Three things to do while in New York

New York is a fun city to visit! So many things happen there every given moment. One can always find something to do. While on a recent trip to New York we spent a day exploring city’s downtown. It's not our first trip to New York but we keep discovering new places and fun activities.
Let me share three fun things a family could do while in downtown New York.

It's always fun to take a ferry to Staten Island and sail past the Statue of Liberty. The ferry is spacious and free. It departs every 30 minutes from New York downtown's South Ferry Terminal. One can sail to Staten Island and back in about one hour. Don't forget to take a wind proof jacket with you on a ferry!

If you have kids it makes sense to stop by the Imagination Playground located next to Pier 17 that is a famous dinning and shopping spot in downtown New York. Kids love that place as it has building blocks, sand and waterworks in the summer. The playground looks like a giant ship and it's so much fun to run around!

When everyone gets hungry after a day full of fun activities it makes sense to head towards Chinatown with all its small restaurants and food stalls. We love to stop by one of tea places on Mott street. Those cafes are small and cozy. They serve teas and drinks with tapioca that becomes a favorite of pretty much every kid once he or she tries it!

If you are brave enough to try exotic fruits from Asia you can always buy either lychee or longan or any other exotic looking fruits you find on stalls on Canal and Mott streets.

I'm sure you will enjoy your time in New York! There are many fun things to do while in this multi-cultured and busy city. Feel free to share your own experience through either commenting to this post or contacting me directly at TonyaUtkina.

Being a proud member of Russian Artists Team I would like to mention my fellow team mates who live and create their amazing art pieces in New York. Here they are:
CatskillsTreasure
FineEmbroidery
FunEmbroidery
inessa
vintageer
VitalTemptation
woolsolution
yevgenia
ybknot
yury4465

This post was written by TonyaUtkina at CityCrochet

Let me take you to the fairytale…

Story by Tanya (CozySeason)

Imagine gabled red rooftops, half-hidden courtyards, medieval churches, narrow streets and a city wall dotted with guard towers … You are in Tallinn's Medieval Old Town.


A couple of steps further on the cobblestones and the sounds of the contemporary town are left far away. You can look back and you can not see the modern buildings anymore, just the medieval ones.


Thanks to the city wall the centre of Tallinn survived in an excellent condition. In the 16th century the wall was 2.4km long, 14-16m high, up to 3m thick and included 46 towers that gave city good protection from the frequent attacks.


The Old Town offers a great collection of gothic, baroque, and renaissance buildings. Just take a walk and feel the beauty of Tallinn's architecture.


Some streets in the old town of Tallinn are so narrow that two ladies in the huge crinolines (when still wearing crinolines) could not get by each other. A cavalier had to fight for the right to his lady walk down the street first.


Wandering the Old City you can find a large number of churches. One of the most eye-catching is the Church of St. Olav. It has a 159-metre spire that used to be the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625 years. Such an extremely tall steeple was probably meant to be a maritime signpost which made the trading city of Tallinn visible far out at sea. However, it turned to be a very effective lightning rod. Throughout the church's history the steeple of St. Olav has been hit by lightning at least eight times and the whole church construction has burned down three times.


Tallinn is a living example of the influence of two cultures: European and Russian. Wandering the streets of the city you cannot miss the main and the most opulent and grandest Orthodox church in Tallinn - Aleksander Nevsky Cathedral.
The church's towers hold Tallinn's most powerful church bell ensemble. The ensemble consists of 11 bells, including the largest in Tallinn, weighing 15 tons and you can hear it playing before each service.


Being located on a sea cost, Tallinn has a local beach, Pirita, that is situated 5-7 kilometers from Tallinn's city centre. Nowadays Pirita is one of the favorite places in Tallinn for spending free time and not just during the summer. In a winter people enjoy visiting Pirita to watch the seaside winter sunset and to feed local swans and gulls.


Don’t be afraid of visiting Tallinn at winter time! A cup of hot and spicy Glühwein and a pair of warm wool socks will make your stay in a fairytale town even more enchanting!