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ONLY BE NEW YORKER
Only-Be New Yorker
Celebrity Houses in New York
Where do the celebrities live in New York? Where can we find them on a regular day? In this article we’ll tour the houses of Justin Timberlake, Madonna, baseball player David Wright, Alicia Keys and Pep Guardiola’s former apartment. I assure you you’ll be green with envy. Justin Timberlake Timberlake lives in a penthouse loft of about 300 square meters in Manhattan that has privileged views of the Big Apple. Some of the outstanding features of the apartment are its beautiful high ceilings of almost 4 meters high and its large windows that allow him to be well connected with the outside world. Justin’s house is virtually transparent, there are just some doors and separations for bathroom and bedrooms, the rest is all one and the floor is parquet. But perhaps the most striking feature of the flat is the fact that it is domotic; from a mobile phone for example, Timberlake can control lights, music, security cameras, fridge, he can even fill the tub and keep it warm until he gets home. A privilege available to few, and Timberlake is one of them. Alicia Keys Alicia Keys has a luxurious 3-floor apartment at 30 Crosby Street in Soho. She bought it from Lenny Kravitz in 2010. It has 558-sqm, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 toilets and a 280-sqm terrace. It is worth its weight in gold: almost $ 18 million, far from the 40 million that Madonna paid for her property. Madonna Madonna bought a Georgian luxury house for 40 million dollars on the Upper East Side. Located between the 81st Street and Lexington Avenue, this beautiful property...
Tips for visiting New York
We do not want to take away the charming of getting surprised during your trip to New York, but it is always better be prepared before visiting the Big Apple. Don’t panic, even though you’ll encounter many surprises during your trip to New York, our tips will make your whole experience more pleasant, easier and more comfortable. Keep track of the Subway schedule It is important for you to know a few things about the New York subway. It is certainly one of the best ways of commuting from one place to another, because you’ll save the time you would spend at the endless traffic jams that happens on the streets of NYC. Be aware that the subway has a different schedule during the weekends. Given the fact that the subway is one of the most popular ways of transportation in the city, it is difficult to run maintenance works during weekdays, because the city would just become chaos. That´s why it is during the weekends when such works will take place, of course, changing the regular schedule. To get to know all changes in the timetables, visit the MTA website. Also keep in mind that there are lines that do not work during the weekends, so make sure the line you want to use will be actually working. Photo: derekskey Express or Local? You should know that there are two types of subway, express and local. The difference is simple: the Express are faster, because they just stop at some specific stations. On the other hand, the Local are slower, because they stop at every single station. Make...
Halloween Customs
When one thinks of Halloween, pumpkins, witches, cobwebs and other frightening symbols immediately come to mind. Although the American custom of Halloween has been expanding rapidly in Europe, nothing compares to the energy and excitement of experiencing it on the other side of “the pond”. Photo: drsmith7383 Pumpkin Festival If you travel along the east coast to the state of New Hampshire, more specifically the town of Keene, there’s a very unique Halloween festival: the Pumpkin Festival. As everyone knows, the pumpkin is the symbol of Halloween and many families empty them out, cut eyes and a mouth into them and light them up with a candle to give it a more macabre look, a figure known as a Jack-o´-lantern. In Keene, many of these pumpkins (each more bizarre and terrifying than the other) are joined together to create the largest pumpkin mountain in the world, which has already broken several records Guinness. When the pumpkins are lit, it creates an illuminated castle that is truly spectacular to see in person. Each year, 80,000 people come to Keene, a city whose population is around 20,000 people, to see the festival. Go see it for yourself and, as they say, “Let it shine!” Festival of the Dead A little further north, in the town of Salem, Mass., the Festival of the Dead, a festival commemorating the dead, is celebrated annually. Halloween has a macabre tone, and this festival explores the mysteries of death through events that research the various ways that people honor, celebrate and keep secret contact with the dead. Here you will find psychics and mediums who can...
Ways to see the Statue of Liberty
Considered as the greatest symbol of American democracy and known throughout the world as the most representative icon of the Big Apple, the Statue of Liberty, or Lady Liberty as New Yorkers call it, is the most famous monument in the United States. Lady Liberty was the largest iron structure ever built at its time with 45 meters height and 204 tons weight. It took over 200 men working day and night during seven days a week for nine years to build it. The statue stands on Bedloe´s Island, which was renamed as Liberty Island in 1956 by a law passed by the American Congress. Photo: slagheap Although the statue doesn’t really have a high monetary value, it has great value as one of the icons of the American ideals of freedom and democracy, and that is why it is monitored 24 hours, seven days a week by the marine guard of the NYPD. Lady Liberty has been the target of several attacks in history: in 1916 it was badly damaged by an explosion triggered by German spies, in 1956 it was kidnapped by a Hungarian nationalist group who hung its flag on the lady’s face, in 1980 a Croatian terrorist triggered a bomb inside the face of the statue and in 2012 it was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. On July 4, 2013, Lady Liberty reopened its doors, after being closed 18 months due to the damages caused by Hurricane Sandy. Thousands of tourists from around the world flock everyday, once again, to admire the most famous monument in New York since then. However, if you prefer to...
New York Fashion Week 2013 – 2014: the Mecca of Fashion
Madrid, Milan, Paris, London and New York … If there is anything these 5 cities have in common it’s their love of fashion and the newest trends. Although it seems strange, the spring and summer looks for next year have already arrived, which means you can already find something new, original and comfortable. So don’t miss out. Head to New York and be ahead of fashion. You’ll find Spanish brands such as Del Pozo and Custo Barcelona as well as Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan and Belstaff. Welcome to the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, taking place from September 13 to 17. Foto: Art Comments This is the perfect place to discover the most revolutionary designers. The catwalks of New York showcase the most renowned names in fashion, but it also holds a number of surprises. Haute couture in September is synonymous with New York Fashion Week. And it gives you the perfect excuse to plan a get-away to the Big Apple, a trip that is certain to memorable. Belstaff is the brand for you if you’re interested in leather this season, since it features a collection with lots of leather accents. Skirts, suits or tight leather pants abound. And even if it’s not the main material of the garment, it is often the second. Belstaff designs always find a way to incorporate a strip of leather strip, sometimes dyed and often lending a good splash of color. Donna Karan is arriving to the U.S. with a collection of contrasts. And transparent materials are another important aspect. The type of contrasts you can expect include a variety of textures, even within the...
Tennis and the city: New York gets ready for the US Open
The US Open is one of the most glamorous events of the hot New York summer by a long way and it´s suitable for all tennis fans and for fashion victims that can´t really tell the difference between an ace, deuce or a donut, and only want to see and be seen among the VIPs of the Big Apple, just like a Sex and the City episode. Walking around the elegant complex of Flushing Meadows and, of course, enjoying a nice day of tennis or non-tennis (if you chose the ´fashion´ option), is one of those things that everyone should do at least once in their lifetime. And if your visit to the Big Apple -or its surrounding area- coincides in between the 26th of August and the 9th of September of 2013, it would be unforgivable if you missed out on enjoying one of the four Grand Slams of the tennis world tour and cheering on your favourite player. Photo: www.taringa.net Just like it happens in Paris with the clay at Roland Garros, in Melbourne with the plexicushion (which is what the surface is called in the Australian Open, no word of a lie!) or in London with the green and wet grass of Wimbledon, New York is the fourth Grand Slam tournament of the season that gathers the best tennis players in the world for two weeks. All of this happens in a city -and especially in a country- that pays more attention to other sports such as basketball, baseball, American football or even ice hockey, so it´s nice to have some five-star tennis every once in...
Shakespeare in the Park 2013
Central Park is the most famous urban park in the United States and possibly in the whole world. Its well-deserved reputation is partly, due to the many cultural activities that take place in it all year long. The central park is also adorned with a large number of historical monuments, which beautify community spaces, while highlighting the cultural heritage of the city. Foto: TimeOut New York Monuments and special areas in the park honor important people in arts and politics. A good example of it is William Shakespeare, who not only has a reserved space, the “Shakespeare Garden”, but also an entire festival dedicated to exalt his life and works, which are among the most famous anywhere in the world. Shakespeare in the Park is a summer theater festival held every year at Delacore Theater in Central Park. A lot of the shows offer free entrance, which is one of the reasons of its total success. This festival is definitely one of the major summer festivals in the Big Apple, not only because of the quality of its shows, but also because of the performances by movie stars such as Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Anne Hathaway and Natalie Portman, just to name a few stars of previous editions of the festival. The 2013 schedule includes… The comedy of Errors The Comedy of Errors is the first comedy and shorter work ever written by Shakespeare. The play is based on the adventures of two identical pairs of twins who were separated as children and now live in rival cities. These boys are experts in creating many confusing situations that are...
Reopening of the Statue of Liberty
On the 29th of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused severe damages throughout the East Coast of the United States, while leaving destruction all around. Even one of the most powerful cities in the world, New York, succumbed to the power of Sandy. Photo: William Warby Streets, tunnels and even the subway got flooded because of the destructive effects of Sandy, which was followed by a power cut that leaved in darkness the city that never sleeps. Meanwhile, Liberty Island, the island that hosts the Statue of Liberty, got flooded too, but fortunately the statue itself was not damaged due to its height. However, on the island the water reached nearly 3 meters high and destroyed all boilers and electrical systems, causing great damages to all infrastructure and ports where ferries used to arrive, while making it impossible for people to reach the island. 9 months after the Sandy nightmare, which caused damages for more than $ 71 billion, Liberty Island reopened its doors to visitors. The big reopening day will be the 4th of July, the American Independence Day. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to New York in the nineteenth century, more specifically on the 28th of October 1886, and was build by architect Frederic Bartholdi. The statue symbolizes freedom (obviously) and welcome to all New York visitors, as it is the first thing you’ll if you arrive by boat. Tickets for the grand reopening are already on sale and can be purchased online. If you want to get the best places, like for example, a place on the crown, you should...
The Tribeca Film Festival in New York
Why Tribeca? Maybe because it is one of the neighborhoods of Manhattan that has become fashionable and known for film in recent years. There have been several films that were shot at that location. It may come as a surprise, but there are films made in North America that aren’t multi-million dollar productions and action-packed blockbusters. Like in much of the rest of the world, there are also great films made on limited budgets. And they are the reason that this film festival was created, to screen and showcase this type of project. When is the Tribeca Film Fest? If you are visiting New York between April 17 and 28, you can enjoy and participate in the twelfth edition of the Tribeca Film Festival. What can we expect from the Tribeca Festival? This New York festival features competitions for shorts, documentaries, panel discussions, film screenings, etc. The movie world temporarily takes over the streets of Manhattan. There are almost twenty categories of films presented in the festival. Included are awards for the best narrative feature, best director, as well as awards for short films, documentaries and others. Some of the films shown are not part of the competition. It is still, however, a good opportunity for films to become better known to American audiences and abroad. Twenty-two movies are included in the “Viewpoints” section with feature films and documentaries from around the world. Another section called “Spotlight” screens narratives and documentaries with an independent style of filmmaking. Twelve additional films are competing in the “World Narrative” category, with world premieres and films from various countries. This great variety of...
