Travel Lightbulb

If you find yourself on the subway in New York City, then make a special trip to Eighth Avenue station because you will find a surprising little collection of permanent art.   'Life Underground' is a cartoon inspired project by Tom Otterness that was commissioned when the station was renovated in the 1990's.  He was inspired by going through old photos of the construction of the subway in the 1890s, which showed workers carrying giant tools. Another source of inspiration was the work of 19th century political cartoonist Thomas Nest.   Whatever the inspiration though, I loved discovering the little figures - and it could take you quite a while, because there are around 130 sculptures hidden all over the station - and too many to include in one blog post, so you'll have to go and discover them for yourself!  Some of the sculptures are shiny having been touched by commuters, so it's easy to spot the most popular ones! If you wa...

New York can be an expensive place to visit, but there are plenty of things to do on a budget, and here is one you may not have heard of before. The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway that connects Roosevelt Island to the Upper East side of Manhattan and if you look closely at the photo below, you can see the tram approaching!    This is a great thing for adults and kids alike. You get great views of the river and a totally different perspective of the streets from height. You can either have a wander round Roosevelt Island, or just right the tram over and straight back again. If you do that, you have to change trams at the other side.  This is not an official attraction, but for visitors it is a fun thing to do. It is transportation for the locals, so you're best to avoid taking the tram in the morning and evening rush hour.  If you keep your eyes peeled when crossing, you can spot the Empire State Building, and my own favourite i...

I think New Yorkers would forgive me for saying they don't mess with their words - I mean that in the nicest possible way, and it's sometimes a refreshing attitude that they say what they mean rather than skirting around things as many British people do! This attitude even extends to their street signs.  In the UK, it would probably say "No Parking"....but in New York, it's "Don't even think of parking here"! I love it!