Off The Beaten Path: Rucker Park

Up in Harlem on 155^th Street lies a sheet of blacktop more sacred than most. Like the thousands around the country, Rucker Park is a basketball court where our neighborhoods youth can show up, practice their skills, challenge their peers, and have fun. Unlike the thousands of basketball courts around the country, Rucker Park is special. Rucker Park takes basketball to the next level. Rucker Park is where you go to play if you’re the best in the neighborhood. Rucker Park is the best streetball court in the world.

Built right across the street from the old Polo Grounds, Rucker Park has become such a basketball talent trove that the games played each night under the lights draw crowds in the hundreds. When you catch a game on this hallowed ground, you may not know who you’re watching, but the talent level is so off the charts that chances are you’ll be seeing them in the NBA sometime soon.

Dr J. at Rucker Park

Legends who have played at Rucker Park in their high school days include Wilt Chamberlain, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Earl “the Pearl” Monroe, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, and Ron Artest. In 2011, during the NBA Lockout, OKC Thunder star Kevin Durant famously stopped by the park and set the place on fire in what has become one of the most memorable scenes of the park’s history.

Now, I’m not saying the next NBA MVP is going to drop in while you’re there catching a game, but this is the type of talent and respect Rucker Park gets from the basketball community. Next time you’re in NYC and looking to go off the beaten path, head up to Rucker Park because you never know what you might see.

Have you ever been to Rucker Park? Tell us where you go off the beaten path in NYC on twitter at @CitySightsNY!

The (Almost True) Story of the Origin of St. Patrick’s Day in NYC

Long long ago, in the city of New York lived a man named Patrick. Paddy, as his friends called him, was a bit of a recluse, regularly finding himself with nothing but a pint glass topped with Guinness and a folded over newspaper turned to the classifieds as he would hunt for yet another new job to support his favorite habit: Drinking. Nobody ever expected Paddy to amount to much in life. “He spends too much time at the pub,” the townspeople would holler. “He has no ambition,” his own mother would say. Little did they know that his life was a special one. Little did anyone know that his life, hundreds of years down the line, would still be celebrated.

It was a bright, sunny afternoon, this 17^th day of March, when Paddy’s life would change forever. As accustomed, Paddy had a stool pulled up to the bar, drink in one hand, paper in the other, chatting with the old barkeep whose children he was putting through college with each sip of the glass. “I heard about the job at the mill,” the barkeep sheepishly muttered as he topped off another round. “This one’s on the house.”

“Aye, well they shouldn’t have put me in charge of the grain if they didn’t want me to mix it all up,” Paddy replied with a nod and lifted the freshly filled pint to his mouth.

“There’s nothing left for me,” his tone turned grim. “They’re right. I’m never going to amount to anything. I may as well just sit at this pub and drink til I drop.”

As if by the grace of God himself, just as Paddy uttered those fateful words, the door swung open and in ran a woman with such a look of panic on her face you’d think her house was on fire. “My house is on fire!” she yelled. “And a newborn batch of puppies are trapped on the top floor! And my house is all the way up 5^th Avenue!”

Paddy raced into this very home to save the puppies.

This was it. This was Paddy’s moment.

Paddy stood up with a confidence he had never before been able to muster, threw back the rest of his beer in what seemed like one single gulp, slammed the glass to the bar and began to the door. Yeah, Paddy. This is you Paddy he thought to himself. The hero began running up 5^th Avenue but it was taking too long. That’s when he saw a CitySights NY bus full of tourists and got an idea.

Paddy stopped the bus and demanded it turn around – against traffic – to lead him uptown to help save the puppies. The CitySights NY driver knew the responsibility bestowed upon him imperative and began fighting the traffic. For the puppies. He traveled from 44^th Street all the way up to 79^th Street, where the fire was ghastly ablaze. Paddy hopped off the bus and raced into the home with complete disregard for his own safety. Minutes passed and onlookers began to worry.

Paddy was scared, but with the help of CitySights NY he knew he could save the day.

But there he emerged, a new man, puppies in hand! Gone was the lonesome bloke who cared more about his Guinness than his own children, and out walked a hero.

“What’s your name?” a man from the crowd yelled.

“Patrick,” he replied.

“You’re a saint, Patrick!” the woman whose puppies were saved shouted back. “You’re a saint!”

Every year from that point forward, on the same day as The Great Puppy Fire, we celebrate St. Patrick with a parade, traveling the same route he took to get from the pub to the puppies. And so began St. Patrick’s Day.

Off The Beaten Path: Upright Citizens Brigade

UCB Theatre is leading the way in comedy.

In the heart of Chelsea, six blocks south of Madison Square Garden, you will find a gem hidden in plain sight. In a neighborhood surrounded by some of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, the beaten path takes a detour around this small comedy club in favor of its overpriced counterparts.

The Upright Citizens Brigade is a beacon for all amateur comedians and people just looking for a good laugh. The provide classes for improve and sketch comedy at a variety of levels so even rookies to the comedy game can work on their craft. UCB was actually the first nationally accredited improve and sketch comedy school in the country, and many of the best comedians today have passed through these halls including Tina Fey, Zach Galifanakis, John Mulaney, Donald Glover, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Kroll.

More importantly, to those who are visiting NYC for a short time, UCB Theatre hosts live comedy shows seven nights a week. Often free, and rarely more than $5 to get in, the brigade’s classes are always performing and stand-up comedians also come out for some fun.

Next time you’re looking for a top-flight comedy show in NYC, avoid the price gauging shows and clubs that require a two drink minimum at $12 a pop- go see the comedy stars of tomorrow at the UCB Theatere. Also, check out UCB East, UBC Theatre’s East Village counterpart.

March Madness: The Best TV Show Set in NYC

Vote for your favorite TV Shows to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

Welcome to the CSNY March Madness NYC TV Show Tournament! We’re here with tournament expert Dick Vitale from SportsCenter to break it down.

IT’S MARCH MADNESS BABY! We’ve been watching television for over 50 years and now it all comes down to this! 16 TEAMS! ONE CHAMPION! IT’S AWESOME BABY! AWESOME WITH A CAPITAL ‘A’!

That’s right Dickie V, over the course of history, there have been hundreds of TV shows set in NYC, but now it’s time to find out who the true champion is. Some shows earned their way to the big dance through consistency and top level entertainment, other shows like Wizards of Waverly Place are on a Cinderella journey, earning an automatic bid from the KSC (Kid Shows Conference). Now we battle it out, head-to-head, and come March 31, only one show will remain standing as the best TV show ever based in NYC.

Ultimately, it’s the fans who will decide. We want you to vote for the shows that you love. Each time you vote on a matchup, your name will be entered into a pool and at the end of the tournament we will be picking one of those names at random to win a $100 Amazon gift card! There are 8 chances to vote in the first round, 4 in the second, 2 in the third, and one in the championship round for 15 potential entries into the pool, so make sure you keep coming back to vote.

Let’s take a look at the bracket:

OH BABY! Some of these matchups are looking AWESOME BABY! Selena’s a surefire first round draft pick, but does she have enough to take down the entire cast of Sex and the City!? Diaper-Dandy Jimmy Fallon is coming into the tournament with tons of momentum but is that enough!? Is that enough to top the seasoned veteran, Ed Sullivan!? OH BABY! ONLY TIME WILL TELL BABY!

Dick, give us your predictions. You’ve seen the bracket, you’ve studied the film- makes it to the final four here?

THIS IS A TOUGH ONE BABY!

I’ve got Seinfeld easily cruising through the Comedy Bracket and Sex and the City taking Miscellaneous without much of a problem! I’ve got Law & Order topping Mad Men in a close matchup to take the Drama Bracket!

BUT THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING! For the live format shows, I have Saturday Night Live SHOCKING THE WORLD BABY! SNL IS GOING TO SHUT DOWN LAUER AND CREW FOR THE BIGGEST UPSET OF THE TOURNEY! THEN I THINK FERRELL AND BELUSHI MATCHUP VERY WELL AGAINST THE LATE NIGHT SHOWS! UPSET CITY BABY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? SNL TO THE FINAL FOUR!

Well, Dickie, only time will tell. After all, it comes down to a fan vote. Voting opens up on Thursday for the opening round matchups but in the meantime, why don’t you tell us who you think is going to win it all on Twitter at @CitySightsNY and use the hashtag #tvshowdown to stay involved!

Tournament Schedule:

• March 13-17: First Round Voting (8 potential entries)
• March 17-20: Second Round Voting (4 potential entries)
• March 20-25: Final Four Voting (2 potential entries)
• March 25-31: Championship Voting (1 potential entry)

NYC Off The Beaten Path: Fort Tryon Park

Stuart Monk / Shutterstock.com

Way up on the north end of the isle of Manhattan lays a beautiful little park along the Hudson River known as Fort Tryon Park. You may not have ever heard of it, and chances are even less likely that you’ve been there if you aren’t from NYC, but if you’re visiting our great city and looking to go off the beaten path for a bit, Fort Tryon Park is one of your best options.

Wikimedia commons / Sorens

Fort Tryon Park is a riverside park all the way up on 190^th Street extending to Dyckman Street. It is far past the normal sightseeing venues of Manhattan and even further north geographically than most of the sights in The Bronx. The land on the Hudson was a key site during the Battle of Fort Washington during the American Revolution. Though the British ultimately won the battle and the fort was subsequently named after British Governor, Sir William Tryon, that’s still pretty cool stuff.

Now Fort Tryon Park is home to The Cloisters, one of the best, and often most overlooked, sights in NYC. The Cloisters are part of The Met and focus on architecture and artifacts from the Medieval European times. They actually have building on the site that were once European abbeys disassembled, shipped to NYC, then put back together. Why they would do this, I’m not entirely sure, but how cool is it to get a little of the old school European culture right here in NYC?

The Cloisters really do have an amazing collection of works, so it is definitely worth the visit.

Fort Tryon Park also remains one of the best spots to view the beautiful New Jersey Palisades, directly cross the river. Visit Fort Tryon Park in the autumn and see some of the most awe-inspiring fall foliage New York has to offer. It’s truly beautiful.

Where do you go in NYC to get off the beaten path? Have you ever been to Fort Tryon Park? Tell us where you’d go and share some pictures with us Twitter at @CitysightsNY

The Winter Film Awards in NYC

For the third consecutive year, the Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival is coming to New York City!

Today is day one of screenings of independent films from all over the world. Beginning at 12 p.m., our sister company, Gray Line New York, will have their theater transformed into the home of the next big film festival in NYC.

Come on out over the next few days films made in New York City like Hipster! The Musical, or films made in war-torn Iraq like Baghdad Messi. There will be short films, horror movies, music videos and more over the next few days, so don’t miss out. Come to 777 8^th Avenue, the Gray Line New York Theater, for all of the screenings.

And then on Saturday, once the final film has been shown, Join us at 230 5^th for the official Awards Ceremony and After Party Gala where you can meet the filmmakers and find out who won!

Do you plan on going? Tweet us at @CitySightsNY to let us know!

Presidential Sites in NYC

Happy President’s Day! New York City, being the premiere city in the United States of America, has quite a few presidential sites to call its own. Here’s a list of our favorite places in NYC with presidential ties:

Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthplace

photo via flickr / terryballard

Did you know that the 26^th President of the United States was born in an apartment in NYC? 28 East 20^th Street to be exact. The brownstone is now a museum which you can visit.

Grant’s Tomb

via flickr / Sue Waters

General Ulysses S. Grant, 18^th President of the United States, now resides at the north end of Riverside Park in a lovely little tomb on the Hudson River. It’s also stop #28 on our Uptown Tour.

Federal Hall

photo via flickr / (vincent desjardins)

Remember when New York City was home of the US Capitol? Of course you don’t you weren’t born yet. But way back in the day, George Washington took the oath of office in Federal Hall on Wall Street.

Lincoln Center

photo via flickr / Wilson Rivera

Just kidding, NYC’s most extravagant home of the arts was not actually named after 16^th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. In fact, no one really knows what it was named for.

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What are your favorite presidential stop in NYC? Tell us on Twitter at @CitySightsNY