bettsner

Last Minute Info/Advice!

Sun, 06 May 2007 14:12:01 GMT

The wedding is TODAY at 4:30 PM!!!!!

The service is 4:30, and the evening will continue until we get tired! I'm excited!

Here's the train schedule for service to Little Neck:
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/lirr/html/ttn/littlene.htm
Click on 'To Long Island' and 'Weekends'.

This one might be easier for those of you who live in Brooklyn:
http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/ttn/floralpa.htm
Likewise make sure that you're looking at the weekend schedule for service from Flatbush Avenue (LIRR speak for Atlantic Avenue).

Taxis leave from both stations. From Little Neck, it costs $7.50 per person, and Floral Park should be equivalent. Ollie's is the cab from Little Neck - (718) 229-5454

Howard and Mira, whom some of you know, have recommended a karaoke bar near the Little Neck station for those of you who, like me, find waiting for the train late at night insufficiently stimulating. Dibs on "Summer of '69"!!!

See you there!

Finally....some ideas for gifts!

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 14:35:07 GMT

Hello everyone -
At long last, we have sorted out the 'registry situation' and have selected three fine retailers as our gift lists of choice.

First up, John Lewis, predominantly for guests from Europe (in case any Americans get the funny idea that we want them to spend 'on the pound'). We're putting the 'heavy stuff' on this list, mostly.
Go to their lovely gift list page and go to 'buy a gift'. You can search by our names or by the registry number, 260088 .

Second is Fortunoff, where we have most of the light stuff - and china. You need china to make it a 'real' gift list.
You can search for us straight from their home page. There are a surprising number of Lindner's, so you can also search by our registry number, 996704 .

Lastly but certainly not least is our Amazon gift list. You can search from this page by either of our full names. If you would like to get us a book, film or DVD, there are some good ideas here.

Thanks for your patience while we sorted this out! See you all on the 6th.

Restaurants to Try!

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:29:02 GMT

In the first installment of a series of recommendations that I'll be posting up until the wedding....here are some restaurants we think you might like to try while you're in town!

Part 1 - Sentimental Favorites

These are NYC restaurants that I used to love when I first lived in New York or have encountered on subsequent visits, and have kept up a level of high quality over the years. I admit that this is a very East Asian dominated list - what can I say, these places are great!
When possible I've noted whether or not they take cards...a lot of smaller places in New York don't. If in doubt, bring cash.

Manhattan -
Nyonya (affordable Malaysian food in Chinatown - cash)
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/newyorkcity/D52920.html

Curries, roti, and amazing fish...it gets crowded, so arrive a bit early. I dream of their broth-cooked rice....

Nha Trang Centre (affordable Vietnamese food in Chinatown - credit)
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/nha-trang-centre/

Try the pho - it's the best one-dish meal in NYC, but it goes great with the fruit shakes and summer rolls. All in all, three (!) full menus worth of the best Vietnamese food I've ever tasted.

Wu Liang Ye (fancier Szechuan food in Midtown - credit)
http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=3653

Chili peanut noodles, szechaun dumplings, and amazing fish and seafood dishes - lots of chili and garlic flavors. A lovely sit-down meal, served by a team of Reservoir Dogs-suited waiters. Highly recommended.

Moon House (affordable dumplings in Chinatown - cash)
http://www0.epinions.com/content_2062786692
Christian, Matt, Megan (that's bridesmaid Megan, la Lindley, to clarify) and I first found this miniscule dumpling joint during one of NYC's classic blizzards. Over years of experimentation, I've come to realize...that 'tiny buns' is the code for amazing soup dumplings. Order anything with this in the name, and you're in. Endless hot tea, steaming dumplings and hot and sour soup in a basin-sized bowl...delicious.

Queens -
Turkish Hemsin (affordable sit-down kebabs in Sunnyside)
http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?
_r=1&res=9C0CE2D91430F932A05753C1A9659C8B63&oref=slogin
If you fancy a breather, take the 7 to Sunnyside and you'll have a ridiculous choice of fantastic restaurants. This is one. Huge, tasty kebabs.

Ariyoshi (affordable Japanese in Sunnyside - credit)
http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7326902/
Lovely, affordable Japanese food. Beloved.

Laziza Sweets (fantastic Jordanian cafe - cash)
http://www.villagevoice.com/nycguide/ve8518,3.html
Best coffee in the city, in my opinion, as well as a huge range of high-quality baked goods. Astoria is a neighborhood with a capital N - if you want 'the real' NYC, you've got to check it out. And when you get to Laziza, watch out for the honey-topped-saffron-sprinkled hot-cheese thing. I don't know what it's called, but....yerrrrrmmmm.

Brooklyn
Thai Cafe (affordable, great Thai in Greenpoint)
http://www.villagevoice.com/nycguide/ve12717,1.html
Greenpoint is my favorite Brooklyn neighborhood. It's got amazing atmosphere, preserved in part by its near-inaccessibility by public transport. One means of ingress involves a bus from Queens, the other a train that only runs in Brooklyn. You get the picture - it's a challenge. But once you get there, you have fantastic neighborhood joints like this one. First-class Thai.

Acapulco Diner
http://www.yelp.com/biz/N90gLDq4XgqYanlRqaeNKg
All the way down Manhattan Avenue by the Newtown Creek, there sits crazy, crazy little Acapulco Diner. Great breakfast, great food. Cheap, filling Mexican, worth the walk.

More coming soon! And in the next entry - BAR RECOMMENDATIONS!

Stephen's Amazing Google Map!

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:31:15 GMT

Wheee! It's finally ready! Here you go!

Email us your plans and we'll add you to the map!

Time Out?

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:04:42 GMT

If anyone coming from London would like to purchase a Time Out guide to NYC, they're having a sale at the minute in their online shop.

Hotels Near the Farm!

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 19:10:36 GMT

Straight from the kind and helpful staff of the Queens County Farm Museum!

"Here are the three hotels near the Farm Museum. They vary in price and amenities.
We have stayed at all of them and can recommend them with confidence.

The Floral Park Motor Inn 516-775-7777
The closest to the Museum. Basic lodging. Very conveniently located.

The Ramada Adria Center 718-631-5900
A very short drive to the Museum. Full service hotel. This is the hotel most often used by our Museum for visiting consultants and guests.

The Garden City Hotel 877-549-0400
Luxury accommodations – a 20 minute drive from the Farm Museum."

Good luck! Be sure to let Stephen and I know if you have any questions.

Room and Board

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:57:29 GMT

Hi everyone!

All the plans are set and now we're only waiting to see how the guest list will develop. Hope you can make it!
In the meantime we thought we'd put together some information for people who are coming from out of town.

If hotels don't sound like your thing, Stephen and I have had good luck with Craigslist, the international listings site. Conveniently, they've added a Vacation Rentals area: http://newyork.craigslist.org/vac/ Though you might want to comb Sublets and Temporary as well http://newyork.craigslist.org/sub/

To find the best deals, use a search term involving an outer borough like Queens or Brooklyn. Prices dive once you leave Manhattan, but don't forget to ask where the nearest subway is!
All the info you will need regarding subways is on this site:
http://www.mta.info/nyct/subway/index.html

If you have questions about locations, please feel free to get in touch - I'll do my best to help you out. And please, if you have any good tips, please share!

Coming soon: the accommodations Google Map!

Mr. Chicken!

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:41:53 GMT

Welcome!

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:31:21 GMT

Whew!

Right now, Stephen and I are recovering from our amazing Christmas/New Year's holiday on Long Island (the Eastern suburb of New York City) and Manhattan.

Over the next few months, Stephen and I will be posting lots of info about our upcoming wedding, right here!
For now, here are a few pictures of the place where we'll be getting married.

http://flickr.com/photos/thisisstephenbetts/sets/72157594466160094/