Scenic: New York Botanical Garden 3

We reached the 'Ross Gallery and Lecture Hall', to watch the famous 'Flamenco among the Flowers show' which stated at 3. The performance was great, as one of the artists played guitar, the other one played a drum and the third artist danced on the Spanish tunes. It was definitely something very different, totally worth the time. 

The show was over by 3.45, and we moved on to the 'Mertz Library', to see the historical views of the Alhambra; the gallery had some rare prints and photographs of the palaces and the fortress complex in Spain. It was amazing to see such a brilliant collection, and it was completely in sync with the Spanish themed show, we saw before.

Next, on the list was the cafe, yes it was time to grab a bite in the nearby cafe and also to buy some souvenirs from the breathtaking garden shop. After savouring some tasty sandwiches and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies; we went to see the reflecting pool, which was right on the way back from the garden shop.

 
And clicked some nice pictures around the pool and went straight ahead to the 'Haupt Conservatory', another Spanish link, with some very pretty plants and flowing fountains. The place looked mesmerizing and we sure had a great time.

Then it was time to leave, as the garden closes at 5.30. We made our way back through the daffodil path and came out. We had an incredible time and loved seeing the beauty of the botanical garden, the best way to spend a bright summer day.

Scenic: New York Botanical Garden 2

After clicking some amazing pictures of the Stone Mill, we went ahead along the river path to see the waterfall. The way to the waterfall was lined with trees and the cool breeze was heavenly. We were there in ten minutes and yes, the view was worth it. It looked like a man-made waterfall, as the rocks were completely in a straight line but it was a beautiful sight. We again clicked some pretty pictures and left for the Cherry Collection.

                                                               Bronx River Waterfall

The 'Cherry Collection' was awesome with the beautiful and bountiful trees; the place looked like a dream, with wooden fences on the side of one road, an uphill walk and the lush greenery. From here, we went to see the 'Lilac Collection', which had a wide range of variety of pretty Lilac flower.

Then it was time to see the famous 'Rockefeller Rose Garden', which has some of the most stunning roses, I have ever seen. It was like a medley of colors, with roses blooming in all the possible shades; definitely the best part of the visit.

We spent more than an hour in the rose garden, then headed to the tram stop, to go to the Gallery and Lecture hall for the Flamenco show.

Scenic: New York Botanical Garden

Yesterday, we visited the New York Botanical Garden and got to see some of the most amazing flowers and trees. The place is lush green, set in the large area along the Bronx Zoo with the Bronx river passing through a vast stretch of the garden. The place opens at 10 in the morning, and we were there around 10.30 and there began our trip through its magnificent flora.

New York Botanical Garden - The garden has a collection of more than 10,00,000 varieties of plants and some of these trees are over a century old. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places in New York. 

                                                       New York Botanical Garden Entrance

We bought the tickets and took some time to plan our visit, so that we are able to see most of the grounds on the garden. We decided to take the tram and headed straight to the 'Maple Collection', which had many varieties of Maple trees in all shapes and sizes, mostly the Japanese Maple. The most distinguishing feature of these trees is the 'opposite leaf arrangement' and some varieties grow up to 145 ft in height. The trees make a beautiful picture, especially the beautiful Bonsai Maple which are the smaller Maple trees used mostly as decorative plants.

The next was the 'Benenson Ornamental Conifers', the cone bearing woody plants which look really pretty. Some examples are cedars, pines, redwood, spruces etc.

                                                                         Conifer Tree

From here, we went to see the Nolen Greenhouses and the Display House, which were quite amazing and had huge varieties of plants. And then we moved on towards the 'Goldman Stone Mill' , built along the Bronx River, it looked like a painting. It was built in 1840, and used the river water to provide power to the wheels for producing tobacco. It is now a National Historic Landmark.

                                                                  Goldman Stone Mill

Bowling @ Bowlmor Lanes

We went for Bowling last weekend @ Bowlmor Lanes, New York and had a fantastic time. Played three games each and the funny part is that both of us had the same scores at the end of the third game, so it was a tie. And the two hours spent in the famous Bowlmor Lanes were so much fun, especially with food to snack on alongside.

                                                     Bowlmor Lanes, Union Square, NY

Bowling - Knocking down all the ten pins with a ball, is the most simple understanding of the game. Well, the game has a history, according to which it started with the primitive form of nine pins/stones game and a stone ball used to be rolled. According to USBC, it originated in ancient Germany and since then the game has evolved. And 'The first permanent American bowling location probably was for lawn bowling, in New York's Battery area', International Bowling Museum (see link below). New York became the first site for the game in America and today, it is played in more than 90 countries.

The game is played in various formats like 10-pin game- the most common format with 10 pins to be knocked down with a ball, 9-pin no tap- considered a strike if bowler knocks down 9 or 10 pins, 3-6-9 game - bowler gets a strike in 3rd, 6th and 9th frames; best ball and baker system. Quite an interesting game.

Definitely, a fun game to enjoy with friends and have a good time. More-so, in a place like Bowlmor Lanes, which has awesome ambiance and is also frequently visited by celebrities (saw pins signed by many famous names in the gallery like Christina Applegate, Backstreet Boys and more).

We enjoyed bowling after a long time and will definitely try to do it more often from now on.

Links:
http://www.bowlingmuseum.com/Visit/HistoryofBowling.aspx
http://www.springdaleusbc.com/bowling.htm

Mapping the Big Apple: Manhattan uncoded

Understanding Manhattan through the map is not that easy but once you get the hang of it, it is so much fun. I love exploring different parts of the city and the map is the ultimate tool for it. 

Through the Map- Manhattan, one of the five boroughs of  New York (others are Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten Island) is situated along the Hudson river. Counted as one of the most beautiful cities of the world, it sure is breathtaking. Going back to the mapping part, the city is divided into three - Uptown (Northern part, above 59th street), Midtown and Downtown (Southern part, below 14th street); and getting around Manhattan is made simple by the system of Avenues and Streets. 

This is your New York !!

In detail, Streets run from east to west and Avenues from South to North; yes it is that uncomplicated. So, the streets are numbered from 1st to 218th and Avenues from 1st to 12th, with the inclusion of Broadway which goes from the lower tip of Manhattan to all the way up and yes, the odd numbered streets run west and evens run east. So, figuring out an address in the city is kind of easy, for instance if it says 162, 5th Avenue, 24th Street - so that means it will be Midtown Manhattan close to the Flatiron District at the intersection of the 5th Avenue and 24th street.

Its been a complete adventure, as we have been travelling all over the city guided by the map; right from Staten Island to Bronx zoo, Coney Island to Central Park, Wall Street to Columbus Circle, Grand Central to Lexington Avenue and the regular haunt Times Square (the best place ever!).

To say, after a while, un-coding the city through a map is a piece of cake. And it doesn't get any better than this. Am loving it !!

Freezing Rains to Slippery Roads: An ode to New York Winter

After weeks of heavy snow, its time for some freezing rain. Since last night, its been raining and now the view outside - almost everything is covered with a sheet of ice. The tree looks like it has frozen in time and the water on the window pane is frozen on its way down. And the snow lying on the road sides, also got an 'icy' face lift. 

                                                                         Frozen in Time

Another, effect of the freezing rain is of course - the slippery roads. And weather advisory issued, was 'Snow, Sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads', which turned out to be precisely right. The sidewalks look like a slushy mess, and the street corners have become water ponds. And a walk on the street is just 'Slip n Slide', or as, skating on the road.

With all this ice around, I braved an 'icy' trip to the grocery store this morning -it was quite an adventure; had no idea that the sidewalks won't be for walking but for sliding. According to the weather forecasts, the rains will stop by afternoon and I just hope that the ice on the sidewalks melts, otherwise, the skating will have to continue for another day.

Freezing Rain and ice and slippery roads; it's tougher than a blizzard. 

Rockefeller Christmas

A visit to Rockefeller center is always chilly and crowded; and of-course very refreshing. Yesterday, we went there to see the famous Christmas tree and the beautiful decorations. On the way to the Rockefeller, the streets were all decked up and we clicked some amazing pictures and the Radio City Christmas tree also looked very pretty. 

Rockefeller Center, located between 48th and 51st street in New York City was built by Rockefeller family in 1930s. The fourteen buildings of the center were built in art deco style and was declared National Historic Landmark in 1987. Many famous names are located in the center like Radio City Music Hall, GE building and many other offices. Today the buildings are a famous tourist attraction especially during the Christmas season.

And the famous Christmas tree at the Rockefeller draws people from all around the world. The tree, a Norway spruce is lighted during the last week of November and stays up till the first week of January. And this year the tree was 74 ft tall and is usually counted among the giant Christmas trees around the world. The tree stands tall beside the ice rink and the statue of Prometheus; which is a breathtaking sight.

                                                             Rockefeller Christmas tree 

The Rockefeller Christmas decorations are surely unparalleled and just the perfect place to be during Christmas time. And this time the Saks Fifth Avenue 'snowflake and bubble show', a two minute 3D projection which played every 15 minutes on the building with Christmas music; was also very good. With bubbles coming out of the windows and snowflakes falling over, it was beautiful and very different from last year.

Warm up to NYC chill: Five Winter essentials

Surviving the big apple cold weather needs some warm accessories apart from sweaters and coats; and these five winter essentials come handy and are equally fashionable. 

1. Ear Muffs - The gushing cold winds in NYC can be torturous for your ears and the ear muffs come as a  savior. It was invented by Chester Greenwood in 1873 and has become a winter essential since then. It protects ears in the chilly weather and comes in many designs and styles. And the acoustic ear muffs come with headphones, which is even better especially while working out. 

2. Mittens - The hand gloves which keep the hands warm and prevents frostbites. Mittens have one cover for the four fingers and one for the thumb unlike gloves which have four coverings for fingers and one for thumb. It keeps the hands nice and toasty and some even come in a design with the removable finger cover for ease. And they even look cute. 

3. Leg Warmers - These are footless coverings for lower legs and are a sure way of keeping legs warm. And can be worn with leggings, jeans, jeggings and are pretty much a fashion accessory for winters. Earlier these used to be worm by ballet dancers but later it became a fad. 

4. Boots - A pair of warm winter boots go a long way in protecting one's feet during the chill, and also saves one from slipping on the ice while crossing the road. And not just that, boots look awesome and complete a winter attire perfectly, as it goes well with coats, sweaters and even skirts. 

5. Chullo - The cutest of them all, a chullo is a hat with ear warmers and strings to tie under the chin for keeping the head warm. It is just what one needs to keep the head and ears protected from the cold. And comes in beautiful colors and patterns. 

                                                             A beautiful Chullo Hat

These five are definitely needed to cope with the extreme weather in New York and they look as good as they feel. And to beat the chill, of course a cup of hot chocolate can never go wrong, slurp!!

First Snowflakes of the season: Came tumbling down

The first snowflakes of the season came tumbling down on Sunday night and continued till Tuesday afternoon. Snowflakes looked beautiful flying away with the breeze. The shapes of the snowflakes was a surprise for me, as I got to know about it for the first time last year, when I saw the light and sound show on Saks fifth Avenue during Christmas time. It was splendid.

                                                                    Saks Fifth Avenue

Snowflakes - 'Snowflakes are conglomerations of frozen ice crystals which fall through earth's atmosphere'*. They come in so many shapes and sizes; and no two snowflakes are alike. They have been a point of interest for many researchers around the world and many books have also been written as the shapes of the crystals are very unique. 

These snowflake symbols are associated with Christmas and of-course the winter season. One can see paper snowflakes all over the city, as stores and many streets are decorated during winters. These tiny pieces of snow are truly a work of art. 

                                                                  Swaroski Snowflake 

Links: 

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake 

84th Year: Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

The 84th Macy's Thanksgiving Parade rolled out today in the heart of New York city. It started bang on time, at 9 from Central Park West, 77th street. We waited on the 38th street for more than an hour, before we got the first glimpse of the roaring parade. People started cheering and yes, it was time for the gigantic balloons to float in the air.

                                                                    The Parade begins...

The Parade was started in 1924, by Macy's employees and from then on, it became an annual event. It covers almost two miles and features balloons, floats, marching bands, performers, falloons (balloon on a float) and Santa Clause. This year, the parade started with the NYPD men on bikes, followed by a marching band and the cheerleaders. And then came the clowns holding the Thanksgiving parade banner followed by Macy's star floats. There were almost 36 balloons in this year's parade featuring Greg Heffley from the 'Diary of a Wimpy kid', Kung-Fu Panda, Pumpkins, Turkey, Smurf, Kool-Aid, Shrek, Sailor Mickey, Pillsbury Doughboy and many-many more.

                                                                        Kung-Fu Panda

The Parade was a spectacle with over 800 clowns, 1600 cheerleaders and dancers, and lots of celebrities. The celebrity list included Jessica Simpsons, Singer Kayne West, Kylie Minogue, Jimmy Fallon and more. And the bands entertained with music and marching, most of them represented their home state and the performance groups vowed the crowds with flip-flops, spins, acrobatics and cheered 'We love NYC'; this time there was an Indian performance group too, wearing traditional dresses, carrying embellished umbrellas and dancing to the Bollywood tunes.

                                                                    Ronald McDonald
And the clowns entertained people with funny tricks, especially the children. In all, it was a fabulous show and the performers in the parade were fabulous too. It was incredible to see the Parade again this year, and definitely, it was even more spectacular than before. 

NYC Carnival: Halloween Parade

On October 31st 2010, at 5:30 pm, we were on 9th street, NY to watch the 'Halloween Parade'. I so wanted to be there this time and I made it, am so happy. It was just like a carnival, people dressed in all kinds of costumes, dancing, scaring other people, posing for photographs and having fun. 

Halloween Parade - Annual night parade held in New York on Halloween, i.e. October 31st, where participants come out in costumes, artists perform dances and live performances, giant floats are up in the air, and almost anyone who is in a costume joins the parade. People in scary costumes come close to the stands and scare everyone, as zombies walk around with blood splattered all over their faces, and as ghosts and witches show their evil teeth. The parade starts in Greenwich Village, this year the route was Sixth Avenue from Spring Street to 15th Street ( 7 - 10:30 p.m.).

                                                 People dressed as Ghosts in the Parade

We went their before time to grab a good place in the stands, as it usually gets very crowded. And by the time it was 7, it got so crowded that there was no place to walk on the side of the streets. And the Parade also started right on time, artists were the first to come performing fire stunts and then a group arrived dancing. After that, it was unstoppable - there were zombies, avatars, superman, Lady Gagas, witches, nurses with blood on their clothes, MnM, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, coffins, man with a knife through his head, Jigsaw from the 'Saw' fame, giant skeletons puppets and floats; and also some chilean miners left behind (haha !!).

                                                      Chilean Miner left behind

The parade was too good and am sure, everyone must have enjoyed it. Its a must for anyone who visits NY at this time of the year. The Halloween Parade was something I have never seen before, people were dressed however they wanted, were dancing, laughing and enjoying themselves - that is what celebration is. But the celebrations don't end here, after the parade people head over to the costume parties.

Halloween deserves 'Hell of a time' celebrations. Ya Ya !!

Splendid : A Walk on the Brooklyn Bridge

The plan was to go on Saturday to see the Brooklyn Bridge but we decided to go on Sunday afternoon. First we went to the Brooklyn Bridge Park, the newly opened Pier 1 was beautiful. With lush greenery and a stunning backdrop of the Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan Bridge - it was picture perfect. And of course how can one forget to mention the famous Brooklyn ice-cream factory. 

                                             View of Brooklyn Bridge from the Park

We spent some time in the park, clicking pictures and eating ice-cream and just enjoying the cool breeze. Got some beautiful shots of the park and of the many brides who were getting their pictures clicked. Then it was time for the walk on the bridge.

Brooklyn Bridge - It is one of the oldest (127yr old) suspension bridges in the U.S. and was the longest suspension bridge in the world till 1903. Unexpectedly, when we went on the bridge, there were a lot of people. People were walking in both directions on one side and the other side was for the cyclists. We moved on and on the way saw a newly married couple walking down the bridge. We reached the first tower in 15 minutes and started clicking pictures. The view was breathtaking - statue of liberty far in the water and the Manhattan bridge right beside with a clear skyline view. And yes, we also saw a music video shoot going on the bridge, people were stopping by to look at what's going on.

                                                                     Brooklyn Bridge

Then march on to the next tower began, with some more pictures and some rest breaks on the way. And finally, we crossed the bridge in one hour, that's a long time to walk over a mile. The views were unmatched and the walk was so much fun. 

Museum aboard a ship: USS Intrepid

A visit to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum last weekend was like a dream coming true. Aboard a USS Intrepid Aircraft Carrier, this museum took us back in history. When we entered the Hanger 1 after taking our tickets, a big movie screen displayed the story of Intrepid. 

USS Intrepid- It was built during World War II, for the U.S. Navy. And during the war on 16th April, 1945, a Japanese aircraft dived into Intrepid's flight deck killing 8 and wounding 21 people. Not just this, Intrepid has survived five kamikaze attacks, several bomb attacks and one torpedo strike. It has made seven trips around the globe surviving two wars (that's exemplary).

                                                                                    The 'Intrepid'

The Hanger Deck, was the first exhibit - after watching the story of interpid, we went to see the anchor chain room. There were many interesting exhibits like TBM-3 Avenger Airplane, FJ-3 Fury Airplane, Heroic Journey Exhibit, A-4 Skyhawk Airplane and HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter and XD Theater. The XD Theater was the most awesome part of the visit, a 4D extreme experience for 10 mins, where we sat on our seats, put on our 3D glasses, tightened the seat belts and zoomed into a crazy ride through space, it was unbelievable - a mix of high speed, extreme turns and free falls. 

Next was the Flight Deck, from where the aircrafts used to take off. And here was also the huge collection of aircrafts from around the world. The A-12 Blackbird spy plane, F-14 Tomcat, F11F Tiger, F3D-2 Skynight and MiG-21- fabulous collection. And we also got to see the Navigation Bridge where the Captain used to sit and navigate the ship. We clicked lots of pictures. After the flight deck, we went to the third deck- where the crew of intrepid used to eat and sleep. The berthing areas, the 1960 mess and officers quarters- it felt like walking through history.

                                                                          A-12 Blackbird 

From there, we went to the cafe and had some delicious food in the mess lookalike sitting area. The next was the Pier 86- where the British Airways Concorde stood majestically. We got to see the insides of this record-breaking Concorde and the Growler Submarine - the only strategic missile open to public. And then it was time for some souveneirs - we picked up some intrepid coins and badges.

In all, the experience was unbelievable, truly an experience of a lifetime. 

Magical: Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and also one of the places we wanted to visit for so long. After the thousand island cruise, we left for Rochester, which is almost 1.5 hours from there. We checked in hotel Rochester Plaza for the night.

It was our second wedding anniversary next day. In the morning, we got ready early and left for Niagara around 7 in the morning. We were there at 9, with a breakfast stop in between. We went in for the IMAX movie on Niagara history. It was an hour long movie, from here we went to the ticket window to get the tickets for 'Maid of the Mist' ride. Then as it was the long weekend, so lots of people, we had to get in a line on the observation deck. Finally we got our blue coats and got on the ship. And the magical time began right then.

We got the corner place to stand on the cruise, as you get the best views of the falls. And in minutes, we were surrounded by clouds of mist, it was so perfect. As we drew closer to the American Falls, it felt like water was falling on us, we had to struggle to keep our eyes open to soak in the beauty of the majestic Niagara. It was surely the most beautiful sight, i had ever imagined. The next was the Horseshoe Falls, it seemed like water was everywhere, dense mist but ya, again a breathtaking site. Then cruise took a U-turn and we started moving away, it was so sad to go away from those beautiful moments so soon.

                                                                                  American Falls

We got off and went to the stairs, to get closer to the falls again. People in blue coats were everywhere climbing the stairs to see the falls closely, we also went to the top to soak in some more of Niagara mist. We spent some time there and then went back to the observation deck and clicked pictures, which we couldn't do all this time.

                                                                                   Horseshoe Falls

From there, we went to the State Park, and enjoyed the views. And also went to the souvenir shop and picked up some stuff. And then it was time for some food, we went to the food court close-by and enjoyed a good Indian meal. Then it was time to go back. The trip was amazing and went on smoothly. 

Journey: To the Thousand Islands

Our Wedding Anniversary trip to Thousand Islands and Niagara Falls was truly magical. As planned we left around 8 in the morning from 87, Bowery Street and with numerous stops on the way, reached our destination around 5 in the evening. It was almost like travelling from one corner of New York to another. After reaching there, we took the cruise tickets and sailed on to see the breathtaking view of the islands in St. Lawrence river.

Thousand Islands - A total of 1863 islands of all sizes lay calmly in the St. Lawrence River on the U.S.-Canada border, stretching almost 80 kms from Kingston, Ontario. The view from the cruise was amazing, it seemed almost like beautiful floating islands in the water. Some of the islands are owned by the rich and they have built their summer mansions there. Some of the famous homes are the Boldt Castle and the Singer Castle. The Boldt Castle has a sad love story behind it; it was built by the George Boldt (owner of Waldorf-Astoria hotels in NY) in 1900 for his wife but when his wife died in 1904, the construction was stopped in between and the castle was left just like that for 73 years. Now it has become the most famous attraction for visitors.

                                                                 Boldt Castle, Heart Island


There were many other beautiful houses too and some of them were built on very small islands, making it look like a house on water, open the door and step into water. It took us an hour to finish the complete tour of the islands and at 6:30, we went to the local market and bought souvenirs. Definitely, Thousand Islands is one of the best places to see in the world. From here, we left for Rochester - our next destination.

                                                                    House on Water

New York: The Top 10 Attractions

I have been in New York for a while now, and have been exploring this beautiful city widely. With the help of regular weekend trips, I have complied my list of Top 10 attractions in NY.

1. Times Square - This is the place I visited the very first day I landed here. And trust me this place will make you feel like you are in the midst of a party, a part of the most happening place. With huge billboards, frenzy of crowds, people dressed in strange costumes, the happy vibes, loud music and of-course loads of food to eat; anyone can fall in love with this place. It just makes you feel happy, no matter in what mood you are - this place will cheer you up in no time. And the famous 'Red Steps' feel like the most comfortable place to sit and watch the crowds go mad. 

2. Grand Central Terminal - Grand Central Station at 42nd street, is sure to make you feel grand. The grandest not just in word but in all other ways too - and it is also the largest train station in the world, in terms of number of platforms. Not just that, it looks royal with chandeliers and beautiful over-looking balconies and some pretty famous restaurants and lounges are a part of it too. A must visit for everyone.

3. Central Park - The best place to be on a sunny day as well as on a snowy day. In winters, it is completely covered in white blanket, the lakes are also covered with a sheet of ice and it makes a beautiful sight. During summers, its the ideal place to take a walk or sit lazily on a bench. There are many things to see also like the Belvedere Castle - a miniature castle built in 1869 provides the best views of central park; Romeo and Juliet and Alice in Wonderland sculptures, Central park zoo, Obelisk from Egypt, Jackie Kennedy Reservoir, turtle pond and many more. A great place to spend a complete day with family and friends.

4. Coney Island and NY Aquarium - Coney Isalnd is in the southern part of  Brooklyn, NY and offers a scenic view of the Atlantic ocean from its shores. Not just the sandy shores, there are many more avenues to explore like New York Aquarium, which is situated near the coast and has a wide variety of sea creatures; making it a day long affair. With animals such as Walrus, sea otter, sharks, turtles, jellyfishes and the all time favorite sea lion show, its a famous attraction for families.

5. Rockefeller Center - During Christmas time, this place really 'rocks'. The famous Christmas tree at the Rockefeller and the ice skating rink make it the most visited attraction during winters. Even in summers, its a crowd puller, as theres the ever-loved views from the top of the rock and the skating rink is converted to a place where you can sit and relax and enjoy great food.

6. Bronx Zoo - Another place, which is a delight to everyone's heart. Both children and grown-ups can have their share of fun in this 265 acres of natural habitat for animals. The ride on the wild Asia monorail through the forest and over the Bronx river takes 20 minutes and is one of the best parts of the visit. There are animals from around the world such as Tigers, baboons, snakes, frogs, lion, snow leopard, red panda and lot more, the list is never-ending.

7. Empire State Building - A visit to the Empire State Building figures in everyone's list. The observatory i.e. the 86th floor of the building gives you a chance to look at New York city from the top. And the view from the top is breath-taking from any standards and no trip is complete without a visit to this observatory.

8. Ripley's Believe it or Not - 'Stranger than fiction', this can be easily said for Ripley's Odditorium any-day. A huge array of exhibits are on display from Mr. Ripley's collection. There is an albino giraffe, world's tallest man's shoes, world's famous midget, shrunken heads of real human beings, a meteorite, picture of three-legged man, the heaviest man, the torture room exhibits and dinosaur skull. A must on the travel itinerary.

9. Madame Tussaud's Museum - Everyone likes to get a picture with the celebrities and this place gives an opportunity to get to know your favorite stars up-close and personal. Wax figures of Stars like Leonardo Di Caprio, Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, Paris Hilton, the Osbournes and famous political leaders like George Bush, Napoleon, Barack Obama, Princess Diana, Bill Clinton and many more adorn the museum. And a 10 minute 4D movie is also included in the visit, which is so much fun.

10. Time Warner Center - It is situated at the Columbus circle near the trump towers and is a great place for shopping and eating. The stunning star show during the Christmas season is a big attraction and ofcourse with lounges and awesome eateries, its a wonderful place to relax any time of the year.

Unbelievable: Ripley's Believe it or not - 4

The following exhibit had some pictures of Siamese twins and some objects which came out of people's stomachs. Next one was a real 3.179 pound meteorite, found in China in 1958 and believed to fallen on earth in 1592. And there was also a computer-generated picture depicting the view of New York, if the meteorite had fallen there and the crater looked like a complete city could fit into it. 

                                                       Picture of meteor hit New York city

There was also the original american flag taken to moon and a piece of rock from moon (wow!). The next was a life-size exhibit of Shark with its jaws wide open and they had even shown all the strange things inside its stomach which also consisted of two swimsuits (that's funny!).

A dinosaur skull and bones were also on display and then came the exciting part - a room with laser beams falling across and one had to make his way through the beams and go to the other end of the room without touching any laser beam. This was so much fun, as first my husband went in and we could see him in a t.v. outside, it looked just like movies and he was pretty good and touched only 4 beams. After him, it was my turn now, i did pretty well too- only 3 beams, yipee!!.

                                                                                  Dinosaur skeleton

Another interesting twist, we saw there was, there were two doors - one was for coward hearted and the other one a path through a rotating ball leading to the next exhibit. We took the one through the ball, and it was spinning all around and I felt like I was falling on one side. But we made it not just once but five times, it was so much fun.

From the ball, we were led into the the famous room with shrunken heads from Ecuador. This practice of shrinking heads was common amongst the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador, South America. So when an enemy was killed, his head was cut off, skin peeled away from the skull and hot stones,sand were poured into the cavity, then the head was sewn and boiled in herbs till it shrunk to the size of a fist. Then it was smoked over a fire to darken and harden it with feasts and ceremonies going on (Most outrageous of all!).

This visit was definitely the most unbelievable as the things we saw, we could have never imagined. It was a different experience all together. 

Unbelievable: Ripley's Believe it or not - 3

The Torture room, also had a 'Vampire Killing Kit', which was used to kill a suspected vampire. It contained garlic, a mirror, a pistol, an ivory cross, a bible, a mallet and wooden stake. And the funniest part of the exhibit was the pickled heads, there were two empty jars open in the back, so one could put their head inside the jar and look like a pickled face.

                                                       The Vampire killing Kit
The next was the room of Egyptian mummies, where a woman's hand which was mummified with a ring still on it, was on display. There was also a 200-year old mask which was found inside a coffin covering the face of a mummified body and a canopic jar which was used to keep the organs of the mummy, as all the organs of the body were removed before the body was mummified. And the famous mask worn by Pharaohs was also on exhibit. This exhibit was truly fascinating.

Abrahan Lincoln exhibit, followed the Egyptian exhibit. There were pictures of the president, the gun which was used to shoot him and even the piece of the curtain, from the balcony of the theater where he was sitting with his wife when he was killed. And a lock of his hair preserved and the pictures of convicts who were hanged for the assassination. Even more surprising was to see locks of hair of Napoleon Bonaparte and many other presidents of United States. A dress made of egg whiskers, blanket made of brand tags and a jacket made of flags of different countries, were extraordinary.

A bit tired, we sat in the auditorium and saw some of the famous Ripleys videos. After a while, we went to see the other exhibit, there were statues of African gods of fertility and a huge spear carved out of single piece of wood. A corset on a dummy was on exhibit depicting the ill-effects of tightly worn corsets by women in earlier days, when a 13 inch waist was considered best as ordered by a queen. So women in those days used to squeeze into a corset to look acceptable, and they had even mentioned an incidence - where a women with the acceptable 13'' waist, was the center of attraction of a party and after two days she died because she starved herself to fit into the even tighter corset.

Two skulls kept in a glass tank, looked like their heads were molded, and was called as Peruvian Trepany Skull, 500 A.D. These skulls bear the signs of head-binding to beautify and shape the skull and this practice was followed in Peru in those days. The other display shows more cruelty, the Golden Lily Slippers from  19th century China, where the daughters of wealthy families from the age of 3 were made to wear these shoes by breaking their feet and bound so tightly that their toes touched their heels. And because of this, the women couldn't walk properly and standing for long was almost impossible (strange !!).

There were even more cruel ways of beautifying women like the Paudaung Neck Rings, which were worn by women in Burma from the age of 5 to 25, to elongate their necks which was a sign of wealth and status, but it actually deformed their rib cages and the other was the- the disks worn by Ubangi women of Chad, Africa- as these wooden disks were inserted into their mouths which extended their lips to huge proportions as a sign of beauty and status in the tribe.

                   Paudaung Neck Rings and disks worn by Ubangi women of Chad

Unbelievable: Ripley's Believe it or not - 2

The picture gallery led us into a library, with book shelves and a table of Mr. Ripley with globe, maps, old books, watch and a small movie was being played depicting his adventures. Then one of the bookshelves moved and we were led into another exhibit - African face masks. It had all kinds of weird face masks which people in Africa used during ceremonies and rituals many years ago.

There was also the famous two-headed calf, which looked pretty strange. Then there was solid lightning (yes, I mean it !), called fulgurites. 

                                                                        Solid Lightning

In this gallery there was one amazing genuine Allosaurus skull, and we clicked pictures with our hands inside its mouth. It must have been scary in real. And yes, we also got a picture clicked with a dummy dressed as a member of one of the African tribes. There was also on display the strange torture technique in China in early days, as the punishment for lying was to get roasted tied around a pole (outrageous!!). The drawings on Ostrich eggs were pretty impressive.

The Chinese beer jars and kettles were displayed in a huge showcase and on the ceiling one could get inspired by the huge collection of lighters from around the world. The clothes and shoes worn by the tallest woman in the world were on also on display. There was also a big collection of Matchstick Spanish armada fleet miniatures displayed beneath a glass flooring, it looked awesome.

                                  Collection of Matchstick Spanish armada fleet miniatures


There was also a tank full of cockroaches and a glass dome inside it, so one could put its head inside and see cockroaches crawling all over the place. And there were some exhibits from the Titanic too. It was so nice to see things brought up from the seabed of titanic like a thermo-col glass, which had shrunken to a half an inch glass due to the pressure of the water under the sea and a small piece of the ship too.

The next was the Berlin Wall, Ripley's very own piece of Berlin wall, after it was brought down and on the lower part of the wall it was clearly written 'Made in Germany'. The next exhibit was about skulls, masks and necklaces made of body parts. One of the necklace's had 6 human fingers tied with a thread, and this kind of necklace used to be worn by women of some African tribe. These were worn by them, after their husband's death and the fingers of their husbands were cut according to the number of children and made into a necklace. Most of this exhibit was about the rituals women had to carry out after their husbands expired.

This led us into the next exhibit - Torture Room, many ways of torture during the earlier ages were shown here. The first one was a small wooden box, and criminals were locked in those boxes and left to die with only a small window in the box to breathe. In the exhibit, they had even shown a skull hanging out the hole of the box. Then there was the method of electric shock which killed instantly. Another brutal way of torture was  hanging a criminal from a wall, with hands and legs ties with a rope and a heavy chain with weight was put around the stomach; this way the body got pulled from both sides and ripped apart.

The cow mask was another medieval century torture device, and Iron Maiden, a wood structure which had piercing sticks inside and the criminal was made to stand inside it and then it was closed slowly, killing the person immediately in the most gruesome way. As the pointed steel sticks inside were put exactly in the right places to pierce heart, eyes and other parts of the body. There was also a wooden box to hang people and the heavy piece of wood fitted to the ground, with holes for neck and hands was put on culprits to punish them severely. A real Human brain, which was cut out and was there on exhibit, this brain belonged to a criminal in earlier times and it was dissected to see the difference between a normal and a criminal mind. 

Unbelievable: Ripley's Believe it or not

We visited the Ripley's Believe it or not 'Odditorium', NY yesterday. It was a sudden plan and we booked our tickets online right away. It was unbelievable, as we saw such strange and bizarre things; which can make anyone think, 'that its not possible'. 

I should start writing the blog, with something about Mr. Robert Ripley, who started it all. He began by selling a cartoon to the life magazine and after his believe it or not cartoon took off, he became a traveler looking for the oddest things. And odditorium is the place where all his collectibles are showcased to the public. The entrance to the museum is grand with a chinese dragon mega gate. 

A life size horse made of car bumpers greeted us at the museum entrance. On the other side of the entrance was the bearded lady, and then there was the skeleton of the largest crocodile ever coming out of the ceiling. It lived during the Jurassic age, a 40 feet long crocodile from Africa and used to eat dinosaurs (Strange!!). The next was the General Tom Thumb's pictures and shoes, he was the world's most famous midget and was only 3'4'' tall. His shoes looked like tiny doll shoes and in comparison to that there were shoes worn by the tallest man Robert Wadlow, 8' 11'' giant, and his statue looked massive. 

                                                                     Ripley's Believe it or not, NY


The next was the world's smallest car ever driven and a Mercedes made entirely of wood, which was actually not a car but a boat. There was also Johhny Eck, a versatile man born with no legs but could climb a ladder and was also an painter. We tried to measure our hand with the biggest hand possible, a 12.5'' hand of a texan born which is considered the biggest by far. There was also an exhibit of the ugliest woman in the world, with big falling out lips. And there were mirrors too, to see if we could roll our tongues, as it was written there, that 1 in 3 people can roll their tongues, but I was not one of three. And before taking the stairs, there was a giant albino giraffe, on the right, completely white that it didn't even look like the typical giraffes we see. 

From here, we went to the first floor, and there we saw the figure of the heaviest man, Walter Hudson from New York, who weighed 1400 lbs (635 kgs), with just the soda intake of 2 litres per meal (Humongous !!). There were paintings of people like a sadhu from India, women with a long beard and hair, a wolf faced man and the man with three legs, a man whose face looked exactly like Popeye (must be the source of inspiration) and a woman whose could write with both hands backwards and forward, upwards and downwards too (wow!!). More strange pictures adorned the walls, like the picture of a man who dressed differently on half side of his body and a man whose hands and feet were like crab, Siamese twins.

                                               Woman with beard and long hair