Vanessa’s Dumpling House (nee Dumpling House) is a Chinatown favorite for good reason: 39 food items on the menu that are $3 or less and nothing on the 45-item menu is over $6. 

So far, I have tried the Chive & Pork Fried Dumplings (4 for $1), the Basil & Chicken Boiled Dumplings in soup ($4.25), and the Pork Fried Bun (3 for $1) and everything has been delicious.  Ten varieties of dumplings, thirteen types of buns and stuffed pancakes, and sixteen soups, as well as cold dishes like Kimchi ($2), round out the menu.   

The restaurant recently moved into a larger space, next door to its original space.  On my last visit, there was no sign, no address posed.  Just look for the floor-to-ceiling windows, or the line snaking out the front door.   

Location:  Vanessa’s Dumpling House, 118 Eldridge Street (between Grand and Broome Street),  map  212-625-8008

Subway:  B, D to Grand Street; F, Z to Essex-Delancey Street; J, M to Bowery

Hours:  Daily, 7:30am-10:30pm

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Boating in Central Park is a favorite summertime activity.

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Wishing everybody a very happy and safe Fourth of July!

Photo credit: flickr

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Each Sunday evening during the summer, members of the Julliard School and Jazz at Lincoln Center will bring their musical talent to the Sculpture Garden at MoMA.  The museum has a long history of presenting jazz and new concert music in its summer series which dates back to 1971.  Many concerts will feature original works and at least one world premiere will be included.       

Entrance to Summergarden is through the Sculpture Garden gate on West 54th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue.  Seating is limited by capacity, first-come, first-served. Doors open at 7pm and the concert begins at 8pm. Concerts last 90 minutes. 

Location: The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at MoMA, 11 West 53rd (enter through gate on West 54th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)  212-708-9400

Subway: E or V to Fifth Avenue-53rd Street

Days and Hours:  Every Sunday. July 6-August 24, 2008.  Concert begins at 8pm.   

Cost: Free

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Bus:  Least Expensive, Most Options

There is a plethora of bus companies operating between Boston and New York.  For awhile, the “Chinatown” buses were the cheapest and easiest way.  Fung Wah and Lucky Star have built their business on $15 one-way tickets and direct service from Chinatown-New York to Boston’s South Station.  Newcomers MegaBus and Boltbus, operating from Midtown to South Station, have recently initiated service on the I-95 corridor promising cheap tickets (in some cases as cheap as $1) and free Wi-Fi. 

Limo Liner:  Moderately Expensive

Taking the Limo Liner is like being on your very own private jet… except that the trip still takes 4 hours.  Two-by-two seating, a dedicated onboard attendant, outlets at every seat, Wi-Fi, satellite t.v. and radio round out the amenities of the Limo Liner.  A handful of daily departures run between Hilton New York to Hilton Back Bay with one stop on the way for $89 one-way.  

Train:  Moderately Expensive

Amtrak provides Northeast Regional and Acela service between the two cities.  The regional tickets cost around $84 one-way and the trip takes 4 hours.  Amtrak’s premium Acela service only saves you a little time, making the trip in 3 hours 40 minutes while costing from $105 one-way.  Advance tickets may be purchased for $59-$108 one-way.   

Plane: Most Expensive 

The Delta Shuttle and US Airways Shuttle make hourly trips between the LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Boston-Logan Airport (BOS).  Delta Shuttle departures begin at 6am and continues at least every hour on the half-hour until 8:30pm and US Airways Shuttle leaves hourly on the hour.  The flight is short, just an hour, but you may spend more time waiting on the LaGuardia taxiway waiting to takeoff.  Walk-up fares for both airlines are around $329 one-way and fares as low as $64 one-way (excluding taxes) can be found if you purchase weeks in advance. 

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Announced yesterday, the concert will be part of baseball’s 2008 All-Star game festivities which will take place at Yankee Stadium.  This year will mark the final season of the “House that Babe Built,” in 2009 the ball team will move to a new Yankee Stadium.  

Though the concert will be free, a ticket will be required for admission.  Free tickets will be distributed beginning Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at New York-area ballparks.  Most tickets will be distributed at Yankee Stadium with others available at Shea Stadium in Queens, KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, and at the home of the Staten Island Yankees.

Location: Great Lawn at Central Park

Date and Time: Saturday, July 12, 2008.  8pm.

More Information: Visit www.mlb.com or www.bonjovi.com

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Dalí: Painting and Film

The exhibition is in conjunction with a selection of weekly film programs featuring Salvador Dalí: Creator Collaborator, Dalí Laughs, Salvador Dalí and Three American Surrealists, and Salvador Dalí: Consumer/Consumed.  Other works, such as the 1930 film by Luis Buñuel and Dalí, “L’Age d’Or,” is on continuous display in the gallery.

Location: MoMA, 11 West 53rd (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) map (212) 708-9400

Subway: E or V to Fifth Avenue-53rd Street

Hours: 10:30am -5:30pm Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun; 10:30am-8pm Friday; Closed Tuesday.  Dalí: Painting and Film on exhibit through September 15, 2008.     

Cost: $20 adults; $16 65+; $12 full-time students; under 16 free (with paying adult); free to all Fri 4-8 pm.  Cost includes admission to film programs.  Save your MoMA ticket for free admission to P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, Queens.

All photos courtesy of MoMA: Salvador Dalí (Spain, 1904-1989), The Persistence of Memory 1931, Oil on canvas 24.1 x 33 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York Given anonymously, © 2008 Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Luis Buñuel (Spain, 1900-1983) and Salvador Dalí (Spain, 1904-1989), Film still from Un Chien andalou 1929, France, 35 mm print, black and white, silent, The Museum of Modern Art, Gift of Luis Buñuel, © 2008 Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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One lucky winner will attend a luncheon for a product launch, mingle with PR people, and generally see what it’s like to be a big city blogger.  

The luncheon is being held on July 10, 2008 from Noon-2pm at the super-deluxe 620 Loft & Garden, which is only open for special events.  The space boasts views of St Patrick’s Cathedral and the midtown Manhattan skyline. 

It’s really easy to enter to win.  Simply jump over to this post on Healthbolt and leave a comment.  After the lunch, you must write an unbiased review of the product.  All entries must be received by midnight on July 4th.      

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Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks 2008   Bigger is better, according to Macy’s who has four barges loaded with 30,000 shells in the East River.  This year’s display will be synchronized to New York Pops’ new soundtrack “America Dances.”  For locals, tune your radios to 1010 AM while you’re watching the display, while the rest of America can enjoy the televised show, including appearances by Kenny Chesney and Natasha Bedingfield, on NBC.  The FDR will be closed at 7pm from Houston to 42nd Street to accommodate pedestrian viewing.  You can access FDR Drive at 23rd Street, 38th Street, and 42nd Street.  July 4, 8pm; FREE; for a map of viewing spots check out the Macy’s website.

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest   The goal of the contest is to eat as many hot dogs in a 12-minute time allotment.  Last year Joey Chestnut of San Jose, California defeated reigning champion Takeru Kobayashi by eating 66 hot dogs to Kobayashi’s 63.  Can Kobayahsi reclaim the title? Get there early for prime seating.  July 4, noon; FREE; Nathan’s Famous, 1310 Surf Ave., Coney Island; www.nathansfamous.com

Photo credit: flickr; flickr

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The building, designed by Japanese firm SANAA, has received major recognition this year from Conde Nast Traveler when it was named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the Architectural World.”  You can’s miss it as you walk down Bowery, a stack of metal mesh boxes with the rainbow “Hell Yes” sign is a beacon to gentrification in the once-seedy Lower East Side.

But the museum has been met with its fare share of criticism as well.  It has been said that three floors of exhibition space simply isn’t enough for the world’s premier contemporary art museum and even people are saying “Hell, No” to Ugo Rondinone’s “Hell, Yes” on the exterior.   

Free 45-minute docent-led public tours are available to visitors with museum admission.  Current exhibitions as well as the building’s architecture are discussed in the tours.   Tours are conducted on Wednesday and Thursday at 2pm, Friday at 2 and 7pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 4pm. 

Location: 235 Bowery (map) 212-219-1222

Subway: F, V to 2nd Avenue-Lower East Side; J, M, Z to Bowery; 6 to Spring Street

Hours:  Wednesday 12-6pm; Thursday and Friday Noon-10pm; Saturday and Sunday 12-6pm.  Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Cost:  Adults $12; Seniors $8; Students $6; 18 and under Free.  Free admission every Thursday evening from 7-10pm. 

The weekly “Museum Monday” posts celebrate the over 100 museums that are in New York’s five boroughs.  Check out last week’s Museum Monday post on the New York Transit Museum.  Museum Monday continues next week with a post on the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art. 

Photo credits: personal collection

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