Lifestyle - Best Places of Interest

April 25, 2018 Lifestyle

Planning a Staycation in NYC? Here’s How to Enjoy the City like a Tourist

Living in a place as large as New York City, sometimes it can be hard to remember all that the city has to offer. If you find yourself taking a staycation, you might be wondering where to go and what to see. Read the ideas below to find out how to enjoy the city like a tourist.

See the Statue of Liberty

New York, USA — Statue of Liberty New York USA lady liberty

Travel by ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands to see what is widely viewed as a symbol of democracy and freedom. Rather than just touring the grounds or the top of the pedestal, get tickets to access the crown.

Since reservations need to be made in advance, as New York City local, you have more opportunities than tourists to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Go on a Sightseeing Tour

Take a break from your transportation method of choice for a day and go on a sightseeing tour. TopView Sightseeing, one of the city’s sightseeing touring agencies, offers bus and cruise tours.

No matter which type you choose, you can see the attractions you take for granted as a local from the perspective of those visiting New York City for the first time.

Take in the Sounds of Broadway

While Times Square is an area that most locals view as a place for tourists, the lights and sounds of the Broadway theatre scene are enough to draw you to this busy intersection.

Musicals, plays, Off-Broadway shows and other performances, like comedy, acts, offer enthralling shows. Make a night of it and go to dinner and a show.

Indulge in New York Foods

Baked goods, New York, USA — Baked goods

From pizza and cheesecake to bagels and black-and-white cookies, everyone has a favourite New York food. Make it your goal to enjoy at least two of these staples for every day you play tourist.

Park yourself in Madison Square Park

Madison Square is a 6.2 acre of a public park located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street. Named after James Madison, the 4th president of the U.S., this park is also home to the original Shake Shack and relax in the urban oasis that is Madison Square Park. As you enjoy your burger and shake, people watch, observe the artwork and lay on the lawns.

Get Sporty

Play baseball at Yankee stadium, New York, USA — Play baseball at Yankee Stadium

Are you a baseball fan? Go to Yankee Stadium for a tour or game. If you are more into basketball or hockey, Madison Square Garden should be your destination. Witness the Rangers or the Knicks take on their biggest rivals in thrilling games.

Baseball fans, who are also fans of the hamburger, will appreciate Citi Field where the can get the renowned Bash Burger, a hamburger with a bacon jam and “secret” sauce of mayonnaise, garlic, ketchup, sherry vinegar and Sriracha.

Citi Field is home of the Mets. Located in Flushing Queens. The creation of chef Josh Capon, the Bash Burger can also be found at his restaurant on W Houston St, Barrel and Burger. The Bash Burger has apparently been around for quite a while, winning the People’s Choice Award for the tastiest burger at Rachael Ray’s Burger Bash at the NY Wine and Food Festival as far back as 2009.

Read a Book at the Library

Admission to the New York Public Library is free, but it is also one of the most beautiful in the world. Check out a book, settle down in a reading room or see the real Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends.

Visit The Met Cloisters

The Met Cloisters offer a taste of medieval Europe right in New York City. Sculptures, gardens, chapels and numerous photo opportunities await you. The Cloisters overlook the Hudson River, so you will get to see lovely views in addition to the museum.

View your city with new eyes as you explore it like a tourist. You might just learn or see something new.

Images courtesy-Pixabay

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February 5, 2018 Lifestyle

6 Best Ways to Send Birthday Gifts Online

If you are wondering how to make your special ones’ birthday special, we have just the right stuff for you. There are some awesome ways in which you can surprise your loved ones on their birthday. We have compiled a list of the best birthday gifts online. You can order these gifts at the comfort of your home and watch as they beam with happiness. These gifts are meant for everyone, irrespective of age and gender and relationship that you share with them.

Read below the different birthday gifts online that you send to your loved one to make their day truly special.

A Basket Of Love And Surprises

Send your heartfelt love and birthday wishes to your loved one in a basket of love! You can arrange a beautiful basket with loads of chocolates, flowers and a teddy bear! Your special one will absolutely adore this cute hamper by you. You can order such birthday gifts online also. There are many options available and you can customize them according to your preferences.

2. A Big Bouquet Of Chocolates

This works well if your loved ones are fond of sweets and are sweet-toothed! Who doesn’t like Ferrero Rocher? I am sure all of us do. How about a heart shaped bouquet made of Ferrero Rocher chocolates? Sounds yummy, right? Send your special one a huge bouquet of chocolates at the midnight of their birthday! Let them open their door to this huge surprise! This would be a really unique and creative birthday surprise for your loving ones.

3. Mixed Dry Fruits Gift Hamper

For the fitness freaks or the health enthusiasts, there is nothing better than a huge basket filled with the healthy dry nuts! You can send them good quality cashews, raisins, almonds and walnuts and of course, your love along! They will adore you for taking care of their health and this will boost your love for each other!

4. A Bouquet Of Exotic Blooms

Everyone loves flowers, isn’t it? Then, why not gift your loved ones an amazing bouquet of flowers on their birthday. You can get such flowers delivered through some midnight gifts delivery portal that will deliver it right at their doorstep in the midnight! They will be taken by surprise and awe when they open the door to these beautiful flowers! You can create a combo of all the exotic flowers like lilies, carnations and orchids and make the bouquet look rich and gorgeous! What more? You can also select a glass vase for the flowers! The vase will come handy and they can keep more flowers even after their birthday! So, go on! Surprise your loved one!

5. Good Luck Plants

If your loved one is a believer of Feng-Shui and good luck charms, then this can be a great gifting idea! You can gift your special people a multi-layered good luck plant. Such plants bring overall prosperity and well-being in your family. They are available for online birthday gifting. They come in quite efficient packing and will be delivered with a nice glass container where you can keep the plant. This will remind your loved ones of you, every time they water it. Good luck plants are unique gift ideas and you must gift them to your special people to make her feel even more special!

6. A Cute And Tasty Cake

You can send an amazing and delicious cake for your loved ones on their birthday. You can get a customized photo printed on the cake as well. You wouldn’t have to worry about the freshness or taste of the cake as there are excellent portals that delivery fresh and mouth watering cakes. You can go for flavours like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mango, red velvet, white forest, black forest etc.

These are some of the ways you can send [tweetshareinline tweet=”birthday gifts online” username=”wizmagic1″] and truly surprise your loved ones. These gifts are available easily online and they can be delivered right to the doorstep of your special people.

January 25, 2018 Lifestyle

A Traveller’s guide to vacation rentals

Anyone that’s beginning to plan a trip knows that the key element that will determine if you have a great time or not begins with where you’re going to stay once you arrive at your destination. There are a few factors that play into the decision to be made, such as how many are in your group and how long your stay will be wherever you’re going. Planning along these lines can get a tad pricey if you’re looking at hotels, especially if it’s a situation where you’re planning a trip on the spur of the moment. With that in mind, many are now joining the ranks of those who are looking at and booking their stays in vacation rentals across the globe. But how does one get started with picking the right vacation rental for their own trip? Read on for an overall look at the process to get things underway.

Man sitting on wooden panel-Vacation rentals — Image credit-pexels

The idea of vacation rentals took off first as a way to minimize the detracting elements one can sometimes find in hotels. What would those be? Well, with hotels you and your group are essentially surrounded by others in their own rooms. Sometimes that can be challenging if they get too loud, or have members of their own group cause a ruckus. You’re paying extra for little amenities like a mini-bar or in some cases, wireless internet access. Some hotel rooms are also built-in terms of layout where it’s essentially one large room with a minute amount of closet space and a bathroom, which can pose a logistics issue for those traveling in large groups. And if you’re trying to avoid that, paying for a suite can really increase your vacation costs. Another hang-up that can occur involves the availability of rooms in hotels in certain rural areas or places that it will take some time to travel to from the airport.

Alley architecture Barcelona-vacation rentals — Image credit-pexels

With vacation rentals, you are essentially looking at sites like Airbnb, RentalVilla and HomeAway for rooms, apartments and even houses to rent for your vacation. Each website differs however with what they offer – Airbnb actually has “experiences” available for booking in addition to or separate from any lodging being booked for a majority of the cities and countries they manage property listings in. A vacation rental allows for travelers to feel more immersed in the city or region they’re staying in, to make their trip that much more enjoyable. It also gives guests a chance to minimize other costs they’d incur during their trip, such as getting groceries for a week from local markets and specialty shops instead of eating out for almost every meal.

brown wooden chair near short stem clear wine-glass-vacation rentals — Image credit-pexels

How the process works is, you go to one of these vacation rental sites with the dates you have in mind for your stay. From there you can get an approximate final total of how much it would be, factoring in local taxes and processing fees that the site has. Each site has varying fee amounts; for example, Airbnb charges 6 – 12% whenever a reservation is made along with a cleaning fee. These are incorporated into the final tally. The thing to keep in mind is, with renting a vacation property it is up to you to keep up communication with your host and to abide by their rules regarding the place. Each site has a dedicated customer service staff on hand that can be reached by phone or email. Many hosts look to make the entire process a smooth one, and will even go out of their way to arrange tours in their area or provide breakfast and snacks once guests arrive. In some cases, you just arrive at the appointed check-in time and pick up the keys and begin your stay. If you are looking for quality listings, you can check out sites like Trip101 that helps curate apartments from sites like Airbnb.

Vacation rentals are a surefire way to enhance your trip to truly enjoyable levels without the extra hassle.

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Christopher is a writer with Trip101. Trip101 is a one-stop guide for travel enthusiasts around the world. Supported by an ever-growing community of travel writers, we provide inspiration and useful information to help facilitate travel in a fun and meaningful manner!

January 20, 2018 Lifestyle

Even musicians & artists need work visas or permits for offshore tour

“If you’re about to depart from home country to show-off your talent, passport & necessary travel documents are a must”

It’s about time your music band had the amazing chance to roam around the world and prove that your voice can make a difference. You’ve probably been eyeing for an opportunity to sing along with the local Caribbean in the best natural setting! If yes, then remember that anyone visiting a foreign state either for work or any other matter requires legal permit like St Kitts and Nevis passport.

St Kitts Nevis, work visa — Image credit- https://www.savoryandpartners.com/citizenship-investment-programs/st-kitts-and-nevis/second-passport/

Whether its work permit or work visa you require for the tour would depend on the destination and the type of citizenship you currently hold. Do remember that a work visa is different from a passport in a way that international travel across your home country requires a passport card for states granting visa-free access to the current travel document. A full passport is required for countries other than those accessible on passport card. Be sure the passport you hold is up to date which is quite obvious!

When you need a work permit?

Geography aside, there’re many different factors that would decide on the need of a work permit. The number of shows you’ll be playing, the expected amount of money (in total) you’ll earn and duration of the tour are all considered. In some cases, the group organizing the entire tour would also require you have a permit to participate and play.

For instance, if you’re a non-Caribbean performer traveling to one of the islands such as St. Kitts and Nevis to participate in one of their local festivals, you’d require a work visa. Similarly, the local Caribbean traveling to international countries for public occasions and shows, a work permit is always required.

What do you need to apply for a work visa?

The first point of contact to determine the likelihood of a work permit is the official embassy’s website for the country you’re planning to visit. Browse the website, leave your queries or chat online with an agent and you’ll likely to get the relevant information concerning applications, paperwork and various details corresponding to the citizens of your country.

It must be noted that music and entertainment industry relevant work permits and visas are managed in a different way, unlike the usual permits and so on. Be sure to carefully check all such details and valuable information for these specific visas thereby proceeding on track right from the start.

In case you’re playing a single-time event, perhaps a charity festival or any other, better contact the festival organizers directly to know about the particular type of visas that may or may not be required. Don’t forget querying about the total fees and other payoffs associated directly with the application!

How long would it take?

Another aspect worth remembering is of some countries charging for application as well as the issuance of the work permit which means extra expense. And all those applying for passport or work visas for the first time should exercise patience as it can take a while for complete processing of all the documents.

Conclusion

Now that you’re well aware of the critical details, apply for St. Kitts and Nevis passport with confidence.

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