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Travelin' The NYC Outer Boroughs with Elisa

Explore the history, culture and dining in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island with Elisa!

LEARN ABOUT THE "OTHER" BOROUGHS

Long Island Tourism - Optimistic Outlook| HIA-LI Webinar Discusses How Tourism and Travel Will Change in the New Norm

7/29/2020

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With its close proximity to the NYC boroughs and nearby states, New Jersey and Connecticut, Long Island has traditionally been an ideal and thriving local vacation destination. However, the covid-19 pandemic this year has changed the landscape. Yet, in spite of this challenge, the loss of business and the need to reinvent the face of travel to our region, Long Island experts believe that the future of Long Island tourism is looking optimistic.

During a recent webinar hosted by the Hauppauge Industrial Association of Long Island (HIA-LI) entitled “How Will Tourism and Travel Change in the New Norm”, panelists from a cross-section of local government agencies and tourism enterprises weighed in on the effects and future prospects of tourism on Long Island. Moderated by Terri Alessi-Micell, the President of HIA-LI, the consensus was unanimously positive that the region has come through the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic  “Long Island Strong” with encouraging indications that tourism will incrementally rise.
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Eastport, Long Island (c) travelincousins.com
Like everyone else around the world trying to recover from business shut-downs and a fearful population, all panelists expressed an air of cautious optimism. “This pandemic requires us to learn as we go,” stated Angie Carpenter, Islip Town Supervisor. She went on to say that although we have come through the past few months, the tourism industry overall has been affected in a big way with a growing trend towards more stay vacations and road trips. Ms. Carpenter pointed out how even the car manufacturers are capitalizing on the concept of road trips with their commercials in an effort to boost their sales. 

Tourism accounts for roughly $6.1 billion in total revenues annually for Long Island and approximately 100,000 local jobs. As a result of the pandemic, hotels, restaurants, event and attraction venues were severely hurt, and with the reopening of business beginning for Long Island in July, all panelists agreed that the common goal is to get business back to normal as quickly and as safely as possible.

Kristen Jarnagin, CEO of Discover Long Island shared that their advertising efforts for Long Island tourism changed overnight.  As the pandemic hit Long Island and the nation moved into quarantine, Discover Long Island implemented their “Hold Fast” effort and got the word out to ‘stay put.’  They froze advertising for the first time and stepped into action helping the community. Their efforts moved from promoting tourism to delivering masks to hotels for their employees and encouraging Long Islanders to be safe. 

Luckily for Long Island, it is home to local area airport MacArthur Airport, which, because of its small size makes it quite attractive to travelers who had and continue to have great concerns about large airports and their considerable crowds. The airport stayed open throughout the entire crisis as an essential business, implementing strict safety guidelines. In fact, according to Shelley LaRose-Arken, Commissioner, Long Island MacArthur Airport, MacArthur was the first airport in the world to install and activate new systems to continuously sanitize air and surfaces in the airport’s facility which, of course includes the gates,TSA and baggage areas and terminals. This system kills 99% of air and surface pathogens. Cleansing efforts were also ramped up with special cleansing agents used on doors and in restrooms as well as signage for mandatory face coverings.

Located 60 miles from Manhattan, MacArthur Airport, home to three carriers - Frontier, Southwest and American - had 1.6 million travelers pass through the airport annually. However, on March 13, 2020, things changed dramatically with a drastic reduction in flights. During that difficult time, Ms La Rose-Larkin reported that what was most encouraging was how people all cooperated and followed the rules. Long Island was fortunate in that MacArthur received free masks from the F.A.A. and free hand sanitizers from New York State and generously passed them onto passengers. Happily, no covid-related cases of employees have resulted since April.

Ms LaRose-Larkin contends that smaller airports like MacArther are recovering quicker than their larger counterparts because of travelers’ comfort with their more intimate setting. At present, leisure air  travel has come back strong in June/July with business 70% back to normal. 

The participating webinar attendees were curious about the “view” from inside the aircraft in terms of safety measures to increase sanitary conditions. Ms. La Rose-Larkin provided a bit of insight and shared that each airline is taking extra precautions to ensure greater cleanliness and safety and added health screening questions upon check in, Each carrier has their own individual rules as far as their specific protocols with Southwest, for example, keeping the middle seat open through September and Frontier is conducting temperature checks.  

Some helpful tips were offered by Ms. La Rose-Larkin for travelers going through MacArthur or any airport for that matter. It’s wise to bring your own food since the concessions are limited due to lower staffing; carry small hand sanitizers and wipes; touch as few surfaces as possible; and always wear a face covering.
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"Be Safe Pledge" High-resolution printable signage available for Long Island businesses. (credit: discoverlongisland.com)

As Long Island moved beyond the quarantine with the reopening of businesses, and is now currently in Phase Four, residents and visitors are now able to visit beaches, parks, and restaurants, while following mandatory safety rules which include wearing masks. Discover Long Island is leading the way to boost safe tourism with the launch of their new initiative, “Travel Confidently.” This includes their BeSafe Pledge for Long Island businesses. According to Ms. Jarnagin, “Businesses take a pledge to make the commitment to keep Long Island safe and healthy in an effort to flatten the curve and minimize the spread of Covid-19. In return, small businesses have access to free signage that lets patrons know they practice safety.” High-resolution printable signage is available on their website at www.discoverlongisland.com, along with more information about the state of safety regarding travel.

Ms. Jarnagin was also very encouraged by recent news she received that hotels in Montauk and Southampton are quite busy. She attributed the bump in business to the fact that people have embraced a virtual lifestyle whereby it is now possible to work from anywhere.  

However this is after four months of challenging times. Because hotels were deemed an essential business, it did put an added burden on these businesses to stay open, pay their staff and of course implement new safety protocols. For Long Island nonessential businesses like movie theaters and entertainment venues such as museums, many have suffered greatly. 

One of Long Island’s most well-known and best-loved small businesses is The Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead. A major tourist attraction for locals and visitors alike, the Aquarium is one part of a larger resort destination that includes the Hyatt Place Long Island, Atlantis Banquets and Events, Treasure Cove Resort Marina, Long Island Canoe Kayak Rentals and The Preston House & Hotel. Executive Director, Bryan DeLuca shared how the pandemic negatively impacted the company’s business across the board and the ways in which they are working to get back on track. 

While  many other businesses were able to just shut down, the Long Island Aquarium still had to keep their staff on hand in order to take care of the sea life that resides there. Additionally, even after re-opening began, it was a difficult proposition with the mandated 25% capacity allowance during the early phases of reopening. The pandemic also resulted in the cancellation of events such as weddings for their catering division and in turn snowballed with room block cancellations, further hurting business. 

The positive news is as Long Island entered Phase 4 of reopening, many people began opting to stay local. On an uplifting note, the company's marina business is through the roof and the guided tours offered are sold out. With people being more mobile with work, he is also currently seeing midweek occupancy selling out for their  hotel business. 

The Aquarium has adjusted to safety requirements and the current goal is to boost customer confidence that visiting their venue and the 1000+ species it houses is a safe experience to enjoy. 

In September of 2019, it was reported that tourism accounted for in excess of $6 billion annually and more than $740 million in state and local tax revenues. The pandemic has clearly had its impact as this revenue, which is currently down by 50% from last year, according to Ms. Jarnagin of Discover Long Island. 

All panelists agreed that the goal right now is to keep tax and vacation dollars local. Ms. Jarnagin expressed that the hope is for  Long Island vacationing to extend into the Fall and Winter with nearby visitors from not only NYC’s outer boroughs, but also from geographically close states like New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. 

In closing, everyone on the panel was remarkably optimistic and are looking towards 2021 with great hope. Ms. Jarnagin put it quite well, “ We used to talk in terms of pre and post Covid, but now we need to look at things in terms of pre and post vaccine.” 

Clearly, Long Island businesses have had to make a great many adjustments to the way they conduct business and so too have locals and visitors in this new normal. But, the consensus was unanimous on this webinar that we are Long Island strong and will prevail. 

Till next time,
Elisa


 

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An Evening at “Piazza di Belmont” in The Bronx at Enzo's of Arthur Avenue

7/20/2020

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(c) travelincousins.com
Let's take a look at what's happening in the Belmont section of the Bronx, better known as Little Italy. With the continued focus on outdoor dining in NYC, The Belmont Business Improvement District (BID) in the Bronx, just launched “Piazza di Belmont” on Arthur Avenue. For those that love the "piazza" feel of Italy, where streets are closed off to vehicular traffic, and walking around freely is possible, Arthur Avenue is the place for you this summer!

For the first time ever and as part of New York City's reopening, each weekend evening this summer from Thursday to Sunday Bronx Little Italy has partnered with Sam Schwartz, former NYC Traffic Commissioner, to create their first-ever piazza-style dedicated al fresco dining plan between East 188th Street and Crescent Avenue.

"The plan incorporates health and safety protocols, six feet spacing between tables, signage for pedestrians, temporary street closures during the weekend evenings and more. Approved by the Department of Transportation, “Piazza di Belmont” creates a glorious, European-style outdoor dining experience," according to a recent press release from BID.

As huge Arthur Avenue fans, me and my gang made our way to the Bronx from Long Island to experience things first-hand. Since the street is closed to vehicular traffic Thursdays to Saturdays from 6 pm to 10 pm (and Sunday 1 pm to 9:30 pm), we wanted to get there a bit prior to our reservation because I wasn't sure what to expect in the way of parking. There are municipal lots, however, we were lucky enough to find street parking less than a block away from Arthur Avenue and our destination restaurant, Enzo's of Arthur Avenue. 


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Dining Al Fresco at Enzo's of Arthur Avenue (c) travelincousins.com
As the mother of five school-aged daughters, (one of which is attending my alma mater, Fordham University in The Bronx!), Maria di Rende runs the successful restaurant that she and her husband opened in 2005. Named for her husband, Enzo, a graduate of Fordham University and the Culinary Institute of America, the restaurant first began as a café with 40 seats, and grew into one of the most popular restaurants on Arthur Avenue, seating up to 200 patrons. It is oftentimes listed on “where to dine” stories about Little Italy in the Bronx.

Both Maria and Enzo grew up the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, each coming from multi-generational families that owned local shops on Arthur Avenue, so they were well positioned for success with their restaurant!

Sadly, tragedy hit the di Rende family when Enzo was diagnosed with prostate cancer and passed away at age 46 about two years ago. When Enzo passed, Maria and her family, along with the entire staff, promised to work together to continue their family’s original vision and make sure the restaurant would succeed.

As a single mom, Maria is not only a shining example of a successful small business owner, but a role model for women, and especially moms, of what is possible when one puts their heart, soul and hard work into their business.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Maria for a story I will be featuring in the next few weeks featuring a number of Arthur Avenue businesses and how they are faring in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, business closures and re-openings. Aside from her soft spoken demeanor and gracious manner, Maria is an inspiration for how she was able to get through such a personal tragedy and push forward successfully on both the home and work front. 

My sit-down, however, did not include eating and of course, that was something that I was intent on doing at Enzo's! As a single mom and blogger, I try to bring my own teenage daughters with me on story excursions whenever possible and a trip to Arthur Avenue was not one that I had to persuade them to do. My girls love everything about the Bronx Belmont neighborhood and the eating experience tops the list.

We had a new addition to our usual trio and our dinner at Enzo's last night - Gianna's boyfriend Tyler, who had never been to Little Italy. 

The outdoor seating was very inviting and with the absence of cars driving by, it was quiet and calm. Wait staff, of course were donned with masks, which I'm sure is not the most comfortable way to take orders, wait on patrons and serve food, but they made it look easy with their extra friendly attitude and high level attention.
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Enzo's Stuffed Artichoke (c) travelincousins.com
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Gianna enjoying her artichoke (c) travelincousins.com
My crowd is a pasta crowd, so, while Enzo's menu is quite extensive and there were a number of meat and seafood specials when we visited, we ordered pretty basic. But, let me assure you, there was nothing basic about the taste, flavor or preparation.

We ordered two appetizers after indulging in not one, but two baskets of bread. Enzo's olive bread is to die for!! So soft, fresh and the olives literally fall apart in your mouth. The Stuffed Artichoke was a culinary work of art to look at, filled with different textures and colors and Gianna devoured it. The kids also did a number on the Fried Calamari, served with tomato sauce. I was worried that they may not have room for their mains.  But, that didn't happen!
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Fried Calamari (c) travelincousins.com
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Yummy, fresh bread - Enzo's olive bread was to die for!! (c) travelincousins.com
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Spaghetti Pesto (c) travelincousins.com
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Spaghetti and Meatballs (c) travelincousins.com
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Jumbo cheese ravioli (c) travelincousins.com
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Orrechiette and Broccoli Rabe (c) travelincousins.com
Our order included: Spaghetti with Pesto Sauce, Spaghetti and Meatballs , Ravioli, and for me (the group vegan), I had my all-time favorite Orrechiette with Broccoli Rabe. The original preparation includes sausage, which I asked them to omit. 

It should be noted again, as per above, all of the pastas are homemade and oh, so good!!!

I'm going to let the food photos speak for themselves! We were lucky that the weather cooperated for an evening of al fresco dining - a lovely breeze filled the air along with the aroma of the best Italian food in all of New York!!

Try to venture to Arthur Avenue for a delicious night of al fresco dining this summer!

Till next time,
-Travelin' Elisa
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Calling All Bird and Nature Lovers for A Virtual Neighborhood Exploration with Bronx Wave Hill Naturalist!

7/17/2020

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PHOTO CREDIT : wikimediacommons - Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren - Blackpoll Warbler
For anyone who either lives in the northeast or visits often, this area of the country is chock full of beautiful specimens of the natural world. In fact, right within the outer boroughs of New York City in the Bronx and surrounding areas, it is possible to get up close and personal with a plethora of wildlife species in a variety of categories.

From migratory birds like the Blackpoll Warbler to the poisonous cockleburr plant, to cute little furry outdoor critters like the chipmunk, we have an opportunity to behold it all. Thanks to the wise and creative Wave Hill Naturalist Gabriel Willow, nature enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the wonder that surrounds us in our own New York City backyard. 

Frequently described as an urban oasis, Wave Hill, in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, is a 28-acre garden and cultural center filled with a multitude of linked gardens high above the Hudson River with sweeping views and lots of open sky. The site's offering of nature tours onsite has not been available to visitors since it temporarily closed to the public earlier this year due to Covid-19. 

However, in lieu of "in-person" tours until Wave Hill reopens, the venue has put together a series of videos featuring virtual tours. These include  their “Neighborhood Naturalist” series led by their site naturalist Gabriel Willow.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical about whether I could enjoy the “virtual outdoors” but I assure you that you will revel in this series of video walks available to experience on the Wave Hill website. 

There is an incomparable ritual to going on an outdoor exploration through parks, cemeteries and salt marshes that includes certain attire, gear and equipment in which nature lovers derive great pleasure. Clearly, virtual tours do not provide the same joyous experience as catching a glimpse of a spectacular Blue Jay perched in a tree through binoculars or capturing bright yellow forsythias with a high powered camera, however, these cyber video adventures are surprisingly delightful!

Willow guides viewers throughout local outdoor spaces in the Bronx and Brooklyn during the months of April and May, filmed earlier this year, to enjoy the awakenings of Springtime in the city. You’ll be captivated as you virtually journey through the sandy soil of the Salt Marshes in Marine Park Brooklyn where you’ll learn about the now extinct Carolina Parakeet that used to dine on the spiny seedpods of the poisonous cockelbur, or listen to the tiny male Blackpoll Warbler that migrates from South America to Canada to find his mate.

Expand your awareness as you watch your computer or phone screen and listen to a flock of Blue Jays in Prospect Park, Brooklyn as they engage in mobbing behavior in the sea of pine trees. You will have to watch for yourself to uncover the mystery of what the predator is and if they catch it!

Mr. Willow’s soft spoken voice will pull you in as will his expertise of the plant and animal life.  For instance, did you know that chipmunks build their underground homes to include both a bathroom and bedroom area? These and other tidbits of information about the outdoor world will be garnered as you transport yourself to the great outdoors with the full array of Nature Expeditions virtual tours. 

-Travelin' Elisa

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               Elisa 

     Elisa is co-founder of Travelin' Cousins travel blog along with her cousin "Travelin' Tanya." She lives on Long Island, New York with her two daughters and her dog Punkin. An entrepreneur whose professional career has included a variety of businesses in the toy, licensing and direct marketing businesses, she is now a blogger and freelance writer. Since her teen years, she has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia and continues to travel these days throughout the world with her daughters and cousin Tanya. Her other passions include photography, cooking, dining, the theatre and shopping.   

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All of the photos on Travelin Cousins are taken by the Travelin’ Cousins Photographers unless otherwise noted. If you wish to use any content from Travelin Cousins please credit and link to the source or request permission by email.
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