NYC Spots for the Young and Young at Heart (adventure travel)

September 19th, 2009 admin Posted in travel |

By Mauro Suarez

New York actually has a great deal to offer young and old kids alike who enjoy very little better than playing a great game, video or otherwise. For those of you who enjoy this particular pastime, there are many unique opportunities in New York City in which you can participate in the games you enjoy so much while spending time with friends and family.

Astroland Amusement Park at Coney Island has much to offer the adventurous gamer. From thrills and chills on the midway to the Cyclone Roller Coaster and many wonderful rides in between, this park also offers arcade game rooms along the way where you can play video games of all kinds. This is great for those rainy days when you can’t ride the rides or simply when it’s just too hot to stand in line. It’s also a great bonding experience for father and sun to play the games together and see who has the edge at any given moment.

Dave and Busters is a unique dining experience while offering a wide selection of gaming options. This is not your average arcade food by any means. In fact, this isn’t your kids arcade or their arcade games. Dave and Busters offers good food and great fun under one roof and if you have the chance I recommend you take the big kid in you to try it out.

The ESPN Zone is a great place to spend the day with the family. They offer food, fun, and 200 televisions. Who could ask for more? The food is American grill type food and the entertainment is for the most part sports themed and interactive. If you’re looking for a great way to bond with the kids this is definitely better than Chuck E. Cheese, especially for the slightly older kids.

The Nintendo World Store is another wonderful attraction that is located at 10 Rockefeller Plaza. This neat store will have your kids thinking you’re the coolest parent on the planet just for bringing them. That of course will not stop them from asking for everything they see but it will buy you a few minutes of coolness before they grow tired of hearing the word no. You may want to relent at some point however as there is some merchandise offered that is exclusive to this store and cannot be found elsewhere. Even if you must order it and have it shipped home for a later surprise it is better not to always wait until too late to find out you can’t get something (at least not without a costly trip to New York). Perhaps one of the coolest things about this particular store is that your kids can try out games that haven’t been released yet so they can go back to school with the inside scoop on the latest Nintendo games and you are once again world’s coolest mom.

Even for the technologically challenged parents among us it is often a good idea just to enjoy playing games with your kids. Even if they win or maybe, especially if they win, let’s hope they are better winners than we were when we were kids. I think we all need to take the time to play with our little ones every chance we get. They grow up so fast and one day they will stop asking us to play with them.

To read about fire bellied newts, newt care and other information, visit the Knowledge Bin site.

NYC Nightlife for Every Taste

By Mauro Suarez

The nightlife is a big part of the New York culture, there’s no reason if you are able, willing, and have no children to keep you in the room at night that you are your date for your New York City vacation can’t get out and hit the town while checking out some of the wonders of New York nights.

The problem is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to nightclubs, bars, and lounges. Each of these is well represented in almost any New York neighborhood and it really is up to each individual to find the bar or club that works best for them. The best recommendation I can give anyone is to check out the acts that are headlining and find an act that you think will suit your style and tastes.

If you’re in the mood for laughter, then a comedy club might be the best for you. If you’re looking for a nice quiet place where you and your date or mate can converse quietly and contemplate life and love then a piano or jazz lounge might be the best option for you. Trying to suggest a bar in New York is almost as difficult as trying to recommend one on Bourbon Street, they are all somewhat alike and yet they are all very different. The trick is in finding the one that suits you best.

Now, if you want to get terribly sloshed and have a rousing good time, then I will suggest a karaoke bar. What could be better than an off key sing-along to bad eighties music? Not much, but laughing at someone else for doing it is much better than getting up there and doing it yourself. There is so much potential for fun to be had and only you are the one that can decide if you would even consider enjoying certain moments. We all have music we prefer, crowds we prefer, and more importantly music and crowds we’d rather avoid.

The good news is that within New York City there are bars that represent almost any musical tastes in history, and then a few more. Chances are that there’s a bar somewhere that offers the kind of music you prefer or are in the mood for tonight. Some of these bars will have live bands or one man/woman shows and some will have DJs spinning tunes till last call or the sun comes up. There’s Jazz, Hip Hop, The best and worst of the 80’s, the 90’s, alternative, country, techno, pop, smooth jazz, R&B, Manilow and Streisand, the 70’s, Classic Rock, and so many more my head spins trying to think of them all. Somewhere in the mix there has to be something that works for you, or perhaps silence or simple piano ballads are the way to go.

Whatever your music and whatever your mood there is a bar or a club in New York that has something that will speak to you. And if you are in a particularly dark mood, they have clubs for that too. Many of us use our vacation time to explore other aspects of our nature, if you are interested in trying out new music or a new crowd; New York City is a big anonymous city in which to try new things. Just don’t have so much fun that you decide to stay.

Learn about panda facts, panda food and other information at the Knowledge Bin site.

Staying safe

By Tonie Lauchaire

While it doesn’t take a genius to work out that you probably wont be getting the most peaceful of holidays should you decide to travel to Iraq or Afghanistan, the fact that the UK, US and other countries have travel warnings against them doesn’t necessarily mean that all travel warnings are as serious as this. In fact, the governments of the U.S., Canada or the U.K. have also released warnings about the following countries: Thailand, Mexico, China, India and the United States.

All of these are popular tourist destinations. But before you decide to avoid these countries altogether, it’s worth taking a closer look at what a government’s travel advisories actually mean, why they’re released and how to evaluate them.

Firstly, governments issue warnings to let their citizens know about safety concerns that may affect travel to a particular country or region. They can be released for a variety of reasons, including terrorism, natural disasters, political unrest, wars, health emergencies and outbreaks of crime.

The warnings may even cover areas where there is no actual problem with the country, it is just that the government cannot offer satisfactory support in that area. Perhaps the embassy has been shut down or there aren’t enough staff to look after someone willing to travel to their area of jurisdiction.

However, it is also incredibly important to point out that a travel warning, despite how final it may appear in print cannot legally forbid you from traveling to a country. The impetus is on you to decide whether or not you want to go. The government will not abandon you, but you are more on your own than usual.

If you travel, this is perfectly fine. You just need to be prepared. Stage 1 is to let people know where you are going. Your government is the first port of call. Either tell the Home Office or register with the local embassy when you arrive in a place with travel warnings, just to make sure. Also make sure friends and family know where you are. Next step is to get appropriate travel insurance. Go Travel or any other or the online providers should be able to help, but a travel warning is usually there for a reason and needs to be adequately prepared for.

Next step is to keep in constant contact. Make a point to stop at internet cafes, talk to people via phone. Make them aware of your routes, plans and general health. All the better should something untoward happen.

The last thing you must do is to prepare. If you are going into a warzone read up on the war. If a warning is about a disease, get the inoculation. A little bit of knowledge can be a powerful thing, so go prepared!

Purchase insurance with excellent rates and cover online for single trips or annual travel insurance.

Find Top Vacation Destinations For Young Travelers