New York Habitat Blog

The neighborhood of Astoria is one of the most convenient and lively neighborhoods of Queens to rent an apartment. In addition to having two main subway lines (N,W trains on 31st Street and R,V trains on Broadway) running through the neighborhood there are two bridges that lead to Manhattan for easy access.

The neighborhood is known for its high quality Greek and Italian restaurants as well as Steinway Street, the main shopping drag. Another advantage in Astoria is the Astoria Park which runs along the East River for several blocks and offers panoramic views of the east side of Manhattan, Roosevelt Island and the Triboro Bridge. 

The American Museum of the Moving Image (www.movingimage.us/site/site.php) is located in Astoria at the site of the former Kaufman Studios. The neighborhood is enjoyable because you can often find neighbors sitting on their front porches socializing with the locals. 

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Park Slope is one of the best-known and most popular neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Park Slope is located southeast of downtown Manhattan and is often accessed by the F train. The neighborhood is known for its striking brownstones lining the blocks, which lead from west to east towards Prospect Park. 

Many owners of brownstones have created bed and breakfast type accommodations on one of the floor of their apartment while other rent out entire floors of the buildings.

The name Park Slope is derived from the sloped topography of the neighborhood. Looking at Park Slope from the Staten Island ferry you can observe the gentle “slope” of the land as it rises to its peak at Prospect Park.

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In Provence, the Christmas season starts December 4 with the day of St Barbe, with the traditional sowing of wheat and lentils on 3 dishes covered with cotton pads. In every home, as the fresh green shoots grow, the ‘small fields’ symbolize prosperity.  Provence enjoys a number of festivities and rituals throughout December but the best known ones are probably the Christmas cribs and Santons, Christmas markets and the Christmas 13 desserts.

Santons are Christmas crib figures representing villagers going to the crib. The word comes from the Provençal “Santoun” and means Little Saint. The Marseilles Santons Fair is one of the most popular and lively traditions in the city. It takes place every year from the last Sunday in November through December 31. Originally, the figures were shaped from the dried soft interior of bread, then oil painted and varnished. Today’s tradition has them made from the local red clay. They decorate every apartment and house’s family crib by the Christmas tree.

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The Arsenal Football Club enjoys the opening of the new Emirates Stadium.

Football (Soccer for the American’s) is one of the favorite pastimes in England and there are few teams with as loyal a fan base as those of the Arsenal of London.

London as many great cities has some of the classic old sporting venues and the Arsenal fan’s enjoyed the old stadium, Highbury, for 93 years. In 2006 the new state of the art Emirates Stadium opened with seating capacity for 60,432 cheering fans. The stadium is located in the Islington Section of London with easy access to the underground at Arsenal Station on the Piccadilly Line.

New York Habitat offers many properties in London which are convenient to the stadium. Consider (LN-247) just three subway stops away, (LN-196) within walking distance from the stadium or (LN-428) near the Camden Market. Remember to plan your trip early as most Arsenal games are sellouts.

For more information on the Arsenal visit http://www.arsenal.com/ and for the team’s schedule see http://www.arsenal.com/fixtures.asp?thisNav=The+Match.

New York in Song
The world’s a nicer place in my beautiful balloon
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon…
- “Up, Up & Away”, written by Jimmy Webb & recorded by The Fifth Dimension

Snoopy or Pikachu? Charlie Brown or Spongebob Squarepants? Your answers will probably not only reveal how old you are, but also which balloons will excite you the most on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 23). Yes, the annual Macy’s Parade is coming around again, and there will be a balloon for everyone.

This year will mark the 80th anniversary of this landmark event, which is attended each year by more than 2.5 million New Yorkers and tourists and watched by another 44 million viewers on worldwide telecasts. The first parade was actually held in 1924, but was suspended for three years during World War II, when the event’s famous balloons were instead donated to the war effort because the rubber with which they were made was a rare and critical resource for weapons manufacturing.

The parade covers a 2.5 mile route beginning at West 77th Street and Central Park West, continuing past Broadway to the Macy’s Herald Square department store on West 34th Street, and culminating at Seventh Avenue. In addition to the balloons, there are several musical and dance presentations. This year’s parade will include performances by professional dancers, cheerleaders and even an acrobatic jump-roping team! And of course there will be many floats, boasting incredible designs and more than a few celebrities. Of course the biggest star of all – Santa Claus – is always on the last float of the day to remind everyone that Christmas (and Macy’s Christmas shopping!) is also on the way.

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