Visitors to the Outer Banks may not realize the wonderful opportunities that await them in Currituck County. A well-kept secret among coastal North Carolina residents, the Currituck part of the Outer Banks provides a secluded alternative to the more crowded, touristy sections of the shoreline. Apart from the unspoiled beaches and wild mustang sightings, Currituck offers visitors the chance to explore beautiful Knotts Island via the Currituck Sound Ferry – free of charge!
Whether taking the family on a sun-filled excursion to explore aquatic life, or for a romantic visit to the area vineyards, Knotts Island makes a wonderful addendum to any Outer Banks vacation. Blue ferry signs direct visitors on Rt. 158/168 on the mainland, which lead to the landing area. The Currituck Sound Ferry is active seven days a week, five times a day as it crosses the five miles of water that separate Knotts Island from the rest of Currituck County. A one-way trip is approximately five minutes and the boat can accommodate 10-18 cars depending on the load. If the trip appears to be too long for youngsters, don’t worry. Passengers are permitted to leave their cars and enjoy the view from the observation deck of the ferry and inside two lounge areas.
Once on Knott’s Islands, guest may wish to make a stop at Knotts Island Market for picnic supplies, or head straight on to the beach for a day of fishing, kayaking, or hiking along the Charles Kurault Trail. Knotts Island is also a peach lover’s paradise, hosting an annual festival in July, and a great place to sample local wine. Martin’s Vineyard and Moonrise Bay are two wineries offering vintages unique to the Outer Banks.
If you are planning to stay in the Outer Banks for all or part of your vacation this year, definitely take the time for a ferry excursion to Knotts Island across the Currituck Sound. Call 1-800-BY-FERRY to confirm schedules, then get ready to be taken back by the natural beauty and flavor of the Currituck Outer Banks.
Kathryn Lively is a freelance travel writer who has contributed to the Currituck County Department of Travel and Tourism in the visitcurrituck.com Outer Banks, and to FlowCushion, the alternating air pressure flowcushion.com seat cushion for travel. She works for CINIVA Systems, a ciniva.com Virginia website design company.
The best bar, the best bathroom, the best bus line, the best block party, the best back-crack, the best Brooklyn hipster haircuts, the best gossip, the best magazine browsing, the best patriot outlaws…Does it get any better? THE VILLAGE VOICE Best of NYC www.villiagevoice.com
Best Way To Find Whatever It Is That You’re Looking For: www.CITYSEARCH.COM helps you find bars, restaurants, shops, and museums all the time.
CUPPA COFFEE
JACK’S COFFEE ‘Jack is no ordinary coffee shop’. Stir brewed coffee, premium teas, live music on Tuesday, and Thursday night movies. ‘Great Vibe’. 138 W 10th St.
The Village Voice has named MUD ‘The Best Coffee Empire’, giving NYC residents an alternative to the (Star-$$$’s) takeover. Look for the orange truck at Astor Place and Union Square.
THE HUNGARIAN PASTRY SHOP – A heavenly view of The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Amsterdam & 109th Street.
THE CUPCAKE CAFE is close to Broadway and the fabulous 42nd Street area where there are movies, arcade games, and a wonderful cluster of import shops. It is just behind the New York, New Jersey Port Authority in an area where you might not think to stroll. Located at 522 9th Avenue on the corner of 39th Street, the nearby highway leads to the Lincoln Tunnel.
HOUSING WORKS USED BOOKS AND CAFE-’Soho’s Best kept secret’- 126 Crosby Street, NYC 10012.
HAVE MORE FUN
ST. ANN’S WAREHOUSE – Aritists, audiences, volunteers, creative freedom and some of the best perfomances in the outward bound of entertainment. 38 Water Street Dumbobrooklyn.
GALAPAGOS ‘may be the only public place in town where (while imbibing) you can hear a reading of Shakespeare’s Tempest, shimmy to live Cuban music and see trapeze artists all in the same month.’ 70 North 6th St. (Williamsburg/ Greenpoint) Between Wythe and Kent Aves. Take L train to Brooklyn 718-782-5188
POETRY SLAM With poetry or prose, untried and unstoppable writers gain stage worthy experience. NUYORICAN POETS CAFE – 236 E 3rd between B & C (212) 505-8183
THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB – 308 Foot of First Street between Houston & Bleecker
FILM FORUM- 209 W. HOUSTON ST. N.Y., NY 10014 BOX OFFICE: (212) 727-8110 New York’s leading movie house for independent premieres and repertory programming — The Film Forum presents independent filmmakers, international collections, complete retrospectives of worthy filmmakers, silent films, and mini-festivals.
LEISURE TIME BOWLING CENTER AND COCKTAIL LOUNGE AT THE PORT AUTHORITY – Between Eighth and Ninth Ave from 40th to 42nd Streets, 268-6909 Electronic scoring! Lotsa Lanes.
THE MERMAID PARADE -is a completely original creation that is the nation’s largest art parade and one of New York City’s greatest summer events located on CONEY ISLAND where streets, buildings, public beach and boardwalk may be a bit down at the heels, but it remains a one-of-a-kind destination. Vicinity of Surf Avenue & West 15th Street, Brooklyn, NY www.coneyisland.com
The STORY BOOTH is a soundproof environment where you can record your story or the stories of your loved ones located between Track 13 and 14 of Grand Central Terminal.
THE LIVING ROOM –The indie best for accoustic folk, country, pop, rock and soul–154 Ludlow Street NYC (between Stanton and Rivington)
LISTEN UP
WNYC National Public Radio 820-AM
WFMU College Free Form 91.1- FM
WFUV-FM Adult Alternative 90.7
PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER WHEN THEY ARE LEARNING
WARD STUDIO- a coveted acting studio in the Miesner Approach. Offering summer sabbaticals for the corporate professional and intensive acting training for the serious minded actor. 145 West 28th St. Ny, Ny 212-239-1456 www.wardstudio.com
DANCE THEATRE WORKSHOP @ 219 West 19th St. is about supporting and advancing the work of artists – constantly evolving to sustain artists at every stage of their development. They provide a wide range of administrative, promotional and technical services to the community of independent artists in New York, across the country and around the world.
THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION was named “Avocational Cooking School of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. ICE has three divisions: Recreational, Career and Special Events: 50 West 23rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues www.iceculinary.com
ANNE BOGART AND SITI TRAINING — Disinct, challenging and innovative methods of actor training. Viewpoints & Suzuki, Master Classes- Guest Artist Series, Drop-in Classes. www.siti.org
CRUSH WINE CO. -153 E. 57th St. offers a quick wine tasting primer for $50.
GREAT PUBLIC SPACES
PALEY PARK @ 53rd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. Located within Midtown’s cultural district and surrounded by high-rises, this celebrated “vest-pocket” park is a welcome respite from the sights and sounds of urban living.
NY PUBLIC LIBRARY @ 42nd street and Madison boasts a gorgeous reading room that would make anyone feel like royalty – indeed, it rivals the ballrooms of European palaces. But out in front, along the street, is where this illustrious institution truly connects with the city around it. A series of well-linked spaces – steps, plazas, little nooks and pathways – provide innumerable places for sitting, meeting, eating and chatting.
BRYANT PARK a green and sensual urban oasis including “Seventh on Sixth” fashion shows; the JVC Jazz Festival; the “New York Times Young Performers Series”; lunchtime concerts by Juilliard students; Monday night movies in the summer; the Kaleidoscope Circus; boules and chess games.
HUA MEI BIRD GARDEN Community garden that hosts daily, early-morning gatherings of Chinese men who bring beautiful songbirds in fancy bamboo cages. Sara Delano Roosevelt Park. Lower East Side, New York, NY
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL– One of the most well known and impressive indoor public spaces in the country, Grand Central Terminal provides an unparalleled experience to over half a million people every day. Park Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City, NY
METROPOLITIAN MUSEUM STEPS – The grand, granite steps leading to The Metropolitan Museum of Art are a destination themselves: a place to meet, eat, talk, and watch both people and Fifth Avenue traffic. Fifth Avenue from 80th – 84th Streets, New York, NY
IN PRAISE OF THE LOCAL BOOKSTORE
– Owning a bookstore is a labor of love, and the financial rewards are slender. Independently owned businesses, like bookstores or drugstores or hardware stores, help define a community.
” Oh joy! Oh Rapture!” COLISEUM BOOKS– WELCOME BACK!! 11 W. 42nd Street New York, NY Phone: (212) 803-5890. Across the street from BRYANT PARK
LABYRINTH BOOKS – 536 West 112th Street, for university presses.
ST. MARKS BOOKS – 31 Third Avenue, for a wide selection of all books.
THREE LIVES AND CO 154 West 10th Street, for fiction.
THE DRAMA BOOK SHOP–Drama Books is one of the largest book stores specializing in theatre related material. 250 W. 40th St Phone: (212) 944-0595
SMALL BUSINESSES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
A beautifully made hat is a headturner. BARBAR FEINMAN MILLINERY- 66 East 7th Street NY, NY 212-358-7092.
Wahoo! Elisa Miller knows how to throw a class act Swank! SOMEDAY PRODUCTIONS handles all aspects of party and event planning– 347-432-8949 www.somedayproductions.com
GO YOGA Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A small, friendly Yoga Center offering a variety of classes all day – every day. Go Yoga is located within the Girdle factory at: 218 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn NY. 718.486.5602 www.goyoga.com
TO MARKET WE GO
GREENMARKET FARMERS MARKET a program of the Council on the Environment of NYC, promoting regional agriculture and ensures a continuing supply of fresh, local produce for New Yorkers. Comprehensive regulations govern what may be sold at a Greenmarket. With few exceptions, all items must be grown, raised, foraged, caught, or otherwise produced by the seller. www.cenyc.org
CHELSEA MARKET includes The Juice Factory, Amy’s Bread, Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market, Fat Witch, Chelsea Wine Vault, Hale and Hearty Soups and lots more…. Eat, browse and leisurely stroll. 75 9th Avenue New York, NY 10011
UNION SQUARE PARK AND GREEN MARKET- Three-square-block urban park that hosts a year-round, open-air farmers market four times a week. 14th Street and Broadway, New York, NY
Janice Hoffmann is CEO and founder of Success Is Sweetest successissweetest.com/ successissweetest.com/ –
A New York City based Career and Lifestyle Coaching Boutique.
So you want to fly for a dollar on Southwest, but you’re tired of sitting in the middle seat, at the back of the plane, smelling the restroom sanitizer spray? Yes, THE SECRET isn’t some law of attraction, it’s getting a good seat on an “open-seating” flight. After flying on gazillions of Southwest planes, touring as a corporate comedienne, I’ve figured it out! Here are ways to raise the odds that you’ll get a decent seat too.
IF THE PLANE ISN’T COMPLETELY FULL AND YOU’RE IN THE “A” OR “B” LINE. . . you of course want to get in a row where the middle seat stays empty!
Sit in rows 5 through 8. According to my unscientific research of watching people-patterns (no lab rats involved), I’ve noticed a people-pattern. Passengers tend to fill up the front couple rows first, THEN, starting with about row 5, if they see a person sitting in that row they head to the back, searching for a better seat! I HYPOTHESIZE (like a scientist) that they can’t see the back until about row 9, and then it’s too late to do that salmon swimming upstream move, so they’re stuck. Park it in rows 5-8, where one person is already sitting, and there’s a really, really good chance that the middle seat will stay vacant. BONUS TIP. . .I’ve even noticed (ahem, studied) that people fill up the LEFT side (as you’re walking down the aisle) first; so you should sit on the right side.
Sit in a row that already has one person in it. If you sit in an empty row, there’s the chance that TWO people traveling together will sit next to you.
Sit in a row with one person in it. . .where the overhead bin is FULL. Most people have a carryon the size of Kansas, with all sorts of valuable toothpaste that they have to sit near. So if the bin is full, they’ll keep going! You of course checked your luggage, so you’re a free agent to sit underneath the bin-filled seats. If you have a carry-on, make sure you sit in a seat where your bag fills the bin up. This is a good time to have a bag the size of Kansas.
IF ALL THAT’S LEFT ARE CENTER SEATS BECAUSE YOU’RE A “C” PERSON. . . you still might avoid the “C is for Center seat” fate.
Look for people who match, with an empty middle seat in-between them. Twin Budweiser T-shirts or the same Harley tattoo means they’re probably traveling together. Eureka! Start to sit in THAT middle seat, because, guess what? One of ‘em will move over to be near their honey, and you’ll get an aisle or window even though you’re a “C” person. Brilliant!
Sit behind the exit row. If you’ve got a short (like 30 minute) flight to a hub city like Phoenix, and you’re not changing planes, but rather going on to an even longer flight, sit in the row behind the exit row, even if it’s the center seat. Chances are the exit row people will exit at the hub and you can move up. BONUS TIP. . . Don’t wait for the flight attendant to let you move. Do it while everyone is getting off the plane (just make sure you’re seated for their headcount!). And NEVER sit in the row in front of the exit row . . . those seats don’t recline.
IF THE PLANE IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE FULL. . . you can still have a decent ride.
Hand pick your partner. You’re gonna be stuck with potluck if you aren’t proactive and make eye-contact with desirable people. Lure them in with a quick smile and show them that you’ve got a book, which is the universal travel sign for “I won’t bother you with my chatter.” Of course YOU define “desirable”. . I’m tall, so I’m looking for small people who look like they bathed. BONUS TIP. . .As you’re waiting in line, memorize the first person in the “C” line. When the “C” leader starts through, you’ll know it’s time to get serious with your “come hither” looks.
BONUS, BONUS TIPS. . .
A bag on the seat does not mean someone is sitting there. Ask, ask, ask because that person is being rude, rude, rude. They could be trying to hog a whole row by pretending the seats are full.
Bolt for the exit row. If you’re one of the first people in the “A” line, check out the exit row immediately upon boarding. Many, many people only think to sit up front, and forget about the great leg-room in those seats. I’ve gotten the exit row being 20th or later in line!
Check in 24 hours in advance. Even if you’re in a hotel and can’t print the boarding pass, you can check in, and then print the actual pass at the airport. (FYI if you print your boarding pass on your printer, look at the number at the left hand bottom. That number is the number you checked in at – I’m #1 lots of times!)
Take the first flight out in the morning. Because the plane is there, it’s not coming from somewhere else, so you have a better chance of an on-time flight. AND no one is sitting in the prime seats, like the exit row, from an earlier flight.
Of course a friend of mine who was split up from her son, got to switch seats by handing him a barf bag and telling him (loudly) to “use this when you get sick.” The person next to him switched seats with her. Hey, use what you got! Here’s to more comfortable travel. . .for a buck!
Jan McInnis, The Work Lady, is a corporate comedian and comedy writer who has performed at hundreds of private events, flying Southwest A LOT. She was recently featured in the “Wall Street Journal” as one of the “popular convention comedians.” Jan also sells comedy material to radio & TV daily, and she can be reached at TheWorkLady.com TheWorkLady.com
Have you ever been flying around in your private plane and the control tower or approach control has sent you on a vector or asked you to do something, which made no sense at all? But of course you did it anyway, because they are in charge right? You might have thought to yourself; “Is this guy for real?” “Is this guy in some kind of dreamland, asleep up there?” Well in the future such questions may not be too far off actually. For instance your air traffic control tower professional maybe in augmented reality, sitting in a room with no windows looking at your aircraft on a TV screen or video monitor. A picture of a Beechcraft, not an image of your exact plane. Now a days the air traffic controlers train in the VR, Virtual Reality World.
Generally these controllers have many things going on at once which you cannot possibly know and what looks like a pipe dream or wishful thinking on their part is part of a larger plan. Did you know that air traffic professionals are now training in virtual reality simulators hooked up to pilots in aircraft simulators and the whole thing does not even exist? Talk about working in a dream world.
Now then lets discuss another subject; Virtual Reality Control Towers. This would be good so that Control Tower operators would not discuss the sightings of UFOs, etc as the reports from pilots come in. But besides that these VR Control towers right now are only simulators for training control tower operators, for instance you can have the busiest day at Laguardia, O’Hare, LAX or even the EAA show is Oshkosh just to give you a challenge.
Isn’t this too cool. And just think once it gets really good, the operators can go on strike and stay there; although I should not say that since my Grandfather use to run the FAA Control Tower at Fresno International. This link shows you some cool Videos;
ffc.arc.nasa.gov/gallery/vr_panoramas/
You can also stay up on this information by subscribing the newsletter;
ffc.arc.nasa.gov/newsroom/newsletter/
It will not be long now before many aircraft are flying themselves and the air traffic control personal in the control towers do not even have windows to look outside, as the whole thing will be in a video game like augmented reality which will be recorded for later use in virtual reality training of new controllers in air traffic control simulators. All this is happening right now. Sounds like the Matrix; well, kind of, it is all about safety. Think about this and the virtual reality simulators used in aviation.
“Lance Winslow” – Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/
