New York – Turknoy Travels 100!

On Travel: Public Transportation

Featured by turknoys, posted in Canada, New York, Norway, Travel Adventures, United States of America, Why Travel With Kids?

“You can’t understand a city without using its public transportation system. ” – Erol Ozan

Oslo’s Travel Card, New York’s MetroCard and Toronto’s Scratch Card

Travel, it seems, then and again for us, is all about perspective. Exploring Oslo, Norway raised our standards so much so that we frowned on New York’s Metro Card calling it “barely a card.” Getting settled into the New York transportation system after three days, off we went to Toronto, Ontario, Canada and there we were greeted with a scratch card… the city’s day pass for tourists and travelers. Let’s just say that it took us four days to look beyond this and give Toronto a fair judgement of the city’s beauty and uniqueness. First impressions. Perspectives. Flexible travelers that we think we are, perspectives matter.

If we have traveled from Manila, Philippines, our home country, straight from Toronto, Canada, the availability of Metro straight from the Union Station and the convenience of family card plus the friendly ticket receptionist, would have floored us with awe. To travel conveniently in Manila, usually takes private-hire transportation and even then, the horrendous traffic and heat (or rain) would leave us scratching our eyes out waiting for the transport ordeal to be over. Transport system in Toronto would be we a very much welcome blissful paradise to experience.

Only,, we didn’t come from a developing country. We transited from a highly developed city, equally diversified as Toronto, it seems to us, equally populated like New York. Transport payment scheme in Toronto is very primitive to us now.

How does this affect how we think of Canada? It should not affect us much. We firmly believe that how we view a country is more of a reflection on us that it is a reflection of the country,

So, this experience, makes us feel empowered. Worldschooling the kids mainly has the purpose of showing the kids the beauty of the world and what men are capable of nurturing what’s possible; highlighting NOT borders, but potentials.

Toronto Metro : “You can’t understand a city without using its public transportation system. ” –

New York, The City That Dreams Blissfully!

June 6, 2019 by turknoys, posted in Education, Family Satisfaction, Family Traditions, family travel, New York, Travel Goals, United States of America, Why Travel With Kids?, worldschooling

Free educational and fun family activities Turknoy style aka deep-rooted into our family lifestyle are readily available in New York. There are lots of ideas, discussions and pondering mover aching feet and full stomach. Our senses are all overwhelmed.

Broadway is to talent and making it big in the world;

She’s a Harry Potter fanatic, an: watching the play brought lots of reading memories, lessons and bliss moments with Albus and Scorpius! #KeepTheSecrets (Broadway, June 2019)

Our first Broadway performance experience. How the kids have grown since the . (Broadway, October 2017)

When at home, we watch Late Show a lot. So kids know Stephen Colbert more than.. uummm Tom Hanks! 😂

Times Square is to branding and consumerism and making it known in the world

Times Square with family means discussion on economics, world inequality, wants over needs and lots of business ideas! (Times Square, June 2019)

Then, then… .. Financial District is money management and getting power over money in the world!

And until then… let’s get all the money vibes from The Wall Street Bull’s Balls. Legend has it that those who touch them will have prosperous and wealthy life. So, oohmmm we go. Seriously, we saw a Hindu lady who was actually doing this like a solemn prayer. So why not?

Our little ladies and the Charging Bull of Wall Street

Grab the bulls by balls and we’re set for life! Girl power!

All that financial wealth vibe with the ball and the Bull. 😀

Happiness is grabbing the Bull by the balls!

“My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength.” – Sicilian artist Arturo Di Modica, creator of The Charging Bull.

Broadway, Times Square or Wall Street, New York can make dreams come true for this fearless and are able to stand tall and proud.

Freedom is NOT the absence of fear… but by being able to act fearless.. whoever we may be!

World citizens, worldschooler or not, New York sets an example. It may be the place, it may be the city’s history, it may be capitalism, it may be a lot of things… yet we firmly believe that these ideals can be replicated.. anywhere in the world. Dreams are dreams without time zone and coordinates. With positivity and a lot of hard work, sprinkled with luck (bulls’ balls!) dreams do come true, whatever they may be.

We don’t use ❤️ to reflect our emotions towards any city easily. We’re snobs sometimes… but New York she really ❤️💛💚💙💜

Take 2: New York, New York with Kids

June 5, 2019 by turknoys, posted in Family Blog, Family Satisfaction, Family Traditions, family travel, New York, Travel Goals, United States of America, Why Travel With Kids?, worldschooling

There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless.” – Simone de Beauvoir

And this family with travel goals to visit 100 countries is back to New York, USA, as this city needs more mini-goals to be achieved.

Straight from Oslo, Norway, like a real Viking explorer , off we crossed the Atlantic Ocean to New York, New York wee hours in the morning, straight to breakfast and off to see places for the second time.

Family’s photo in our favorite place in the world, to date… Oslofjord! A day before we head off to New York, New York this time around!

We’ve written about hope and goals and we’re excited really to realize baby steps to leap frog moments towards achievements of our family goals, travel goals included.

But for now, New York, New York!

First stop, Times Square early in the morning and we feel like we are in the living room as the place was still “unpopulated” New York style.

Sunset in Oslo, sunrise in New York… Time Square!!!

No crowd at Times Square, New York! Life happens for us. 😀

Second stop, Central Park, wishing to meet Tom Hanks or John Wick accidentally!

Central Park.. always a great stop for family!

We are meant to be… we the North lovers!

Third stop, hungry for some Filipino food, hoops NOT… scratch that… we are world class.. so off we walked more to get a taste of the world’s most famous chickenjoy – Jollibee in Manhattan! Oh hot, was it crowded but we were determined.. and hungry and drilling over this chicken joy!

Third stop, hungry for some Filipino food, scratch that, we are world class.. so off we walked more to get a taste of the world’s most famous chickenjoy – Jollibee in Manhattan!

so off we walked more to get a taste of the world’s most famous chickenjoy – Jollibee in Manhattan! Oh hot, was it crowded but we were determined.. and hungry and drilling over this chicken joy!

And now on to our main stops… 😋

More about our New York adventures…

Guggenheim Museum For Kids

October 11, 2017October 11, 2017 by turknoys, posted in Family Satisfaction, family travel, New York, Travel Goals, United States of America

“To get such beauty from something that has been produced from the artists’ own imagination appealed to me enormously. ” – Solomon R. Guggenheim

Guggenheim Museum is modern art museum located at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It’s a stone throw away from Metrolpolitan Museum of Art on the other side of the street. We were very impressed with the paintings we found in the museum. The museum was established by the Solomon R. Guggenheim, hence the name. He is a philanthropist and quite obviously, art lover.
The kids enjoyed the paintings we saw inside the museum and these are their favorite.

Woman With A Yellow Hair, Pablo Picasso, 1931. We read a lot about Pablo Picasso and one of our favorite is “The Girl With A Pony Tale.” Okay, the note about the painting is a little trolling because the little girl was only seventeen when she met Picasso and became the object of a lot of Picasso’s art works. Despite that fact, this painting our little fierce traveller’s favorite in the Guggenheim Museum.

The Palazzo Ducale, Seen from San Giorgio Maggiore. Claude Monet. Who loves Venice and Impressionism Paintings? Well, obviously our future scientist in the family. The one who loves Venice since he visited when he was three ( and of course, he remembers.)

Woman Ironing. Pablo Picasso.1904. Since our eldest traveler is the master of shades, she knows good art when she it. She’s happy being in the Guggenheim Museum.

Top of the cherry in this Museum is its architecture and design which the kids never got tired of looking… and climbing up and down.

New York City For Family Travel With Young Kids

October 10, 2017October 16, 2017 by turknoys, posted in New York, Travel Adventures, Travel Goals, United States of America, Why Travel With Kids?

“It’s a town you come to for a short time.” – Ernest Hemingway
Exploring New York City with kids for the first time is aggravating to say the least. Hhmmm.. just saying that feels bettter. Aggravation, in a good way for all senses. Well, maybe not for the feet and leg muscles. New York, the city that never sleeps, yet our hearts and mind fall into deep slumber the moment we our bodies touch the bedsheets.

New York City For Family with Young Kids — Back and forth using the Subway, we all know when, where and how to enjoy subways with or without crowds 😀

That feeling about New York is too familiar for our family, we had the same “sensations” when we explored “Paris, France with our many firsts” – there are a lot of kids activities to see and do, it’s way too overwhelming for kids and parents alike.

So, we took a shortcut this time. At least, that’s what we thought we did. We bought New York CityPass and MetroCard and we’re off!

Five days of feeding the kids curiosity, dragging them around Uptown and Downtown and off we went. We visited six landmarks using our City Pass:

American Museum of Natural History (CityPass)

Top of The Empire State Building (CityPass)

Metropolitan Museum of Art (City Pass)

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (City Pass)

Guggenheim Museum (City Pass)

We also enjoyed “famous” landmarks not part of our CityPass like:
Metropolitan Modern Museum

Times Square

We also watched one musical based on kids choice – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A really fantastic musical, the best they’ve seen, by far. So the kids told us.

Central Park

Oh boy, a lot to see and explore in the city. The trick, for us, is to enjoy every moment with kids and stop when they don’t want to explore anymore. We’re happy we get to enjoy a lot and no regrets for the places we didn’t get to see. After all, we can’t have it all. (Or can we?!)

The New Yorker Hotel For Family Travel

October 8, 2017 by turknoys, posted in New York, Travel Goals, United States of America

We’re easy to please as long as we are in New York.

Well, true.

Hey-O! Our family is on to our 32nd country of our family travel goals and we are going all out – Hello New York! Hello, United States of America!
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean, our first stop, New York staying in the heart of he city, The New Yorker Hotel managed by Wyndham Hotels since March 2014.

The New Yorker Hotel is family friendly for a reasons.

Location. Location. Location. The hotel’s addresss in 481 Eigth Avenue, literally a stone’s away from Penn Station, six blocks away from Empire State Building and eight blocks away (or less) from Times Square!
From the airport, we took Air Train and Subway to Penn Station and we’re all tuck in New York. Definitely a big A+ for family with kids.

The View From The Room. We booked a Standard Double Bed Room With A View.
This View.

The New Yorker Hotel for Families — Look at our faces just after arriving from half across the world. Hello Empire State Building view! ❤️

Famous People in History. One of the most effective way to teach kids about awesome, extraordinary “already dead or old” people in history and not get snores, name drop that they stayed in the same hotel. List goes on for The New Yorker Hotel.

Top of the list, Nikola Tesla. Tesla spent the last ten years of his life in near-seclusion in Suite 3327 at The New Yorker Hotel.

Muhammad Ali would recuperate there after his March 1971 fight against Joe Frazier at the Garden.

Rosa Parks in one of the hotel’s conference events

See the happy traveling dad in the photo below:

High Value for Money For A Family Luxury Travel. To be bluntly honest, the hotel is 3-stars at best when it comes to facilities (our room doesn’t even have fridge) and typical of city rooms, even the double bed rooms are way too small for family. But hey, for our family, this is pretty much luxury. We won’t hesitate to book again when in New York.

New York! New York! Now off to explore! More travel adventures from us soon!

For the mean time, we say… Set goals. Live the life you imagined.