World Traveler

New York City clubs, museums, concert halls and other venues will play host to the 2007 JVC Jazz Festival starting on June 17 (Father’s Day) and running through the 30. And, one of the coolest performances will be on Father’s Day at the Harlem venue of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This will feature the Sonny Fortune Quartet with Michael Cochrane, Chip Jackson & Steve Johns.

Here is what a JVC release has to say about the festival:

“Every year, it gets more challenging to present a great festival; but every year, I believe we succeed, ” said George Wein, Chairman of Festival Productions, a division of The Festival Network, LLC. “This year, you can count on two weeks of outstanding music featuring some of the best of traditional, straight-ahead, contemporary, Big Band, Second Line, R & B, Latin, world music and more.”

Some of the venues will feature free outdoor concerts, including one at Citicorp Plaza. So, head to New York for the JVC Jazz Festival and get your groove on.

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There are plenty of interesting and fun NYC activities. But if you are looking for something that is really off the hook, a hip-hop tour may be just the thing. Harlem Hip-Hop Tours offers a unique way to have a look at the New York hip-hop scene. Not only are there cool tours of historical places in Harlem, but you can also visit the Apollo Theater and take a look inside a real hip-hop music studio.

But the really hot thing about taking a hip-hop tour is the VIP access to hip-hop clubs. Harlem Hip-Hop Tours offers you a limo ride (hummer limo available!) along with VIP acces. No standing in line and trying to get in. Harlem Hip-Hop Tours offers you the ultimate access as part of the price of the tour.

NYC activities aren’t limited to museums and parks and shopping. You can get the true flavor of the New York hop-hop scene. And get it in style.

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If you are looking for a fun activity this Easter Sunday, head on over to 5th Avenue sometime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. These are the times for the New York City Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival. This august tradition is one of the many things to do in spring in New York City, and it provides a rather unorganized way to enjoy Easter Sunday.

Between 49th and 57th streets, NYC is a riot of color as people turn out for an Easter Parade that really isn’t that organized. Basically, as motorized traffic is prohibited, people walk up and down, wearing Easter bonnets and Easter outfits (even the pets get dressed up for the Easter Bonnet Festival!) and look at each other.

The New York City Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival is a tradition dating back more than 150 years to the mid-1800s. One of the best places to view the festivities surrounding the Easter Parade is at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Get there early, and you can enjoy Easter Mass before the parade.

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Yesterday marked the transatlantic maiden voyage of the Airbus A380, the largest commercial passenger airplane in the world. The maiden voyage across the Atlantic is considered one of the most important airline flights since the Concorde. The Airbus A380 is a double decker jet plane. Airbus hopes that when Americans see how efficient the plane is, they will want to buy them in order to service transoceanic flights. MSNBC reports:

Lufthansa Flight 8940 is meant to be a statement by Airbus that it can accommodate vast numbers of travelers comfortably and efficiently.

“We’re talking about an airplane that is representing aviation in the 21st century in terms of efficiency,� said Jens Bischoff, Lufthansa’s vice president for the Americas.

The specs on the Airbus A380:

• Holds 550 passengers
• 239 feet long
• Wings the size of a football field
• Holds 81,890 gallons of fuel
• Flies 560 miles per hour
• Can go 8,000 nautical miles without refueling

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Get away for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend with a little help from great travel deals this weekend. There are plenty of St. Patty’s festivities all over the country, from Boston to Chicago to New York to San Francisco. Indeed, St. Patrick’s Day has a rich cultural heritage in America.

Travelocity (and probably other discount travel Web sites as well) is offering specials that start from $199 to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in the ultimate American tradition. You can go to New York and enjoy the oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country, or head to Boston for some green beer. And there’s always a party going on for whatever reason in San Francisco.

There are even a few travel deals for trips to Ireland (but it’s hardly worth a weekend, and it’s much more expensive than just heading to Chicago).

There’s no reason to stay home this weekend. And now you have a perfect (and inexpensive!) reason to go.

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If you are looking for a cheap New York City lunch, there are plenty of places scattered throughout the city. However, the key is finding good food for cheap prices. And one of the best ways to go about this is to look for pizza places. And if you are looking for the best pizza in New York City, you might try looking at Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano.

Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano

This pizzeria started out at the gateway to Coney Island. Now, though, there are four locations: 1524 Neptune Ave in Brooklyn, two in Manhattan (462 Second Ave between 26th & 27th and 1544 Second Ave between 80th & 81st), and even one out in Westchester (125 Tuckahoe Rd. in Yonkers, inside the Ramada). Zagats has suggested that Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano is the best pizza in New York City, and in NYC, that’s saying a lot.

And besides, Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano offers a great value. The atmosphere is not fancy (nor should it be), but it is comfortable, and you can enjoy yourself. And there are plenty of subjects for people watching. The restaurant offers great service, friendly people and excellent value. You truly get your money’s worth when you choose a New York City lunch at Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano.

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