Saurin Park Cafe
301 West 110th Street
Central Park West
Morningside Park
Hours: 7AM til Midnight

This wonderful cafe was created in the spirit of the classic artist's haunts of France. They offer premium blends of coffee's from around the world such as Costa Rican and a French Roast. Latte's in giant mugs and rich espresso to enjoy as well. For the morning jolt try their New York Car Alarm coffee that will give you the wake up you need for starting the day.

The menu is inexpensive and offers a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, soup, salads and pastries. There is also a full bar to unwind at after a long day.

The cafe also provides free wi-fi for their customers. Saurin Park is open seven days a week and is a great local hangout for everyone around!

A great source for everything Brooklyn! Brooklyn On Line provides residents, past and present with resources covering everything about the Borough from news and business to the people and coversation. Find restaurants, parks, museums and theater. Read the history of Brooklyn and find out about current events.

Located in an area that has remained relatively unchanged since the Revolutionary War is the Greenbelt Park on Staten Island. Covering an area of 1,788 acres the Greenbelt is maintained in a mostly natural state with much of the parks tidal and wetlands, open fields, woodlands and meadows being preserved in their native state.

In the 1960's a portion of the Richmond Parkway was to be built through the area but the community strongly opposed the construction and were able to save it from being part of the parkway. It was officially designated as a state park in 1984.

Today, visitors to the park can enjoy many activities from a round of golf at the La Tourette golf course to enjoying nature along one of the many trails covering 30 miles within the park. Children can experience an old fashion ride on one of the hand carved animals at the parks carousel. The park also holds events over the year such as art shows and special hikes.

Greenport is an historical, seaside town on the North Fork, at the east end of Long Island, in Suffolk County. It is in the town of Southold and located just north of Shelter Island.

The Greenport Harbor area recently went through major renovations complete with the addition of the antique Greenport Carousel and a waterside park with beautiful views of Shelter Island. The village is very popular with tourists and is abundant with dockside restaurants and unique antique shops. The ever-busy historical area is a favorite for many. Greenport in the past was a whaling center and a major hub for fishing and ship-building industries.

Greenport is a favorite destination of boaters, from Connecticut, and Block Island as well as from Montauk. The art deco movie theater is very popular with the locals and tourists. Claudio’s dockside restaurant is a frequent stop for boaters where they can dock their boats and stop in for a meal. There is the famous Preston’s, an historical building where you can purchase nautical items and clothing. It has been in business for over 100 years!

Greenport is also the northern terminal for the Shelter Island Ferry. Day travelers line up for the short ride to Shelter Island. Both cars and foot passengers are allowed on the ferry. Once you arrive on Shelter Island, you can tour the island or take the south-end ferry to the Hamptons and travel through the South Fork of Long Island.

Please check out the lodgings in Greenport, and spend a weekend in town to see what it has to offer. There are a variety of restaurants to satisfy every appetite and prices to fit every budget.

Check out the activities: ride on the antique carousel and/or visit the Railroad Museum of Long Island.

The Greenport Union Free School District is considered one of the best on Long Island too.
For more information about the school district, click here…

For the location of Greenport and a map of the area, check out the maps. Maps of Greenport.

The Long Island Rail Road has a stop in Greenport.
Greenport Station, End of Third Street, 631-231-5477

>Photo of Preston's & Sons by Alida

The lower tip of the island of Manhattan is often to referred to as Downtown or Lower Manhattan. It was our nations first capital and the point of entry for the millions of immigrants that came to our country seeking a better life.

The area can be generally defined as being located within the borders of Chambers Street to the north, the Hudson or North River to the west, South by Battery Park and to the east by the East River. Of course, depending on which New Yorker you ask, the lines tend to blur. Some consider Downtown to begin where Midtown ends at 23rd Street. Others would say that it extends even farther north to Canal Street.

Downtown is where you will find the Financial District and the site of the World Trade Center as well as being the center for NYC government offices.

Thousands of people reside in Lower Manhattan in the area south of Houston Street. Considered one of the city's most livable areas, the neighborhoods include Battery Park, Chinatown, Little Italy, Tribeca, Soho, the Financial District and the Lower East Side. Many of the residents live within walking distance of their jobs and enjoy life outside of work at the numerous restaurants, shops and cultural activities.

Some interesting facts about Downtown:
- It was the site of our Nations first Capitol
- Author Jack London once lived as a hobo in Central Park
- Bowling Green is the oldest park in NYC
- Legend has it that the Dutch trader, Peter Minuit purchased the island from the Leni Lenape Indians for a mere $24 in trinkets.
- From 1892 to 1924, 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island
- The Woolworth Building was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1929
- St. Paul's Chapel is Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use
- The New York Stock Exchange has an annual trading volume of $5.5 trillion.

Within this magnificent city called New York are open spaces of nature. Though surrounded by skyscrapers and brownstones, these spaces provide city dwellers with green lawns and acres of what once was. There are more than 1,700 parks in New York City covering more than 28,000 acres. From your small neighborhood park to the biggest park in NYC, Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, there is a haven for everyone.

Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx is the largest park in NYC covering 2,765 acres. Rich in history, the land on which it sits was purchased in 1639 from the Native Americans by a Dutch West India Company. European settlers made several unsuccessful attempts to settle the area as it was still controlled by the Siwanoy Indians. In 1654 an Englishman by the name of Thomas Pell signed a peace pact with Siwanoy leader, Chief Wampage. Pell was successful in settling the area including the tract that is now known as Pelham Bay Park.

Historic features of Pelham Bay Park can be viewed by visitors. There are remnants of walls that surrounded the Pell Estate that during the Revolutionary War, Massachusetts Patriots hid behind and stopped the British and Hessian soldiers from making their way north. Parts of Hunter Mansion, once visited by president Martin Van Buren, remain on Hunter Island. A fully preserved mansion built by Robert Bartow, a descendant of Thomas Pell, is now a museum.

Bartow Powell Mansion

For someone interested in seeing the environmental side of the park, one can take up bird watching at the Central Parks Swampland to view the migrating songbirds and ruby throated hummingbirds. Take a self guided tour of the parks wetland border, rocky shore and interior forest along the Kazimiroff Nature Trail.

Kazimiroff Nature Trail

For more information about Pelham Bay Park, please visit:
NYC Department of Parks & Recreation

Little Italy, located in lower Manhattan between Soho and Chinatown is home to many second and third generations of Italian immigrants who migrated to the United States in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In a census taken in 1900 the Italian population in New York City alone was 225,000 and by 1904 the number had reached 575,000.

Like the regions in Italy, Little Italy became a region specific neighborhood. For example, immigrants from Northern Italy settled along Bleecker Street, the Geneoese settled along Baxter Street and families from Western Sicily made their homes along Elizabeth Street.

Today, the Italian population has shrunk significantly as families have moved out of the city to the outer boroughs and beyond creating other "Little Italy's" in those neighborhoods. There is the Little Italy of the Bronx, of Brooklyn, Queens, Bensonhurst, Howard Beach and on Staten Island where 40% of the population is of Italian Ancestory. Much of the neighborhood has been absorbed by Chinatown as more immigrants from China and other Eastern countries came to NYC. The neighborhood north of Little Italy near Hudson Street known as NoLita is no longer reconizably Italian.

Plan a visit in September when New York City's biggest, best known street party takes place, The Feast of San Gennaro. The festival is the city's longest running and is in honor of the Patron Saint of Naples. This 11 day party features a religious procession along the lengths of Mulberry and Mott Streets as well as many events and festivities taking place during the festival.

Though smaller in size, the community maintains its strong Italian spirit and visitors continue to flock the area for a sampling of it's Old World charm. Short of going to Italy, satisfying a craving for a true espresso and canoli can be done at one of the many al fresco cafe's or after dinner at one of the fine dining restaurants.