great takes on family travel in the U.S.

Dave Freedenberg, better known as Famous Fat Dave, is one of the most extraordinary NYC cabbies you’ll ever meet who likely knows more about what New Yorkers like to eat, and where they eat it, than anyone else in New York City.

Dave knows every inch of the City and all its eateries, he has the wheels (a classic white Checker Marathon), and he puts it all together to offer private and personalized eating tours to visitors and New Yorkers. And his blog - The Hungry Cabbie - is a treasure trove for chow-hounds. His food writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, Not For Tourists Guidebook, Attaché Magazine and Gothamist.com, and Dave has been profiled by the NY Daily News, VillageVoice and other NYC papers.

Question: Your profile pretty much tells us everything about Dave Freedenberg. So we’ll start with Famous Fat Dave. How did you come up with that name? Did it happen after you started taking people on eating tours in your cab, or did you start off with the name?
Answer: The story of the name “Famous Fat Dave” goes back to when I lived in Florence, Italy for a semester in 2000. I’m a terrible chef. I’ve got no talent for it. But over there the ingredients are so good that I couldn’t help but create amazing Italian dishes in my kitchen. No matter what I made was delicious because the pasta and the cheese and the olive oil and meats and the tomatoes were all the best I’d ever had by a long shot.

My favorite creation was fried salami in pasta sauce with al dente penne. I thought I needed to give it a name so I called it “Famous Fat Dave’s Super Salami Surprise Sauce With Penne.” When I got back to America, that dish didn’t work at all so I needed a new outlet for Famous Fat Dave. That’s when “Famous Fat Dave’s Super Salami Surprise Sauce With Penne” morphed into “Famous Fat Dave’s Five Borough Eating Tour On The Wheels of Steel.”

Question: No competition for Nathan’s Famous for hot dogs, I take it, but how about burgers? Corner Bistro or Shake Shack? Why? And how about the best slice of pizza in New York and why? Since we’re on the subject, out of all the eating tours you take people to, and all the eateries you know, which is the best place you like and what do they serve?
Answer: I do love the original Nathan’s Famous. But I’m also a fan of Criff Dog on St. Mark’s and the Katz Dog and Stukel at Katz. That’s the beautiful thing about this town. Even when there is an indisputed king of something, there’s always competition. It keeps everyone honest.

Corner Bistro or Shake Shack? Corner Bistro all the way. Shake Shack’s shake sauce is kind of ridiculously salty in my experience and the line ridiculously long. Corner Bistro has a really long line too, but you can get the same burger, usually better, at 3am with no line. But I also really like the Corner Bistro riff at Stoned Crow. I’m a huge fan of the burger at Donovan’s Pub in Woodside, Queens. And I think the Whaley Burger with a fried egg, pinapple, and beetroot at Ruby’s on Mulberry St can compete with any of them for pure taste sensation. A guy from the Bronx recently told me I’ve gotta try the “Murder Buger” at a place simply called “Home of the Murder Burger” up there. So I’m looking forward to trying that out.

Best slice of pizza in New York? Loaded question. I’ll say this: I try to appreciate them all. I don’t pretend to be have the authority to pick a “best.” I don’t even have a favorite. I like the pepperoni at Lombardi’s, I like the crust at Patsy’s on 118th and 1st, I like the thick slice at Spumoni Garden’s, I like the sweet tomato sauce at New Park in Howard Beach, I like the whole pie at Totonno’s in Coney Island, I like the sausage at Louie And Ernie’s in the Bronx, I like the brocolli rabe grandma slice at Fratelli’s in Hunt’s Point. I can go on. But you see, how can I pick a “best” or a “favorite.” They all excel at different things. That’s why I take people on pizza tours, so they can try 8 or 10 or 15 different slices over 4 or 5 or 8 hours and decide for themselves.

Likewise, it’s impossible for me to answer “what’s the best place you like and what do they serve.” That’s like asking me to answer which one of my children is the best (I don’t have any children, but I can imagine).

Question: Which part of New York City do you prefer? I’d say Brooklyn has the best to offer, in terms of food, but on your tours, which part do you and your customers enjoy the most?
Answer: I call it the “Five Borough Eating Tour” and on some tours we’ll hit as many as four boroughs in five hours. Some people want to see as much of the city as they can. Sometimes we’ll keep it to just one borough to spend more time eating and less time driving. I tell people that if this is their first outer borough eating experience, it’s probably best to start with Brooklyn because there is the biggest variety of food, nice mix of new and old, and best views.

Question: You have earned a lot of publicity and been written about by just about every major magazine or paper including the NY Daily News and VillageVoice. Is there any difference between now and the way you went about your work previously? I mean, do customers look upon you as a celebrity now, or is it the same as before?
Answer: The publicity doesn’t make people feel like I’m a celebrity as much as walking into a tiny spot in the middle of a rough neighborhood and having the guys behind the counter shout “Ayyy, It’s Famous Fat Dave” or “Ohh, da Hungry Cabbie’s here.” My customers aren’t looking at newspaper clippings on the tour. But they like it that I know all these people all over this big anonymous city and they get to meet them when otherwise they’d never find the place much less talk to the characters working there.

Also, driving around in the classic white Checker Marathon is fun for people because everyone is smiling and waving and giving thumbs up as we drive by. Sometimes people come out and take pictures and strike up conversations about the old days. So the whole experience makes this big scary city feel like a small town.

Question: I understand you came to New York from Maryland to study, and you love all things food, and New York is just right for you. But what is it about New York - The City - that you like the most?
Answer: I’m a late night person, so I guess I like it most that there is so much great stuff to eat in the middle of the night here. I take people on The Midnight Munchies Tour a lot because there is less traffic and more eating. Some places are only open at night. Lots of places are open really late. And I feel like New York is somehow more New Yorky at night.

Question: Cab drivers usually have lots of fun stuff to tell. And if it involves food, it becomes even more dishy. Any fun incidents you want to share, without naming names?
Answer: Without naming names? You mean famous people? I haven’t gotten too many famous people in my cab. I once picked up Bjork outside Lombardi’s Pizza (I don’t think she was eating there, I think she just happened to be at the intersection of Mott and Spring). Her sculptor husband stared at me really weird through the rear view the whole ride, and when I got her to her destination - “Hoooouston and Sihhhhxth Hhhhhavenue” she told me in her crazy voice - the fare was $4.60. She handed me a $5 dollar bill and went to look for another dollar to tip me, but gave up after 2 seconds and just stiffed me. But then I guess that’s naming names huh?

Question: What’s Famous Fat Dave’s secret? Is it your knowledge of the eateries, or is it your personality or is it the unique nature of your ‘eating tour in a cab’, or is it a combination of all of these and/or something else?
Answer: Well, I know all the good places to eat because I talk to all my fares about their favorite spots. And they’re very proud of them. And I have a personality unlike most grumpy professional drivers in this town so spending 5 or 6 hours with isn’t so terrible. I also have an official sight-seeing tour guide license and I can tell people some good stories from driving the cab and working in the food business selling pickles, cheesemongering, hot dog vending, and breadtruck driving. Really, a major key to the whole operation is that I won’t get lost, I can change course on the fly if there is unusual traffic or an impromptu food request, and I know how to find parking/when to double park.

Question: Any plans for the future? Book deals, television or movies maybe? Or something else?
Answer: I am working on a book about driving the cab and working in food and doing the tours. It’s slow going though. Television seems not to like me since Food Network and History Channel both rejected the idea. Movies? Why not? Right now, I’m concentrating on making the tour the best it can be. That’s why I bought the white Checker Marathon. My goal in life is to eat for a living.

Times Square and 5th Ave and the Empire State Building are all good for someone who’s a first-time visitor to New York City, but the real summer fun can be found in the islands around New York. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a Hawaii vacation. For less than 50 bucks, you can have a fun day out island hopping in New York City. Picture if you will, a quiet beach or river front, kids fooling around, families with picnic baskets, brilliant weather (well…maybe), and the Manhattan skyline a few minutes away. Photo by Tom Mascardo via Flickr.

You probably have heard about Staten (Staten Island ferry) and Ellis Island. Bucketloads of ink has already been spilled writing about the attractions these islands have. So I’ll tell you about their lesser known brethren, and the fun things you’ll find on these still pristine islands.

Governors Island: Free ferry ride from Battery Park to Governors Island, located 800 yards from lower Manhattan and closer still to Brooklyn. Nothing better than a lazy Saturday afternoon picnic at Governor’s Island with art festivals, music shows and concerts in the 92 acres set aside for the Historic District. There’s plenty of room for bike rides, and tours of the historic forts built way back in 1812. Here’s a full schedule of events.

Roosevelt Island: The trip to and from Roosevelt is probably more fun than the island itself. A red tram from the station at 60th and 2nd Ave takes you across the East River to the island. Photo credit - RIOC.

From the tram, you can gaze straight into Manhattan’s high rise apartments. If you have binoculars, the view of Manhattan from the tram as you come back from Roosevelt Island is spectacular. As for the island, it does have a few landmarks you can visit, and some which you can’t - Like the Renwick Ruin, which was a smallpox hospital and the Octagon, a landmark mental health facility which has a sad history of mistreating patients, arson and fire. Yeah, well…Maybe you should stick to the tram ride.

City Island, The Bronx: Located on the edge of New York City in the Bronx, City Island is much more commercialized, but still maintains a small town feel which comes across as a refreshing change for a day trip out of the bedlam and the pressure and grime of the City.

City Island offers excellent seafood restaurants and corner cafes, summer festivities with boating and sailing, shopping at quaint shops and art galleries, with plenty to see and do for nature explorers and bird lovers, since it sits adjacent to the wetlands of Pelham Bay Park. Don’t forget to take a ride on the Seaside Trolley, which takes you on a tour of City Island, stopping at landmarks, shops and restaurants along the way. More info here.

According to a recent AAA survey, New York City is the 2nd most costly destination for travelers, averaging $606 per night for meals and lodging for two adults. Another survey of popular free attractions across the U.S. shows Central Park as the only place in New York which makes the list. That got me thinking about all the summer fun things to do in New York, which can be done without having to flash a card. I mean, it kinda takes the fun out of a fun holiday if you have to pay for it. So unless you have a rich uncle who enjoys underwriting your holidays, you might be needing this list of upcoming attractions and summer holiday themed events in and around New York.

Museum Mile Festival, 5th Avenue: On June 3rd 2008, from 6-9 pm, Fifth Ave transforms into New York’s biggest block party for the 30th annual Museum Mile Festival. This festival is unique because nine of NYC’s best museums throw open their doors to the public and allow full and free access. Photo credit -Project for Public Spaces

The entire mile between the nine museums, 23 blocks on Fifth Ave between 82nd and 105th, is traffic free and filled with street performers, music shows and informal street art exhibitions. The museums taking part include the MET and the Guggenheim Museum. You can see the full list of participating museums and performances here.

Staten Island Ferry: It’s free, and takes you on a cruise between Battery Park and Staten Island, with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New York Harbor. More details here.

Free Walking Tours: Some of you may not consider walking to be a fun thing to do in summer, but how about if the walking tour takes you through the delights of Central Park or the magnificient Grand Central or the quaint food shops and heritage buildings in Greenwich Village, or a Times Square ‘expose’ (Fridays at noon. Meetup at Times Square Visitor Information Center: 7th Ave between 46th and 47th).

Gold Vault Tour of Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Now this is one tour that offers money for value. Or, to be precise, gold bars - Over 750,000 gold bars valued at more than $100 billion - More gold than you ever saw or will hope to see in one place. Photo credit - Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

A 10 ft passageway carved out of a 90 ton solid steel cylinder guards the entrance to the NY Fed’s gold vault, 5 floors and 80 feet below ground. The 60 minute tours are free, Mon-Fri. Reservations need to be made at least a month in advance. More details and contact info here.

Personally speaking, I prefer all this, and things like the 5th annual Loving Day celebrations at Solar One on June 8th 2008, which commemorates Loving vs. Virginia (1967), the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in the United States. Free BBQ, free beer, free ice cream, games and prizes, with DJ Spooky to keep things happening. Photo credit - Loving Day

But if you prefer a complete ‘getaway vacation’, per se, and you want it free, then what you want to do is head for the Adirondack Mountains and Lake George with camping gear. There’s 6 million acres of park and forest area waiting for you with RV parks, white water rafting and kayaking, lake side BBQ’s and bonfires, log cabins and tent sites, nature trails, fishing and get togethers. More details here.

If you have no idea how to go about setting up a tent, you might want to consider the not-so-free, but still cheap Camping Village which takes care of all the messy stuff like cooking and bath-rooms and beds, leaving you free to play the intrepid nature explorer.

So Father’s Day is fast approaching (June 15^th 2008), and it’s a bit of an understatement to say that it’s a Herculean task to come up the right ingredients for an enjoyable Father’s Day, let alone a perfect one. Mothers are easy to make happy. Well … Expensive, but easy to plan for. Fathers, on the other hand, are cranky, and it’s hard to make judgment calls about what they like, or not. Brunches are sissy, unless accompanied/planned by Mom with kids in tow. Add spas and shopping to the sissy list, and what you have left is … What? Here’s a reference list for you to chew on.

New York Father’s Day Restaurants: This is a list of restaurants in New York which are offering specials on the menu for Father’s Day.

This historied Tribeca/Downtown lounge is advisable if you’re a Mom with kids, planning Father’s Day brunch for the entire family. Enjoy the special Father’s Day brunch while the kids watch complimentary movies in the grand screening room. The buffet includes omelets and waffles made to order, oysters on the half shell, jumbo shrimp cocktail, quiche selection, fresh salads, antipasti, breads and pastries, cheese and seasonal fruits, and homemade desserts.And the cocktails at the Church Lounge are quite well known among serious drinkers.

Beacon – Midtown West restaurant is offering dads & guests a special 16-oz. Black Angus, dry aged natural Niman Ranch sirloin steak with a bottomless Brooklyn Lager. Dinner a la carte or $58 prix-fixe.

Creama Restaurante – Chelsea Mexican eatery offering brunch prix-fixe with a complimentary treat for fathers at the end of the meal.

Tribeca Grill – Robert De Niro’s landmark downtown restaurant offers brunch and dinner a la carte menus featuring spring seasonal offerings.

Restaurants with Father’s Day specials include davidburke & donatella, Fig & Olive, Havana Central and Lunetta.

Father’s Day Weekend Getaway Package: So let’s say you don’t think just a power lunch or brunch or dinner is enough. You want something a bit more expansive, covering the entire weekend. There’s no shortage of getaways in the Adirondack Mountains, but Father’s Day specials? This is where the 1000 Acres Ranch Resort, in Stony Creek, NY, about 3 and ½ hours’ drive from Manhattan, comes in. Photo courtesy & copyrights 1000 Acres Ranch Resort.

It’s a scenic dude ranch which sits along the banks of the Hudson River, with everything from horseback riding to a 9-hole golf course and fishing, kayaking, indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, night-time cocktail parties and ball games. Kids have a whole bunch of games, activities and entertainment under supervision from the resort staff. They’re offering a Father’s Day package deal which includes a 10% discount for Dad with 3 days/2 nights of lodging, three meals daily, horseback riding, pony rides for children six and under and full use of Ranch facilities.

If Dad is the kind of guy who enjoys fishing and the outdoors, then this is the perfect way to get him to relax on the weekend, with the additional bonus that the entire family gets to have a fun time.

Other events being held in NYC for Father’s Day include the 67th “Father of the Year” Awards being held on June 11^th at the Marriott New York Marquis hotel, free , fun things including a concert, sing-along and Lullwater cruise at Prospect Park, and a 3 hour Father’s Day schooner match race starting at Chelsea Piers from SailNYC.com.

The 2008 Memorial Day weekend is almost here (May 23-26) and the AAA is projecting that more Americans will stay at home during this Memorial Day holiday, due to high fuel prices. That argument is not entirely without merit, so here’s a few ways you can enjoy the Memorial Day events in and around New York without having to fill up on the gas and book into an expensive hotel or getaway resort. In short, a traditional Memorial Day weekend in New York on the cheap.

Fleet Week: The Annual NYC Fleet Week (May 21-28) includes a plethora of events including public ship visitations, helicopter raid demonstrations (you know, where they throw these lines out of the copters and swoop down), a Times Square concert, Navy band performance, an F-18 Navy flight simulator display, and lots of Memorial Day parades all over New York. Here’s a full list of all events held for Fleet Week, with date, time and location.

Queens Memorial Day Parade: If you’re fond of parades, the biggest Memorial Day Parade in the U.S. is held at Little Neck and Douglaston, Queens. The parade starts at 2 pm at the corner of Jason Avenue and Northern Boulevard in Great Neck, moving west on Northern Boulevard to 244 Street into St. Anastasia Schoolyard. The theme for the 2008 parade is ‘Fort Totten From War To Peace’. Photo courtesy & copyrights Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade Org., Inc.

MET Special Events: The Metropolitan Museum of Art has two specials for Memorial Day. First is the family festival at the Cloisters - Two days (May 24-25) of programs for the entire family, with tours and gallery workshops in English and Spanish. More details here. Secondly, the MET is open on Memorial Day as part of its ‘Holiday Mondays’ program sponsored by Bloomberg. Here’s the list of exhibitions open on Monday.

Lower East Side Festival of the Arts: This is the 13th year of the LES festival, and this year the organizers have put together over 70 groups with 250+ performers, with street fairs, theater, dance, music, poetry, art and multimedia presentations, food vendors, cooking competitions and lots more. More details here.

If you’re interested in street fairs, you might want to make note of the Times Square Fair on May 25th, at Seventh Avenue 47th to 57th streets, from 11 am to 6 pm. Call 212-809-4900 for more information. There’s also the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit from noon to 6 pm during the Memorial Day weekend, which attracts over 200 artists and more than 200,000 art lovers every year.

Brooklyn Bridge 125th Birthday Celebration: The Memorial Day weekend celebrations to honor the cultural significance of the Brooklyn Bridge in its 125th year include a Brooklyn Philharmonic concert followed by a Grucci Fireworks extravaganza, open air film screenings at the foot of the bridge, walking tours, and dance and music festivals. Photo by runnyc262 via Flickr.

All performances are free. Here’s the full list of events starting May 22nd. The bridge will be lit up with festive lighting until Memorial Day from 9 pm to 11 pm, so you might want to hang around from evening until at least 9 pm, just to see the lights come on.

There’s a lot of stuff going on all over New York, from Staten Island to Manhattan, and you have an extended weekend at your disposal. Why not make use of it to get to know the culture and the art and artists of New York, not to mention the additional significance of Memorial Day, in light of the Iraq war and the enormous sacrifices made by the men and women in the Armed Forces to help keep America safe.

So one day before deadline, I remember I’m supposed to submit an ‘NYC restaurant guide’. I’m scratching my head in confusion here. That’s a subject for a thick book, not a blog post to be tapped out on the fly. I mean, it’s virtually impossible to even remember all the good restaurants in New York City, let alone list them with descriptions. And how many more new restaurants open each week?

And then if you start categorizing them – Romantic, kosher, pre-theater dinner, breakfast, soul food, ethnic, greasy fast food diners, rooftop lounges – Well, let’s just say that this is going to be one heck of a blog post. see more »

New York City has an excess of everything, and it’s all packed in so close together that it’s impossible to walk a few blocks without tripping over an establishment worth a second look-see. So this Mother’s Day, which falls on the 11^th of May, here’s a guide to help you enjoy a classy and fun filled Mother’s Day in NYC.

Listed below are the best Mother’s Day activities in NYC - Where to go for brunches and teas, spa specials, cruises, music, shows and concerts, nature exploration tours, upscale shopping, flea market shopping, food shopping and best of all - Discounts, freebies, flowers, chocolates - which you get only if you’re a Mom.

Let’s start with a list of the best NYC restaurants offering a special Mother’s Day Sunday brunch.

Palm Court Restaurant, Plaza Hotel: The first on the list, and probably the only one you need to know about, is the historic Palm Court restaurant at the Plaza Hotel, with its stained glass windows, traditional afternoon tea and genteel service. The newly renovated and reopened Plaza has always been the center of gravity for the Grande Dame social circuit in the Big Apple.Every socially conscious Mom in NYC wants nothing better than to dress up and spend a few hours sizing up the other Moms in attendance. The brunch and afternoon tea is just something that the Palm Court offers as a reason for a gaggle of Moms to congregate. The experience, as a whole, is unforgettable, and there’s nothing better or more special that you can do for Mother’s Day, than foot the bill for brunch and tea at the Palm Court for your Mother.

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St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish religious holiday. But if you happen to be in New York on March 17, 2008, you can be forgiven for thinking it is an all-american festival. On St. Paddy’s day, New York will be a green city - and that has nothing to do with the environment.The city gets a green makeover. The people, their clothes, hats, flowers, water fountains and buildings such as the Empire State Building will go green. People from all over the nation and the world come to NYC for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festivities, even the Irish.

Here are the list of festivities and places I recommend to join the celebration.

Start the day with the mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. No better way to start a day than a one-on-one chat with God and a cardinal who is an archbishop. Edward Michael Cardinal Egan is the Archbishop of New York and St. Patrick’s Cathedral is his HQ. It’s one of the most beautiful Gothic style catholic churches in the world, where the exquisite stained glass windows compete with the altar’s spirituality, and the marble sculptures vie for attention with the uplifting music emanating from the 150-rank Kilgen organ.

The cathedral is one of the prime tourist attractions in New York, with over 5½ million visitors each year. It is especially busy on St. Patrick’s Day. The two blocks around the church are packed with people waiting to get inside. To get a seat, get there well ahead of time, leave your car at your hotel and take the subway or walk.

Next up, is the main event of the day, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade starts at 11.00 a.m., at 44th St. and Fifth Ave. The parade is a tradition not just for the Irish here, but the whole of NYC.

Everyone wears green, shops are decked with green, green beer flows in the Irish pubs and entire families turn out to line the streets on Fifth Avenue, from 44th to the 86th streets, to enjoy the bands, the colorful costumes and the carnival atmosphere. The best viewing spot for the parade is at the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The parade ends around 3 p.m., which is a cue for a break and well deserved lunch. A suitable choice for lunch is an Irish pub in the vicinity, with thick, juicy steaks, shepherd’s pie and Irish beer. If you follow the parade to its end at 86th Street, one of the most well known pubs in the area is the Parlour, located at 250 West 86th St. (212) 580-8923, which serves fresh Irish salmon steak seared with mustard sauce and a leek confit. It is also known for its shepherd’s pie, a foodaholic’s dream - tasty, filling and reasonably priced. Wash it all down with one or three of a range of Irish beers.

St. Patrick’s Day is a part of the culture and history of the city - an essential part of the New York city experience. So tell me, how do you spend St. Patrick’s Day in your city? And is there a special festival or day in your city or town which makes it something worth visiting?