.

Curry Chicken

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Curry Chicken

A spiced chicken stew with the main ingredient being turmeric,geera and masala and chicken. It is either served with roti, white rice or rice and peas, a Jamaican stable. It is a dish originated from Indian but made its way to the Caribbean and they made it their own. It can be purchase by my special spots called Linda’s Restaurant or Golden Crust.

Jerk Chicken

Jerk is a style of cooking from the Jamaicans. The chicken is dry rubbed with a hot spiced sauce called Jamaican Jerk sauce. It is cooked either on a charcoal grill or baked in a oven. It is served alone or with rice and peas and topped with Jerk sauce. It can be purchased by many Jamaican restaurants especially Golden crust ,a Jamaican franchise restaurant in New York City.

Fried Chicken

Everybody loves fried chicken but it’s not better when it’s not made from African Americans who grow up in American’s soil. Famous spots are most likely Popeyes and KFC. It is better from restaurants in Harlem,NY. It can be served with either French fries, macaroni and cheese or other soul food side dishes.

Pizza

New York is home to the best pizzerias. I am not talking about Pizza Hut and Dominos. I am talking about those famous restaurants known for their cheesy tasty pizzas. I recommended visiting Lombardi’s and Di Kara Pizza.

Bizarre food Secret in New York

Haggis

Haggis is a Scottish dish consisting of mixed meats, oats and seasonings boiled in a sheep’s offal or stomach. It can be made with various types of meat such as suet, liver, lungs, heart and beef etc. Haggis is mostly served with mashed turnips and potatoes. This dish is served on Burn’s night, the birthday of a Scottish poet that wrote a poem about haggis in the 18th century. If your familiar with black pudding or blood sausage, haggis is somewhat like black pudding. Unfortunately, haggis is banned in the United States of America because the USDA banned any dish that consist of sheep’s lungs. There are some companies that makes haggis without the lungs but it’s not the best.

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Breakfast in New York City

Breakfast deserves it’s own section for New York City. Breakfast can be bought in many bodega’s around the city. A bodega is a convenience store that serves hot and cold food. There are many choices for breakfast in bodega’s around the city. Breakfast options are the famous bacon egg and cheese on a roll or toasted bagel with cream cheese with or without bacon . Pancake, toast bread,bacon,sausage ,hash browns and the list goes on and on. Bodega’s also provides hot and cold drinks. Travelers can try many deli sandwiches with the premiums meats and cheeses in the store . My personal favorite is a turkey sandwich. A full meal can cost $8.

Famous Activities in New York City

Labor Day Parade

The Labor Day parade is also known as the West Indian Parade that takes place on the First Monday in September every year in Queens and Brooklyn. It celebrates the people who worked hard to contribute to America’s achievements. It is basically a carnival with music and foods from all islands and countries from the Caribbean.

Fashion Week

New York City is one of the fashion capitals in the world. Fashion week takes place in both February and September for one week. Fashion designers from all over the world displays their designs in Fashion shows. If your a fashion icon or lover, I suggest you plan and save up early to attend fashion shows and buy clothes.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
The Macy’s department store in downtown Manhattan hosts the largest thanksgiving parade every year in the streets of Manhattan. It starts from 9am to noon every thanksgiving day. It is great to bring family and friends to see all the decorations and massive floats that people spends months to create.

Times Square Ball Drop

A New Year’s Eve Celebration that takes place every year in Times Square around the One Times Square building that holds the Big glass colorful ball that drops has it counts down to the New Years. Many people across America and locals comes to the celebration to fill up the streets of Times Square to see the ball drop. Unfortunately, it will be virtual this year has the world battle with coronavirus.

Transportation

JFK international Airport or LaGuardia Airport are one of the airports you should arrive at. JFK international airport is the best one to arrive too because they are more productive and updated than LaGuardia Airport. The airports are connected with various transportation services such as taxi’s, vans, buses and private services. The JFK airport is connected with many hotels around the area, just in case a traveler has a long layover or just needs a place to stay.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public transportation service owned by the the City of New York and serves all 5 boroughs. It consists of subways,buses,express buses and railways. A MTA card is required to enter buses and trains. The card can be bought in subway stations by the teller or MTA machines whereas you can recharge your card also. Visitors can download the MTA app which is very reliable, it gives the time schedules of all buses and trains in the area. Just add your destination and it will tell you what MTA transportation you need to use to get to your destination. The fare is $2.75.

There are taxi services such as Uber and Lyft. There are also private taxi services around New York City.
There are many rental shops around New York City where you rent cars and motorcycles. Many rental stores has different prices.

Where to stay?

There are many options with different prices. Prices can range from $75-$1000 per night depending on the area and place you choose. It is best to use hotels sites such as Expedia.com, Priceline.com, Trivago.com and hotels.com. My favorite pick would be Homewood Suites by Hilton New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square. This hotel is right in the heart of New York City. The hotel is walking distance away from Times Square, Broadway shows and Madison square Garden events. Nearby are many restaurants, fast food restaurants, vendors, and bars to enjoy.The Homewood suites provides breakfast every morning free of charge.

Reference List

Haggis. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/haggis

MTA. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://www.mta.info/

Homewood Suites by Hilton New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square-South, NY. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/nycmmhw-homewood-suites-new-york-midtown-manhattan-times-square-south-ny/

Welcome to Luna Park in Coney Island. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://lunaparknyc.com/

Saving Wildlife and Wild Places. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://bronxzoo.com/

Home Page – Prospect Park Alliance. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://www.prospectpark.org/

Bed & Breakfast Inns. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://www.bbonline.com/articles/new-york/new-york-1/3-famous-must-visit-new-york-pizza-places.html

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/immigrants/downloads/pdf/moia_annual_report_2018_final.pdf
Tourist Information. (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://www.coneyisland.com/tourist-information

Most of the information I have put together on my own in this travel blog because of the experience and knowledge I have from living in New York City for the past 4 years.