Between 51st and 57th St in Midtown is a funny thing: a walkway that cuts through the belly of office buildings and leads off to sidewalks past stop signs, where vehicles must stop for you footfall. The signed “6½ Avenue” had been, according to this New York Times article, an “open secret” for years — but last year it became a city-sanctioned legit “street.” … Continue reading
Spring Break turns 53 this year, well sort of. A few years ago, while wondering if Spring Break is “travel” or not for an episode of the “76-Second Travel Show,” I tracked down Barbara Keith, one of the many college-age girls who went to Ft Lauderdale because, as the 1960 movie put it, it’s Where the Boys Are. She ended up staying for good, though … Continue reading
The leader of the band has forgotten what song he’s playing. He hits a few notes on his guitar, but they are the wrong ones. And they are too loud. He either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. A balding guitarist in glasses, his son, leans in and says something, and the leader nods back. He lets his guitar hang unplayed and sings some … Continue reading
Next time you’re at 156th and Broadway — not that many New Yorkers or visitors to New York ever are — look west. The Audubon Terrace is a group of eight Beaux Art buildings that come as quite a shock. They’re home to a few institutions like the Hispanic Society of America, founded in 1904. It’s fun. … Continue reading
Last year, on the 10th anniversary of my dad’s death, I wrote about taking my dad to one his ‘bucket list’ destinations — before that term was in use: the Black Hills of South Dakota. As I wrote last April: Lonely Planet sent me on a research trip around the Great Plains, and I cajoled him away from work for a few days … Continue reading
I’m usually interested in towns big enough to have a downtown, particularly when they’re capitals. A few years ago I zipped through Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (shown above; courtesy of the Library of Congress), and didn’t stop. It had a distressed, morning-after air, and in fact declared bankruptcy a couple years ago. Later, I once said anything place can be interesting — except for Harrisburg. … Continue reading
ROBERT REID is a travel writer (Lonely Planet, New York Times), travel expert (Today Show, CNN, GoogleTalks), travel videographer (his 76-Second Travel Show) and "travel artist" (staging the Manhattan Bridge's 100th birthday, training with Mounties). Read more...
