New York New York!

Bursting with blossoms, spring in New York is popping. A long family weekend recently included these activities with our superb New York ground team. Teenagers in tow, we love the Crosby Street Hotel in Soho, something for everyone; kids can explore on their own for trendy and hip shops.

Many of our clients provide a destination city with no instructions or requests, they trust us to seek out the unusual, add the traditional museums and theater and off they go! Our local team expertly manages every minute and is available for any last minute requests.

With rain showers on the horizon, we began first day with a car tour highlighting Central Park, pointing out areas to be enjoyed later in the sunshine. Mosey toward Harlem to view the iconic Apollo Theatre, President Clinton’s office, Strivers Row; ending the sightseeing at the classic temple of comfort food, Red Rooster. Showcasing the culinary neighborhood traditions and Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s rich background. And yes, we can achieve reservations despite the sold out status!

The afternoon is devoted to museums and shopping. Evening theater – so much to choose from right now!

Next morning tour the Manhattan Harbor in a private iconic Water Taxi with a traditional New York lunch on board. View the Statue of Liberty from the unique perspective of the waterfront and learn more about New York’s historic skyline – with private guide. It’s not fancy, but great fun, the boat looks like an old-time Checker cab and is all yours to privately enjoy all morning.Up close viewing of the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge completed in 1883. The iconic Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, and the view from underneath is unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

The World Trade Center Site, see history in the making as the construction cranes rise from the World Trade Center site where, once completed, One World Trade Center will be 1,776 feet tall.

Once on land visit the Empire State Building, built during the American Great Depression in 1930, this astounding building has 102 floors and 6,500 windows, and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. We have VIP tickets allowing a view from the 102nd floor. Most visitors stop at the 86nd floor.

Finish up with the Greenwich Village tour in the adjacent Meatpacking District for a walk on the Highline, the elevated railroad that is now a wonderful park with amazing views of the river and some great avant-garde architecture.

Driver drops you off to graze at Eataly, a great collection of gourmet food purveyors. The marketplace is the city’s ultimate destination for food lovers to shop and taste and savor – an extravaganza includes a premier retail center for Italian delicacies and wine, a culinary educational center, and a diverse slate of boutique eateries.

Evening theater, again. We have best seats at any and every play.

The city that never sleeps is a playground for families. A much longer list of private exclusives can be added to a Journey.

 

 

 

 

Artful Travel – Meet Juan Carlos Breceda

Recent discovery at a small but well stocked gallery at Esperanza Resort, Cabo. I love learning about local artists when I travel. Juan Carlos Breceda’s art work at Esperanza is well displayed in the outdoor lobby and the art gallery, his whimsical blue nosed women and animals spoke to me for a few days and I knew at least one would return with me. Cuba to Cabo, paintings always find a way to my walls!

Most of Juan Carlos’ artwork is COBRA-style, mixed-media on paper. His works share an intensity in the color schemes, a thrust in the brush work, an energy bordering on fierceness and sternness. Applying rough brush strokes of contrasting colors, discarding depth or perspective, Breceda creates simple forms filled with energy. Women and animals are the central theme in his work. A woman is repeated. Her enormous eyes, steady gaze and harsh features, do not diminish her softness or sensuality.

Juan Carlos Breceda was born in 1958 in Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico. He studied art at National School of Painting, Sculpture and Carving, “La exmeralda”, as well as the famous San Carlos Art School. Teachers knew that he had a unique style and he began exhibiting his art in Mexico City, doing several private showings as well as shows at a well known gallery in Lomas.

Juan Carlos has been the recipient of many national prizes, including the 1997 National Contest of drawing and painting at the National Auditorium Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico. Breceda has exhibited in the U.S., South America, and Europe. His style is contemporary and is well received by interior designers and art galleries.